Just One Day

When I was planning the first steps of my wedding, I was ecstatic. I wanted my fairytale wedding that I had been dreaming about since I was ten. Sure, there were a few changes from what I wanted back in middle-school, but I always wanted it to be special.

Truth be told, I grew a little frenzied trying to plan every perfect and magical detail of my wedding that was eight months away and counting. And then a good friend of mine was helping me one day as I picked out flower arrangements, and I was blabbering away about how this wedding was going to be the greatest day of my life. And my friend smiled knowingly and put a hand on my shoulder and told me, "It won't be the greatest day of your life, it's just the first day of many wonderful days for the rest of your life."

I know she didn't mean to deflate me, but something in my stomach turned. I realized that I was putting so much effort into making this one day perfect, when I hadn't even considered what I would do to make the marriage itself magical after that one fairytale day. I was humbled. I still planned my big day with vigor, but I kept my friend's words in mind. I thought that maybe instead of buying that $3,000 dress, I could buy something less expensive and save the money for other little trips I would want to take with my husband.

And so I set out in the last months before my wedding with a new mission: to save. I could still make have a beautiful, one of a kind wedding without all the extra dough. I knew that I wanted something to be able to spend after the honeymoon was over. I wanted to be ready for whatever life threw at a newlywed couple; every secret expense I had not foreseen; every little appliance in the house that would eventually need repair or replacement.

I felt that for the first time I was acting like a big girl. I bought great little place settings for the wedding on eBay instead of custom-made ice sculptures. I found dresses much more affordable in the style I wanted, and was on a constant bargain hunt for wedding invitations.

My advice is this, in memory of my good friend: the wedding is only one day, no matter how extravagant it is, and it will have to end at some hour. So why not save a little to enjoy life after the big event is over?