The Most Perfect Day

I never believed them. They had it all wrong. It could never take so much effort, time or mental & physical attention. I could never be that person that got all consumed or lost focus. It would be different for me.

But it isn't. The reality is clear. I have now walked in their shoes.

I am a bride. An excited, exhausted, stressed out at times, grateful, tearful, pressured, and in love bride.

I have now lived the realities: the shopping, the planning, the meetings, the balancing of life and the worst that weddings bring out in families; the fun in being the center of attention, receiving gifts from UPS like every day is Christmas, the ups and downs, the beautiful parties, the financial stresses, and the unbearable excitement for the day just to arrive...

And three weeks from today I get to marry the love of my life. All the other "things" that I have been spending tireless nights planning and orchestrating won't matter in the end.  I can say that at times I have lost that focus and Andrew always seems to bring me back to Earth. At times I have let the little details that I LOVE putting together get in the way of the big picture…marrying my best friend on the most perfect day. The perfect day won't be because of the weather or the awesome caterer or the fact that people are taking a boat to our ceremony (well that just adds to the perfection for us!).

It will be the most perfect day simply because Andrew and I will be joining our hands and hearts in marriage and starting our life together as Mr. and Mrs. We will be surrounded by everyone we love and who loves us in return. That is what is most important to us.

And so I have three more weeks to say my given name, Miss Maria Burton Powell, with pride before I become Mrs. Maria Powell Coughlin; three more weeks to enjoy the craziness and varying emotions of it all; three more weeks to be spoiled, loved beyond belief and encouraged by so many friends and family; three more weeks to love Andrew as my boyfriend and fiancé before he becomes my husband; three more weeks to feel grateful beyond belief and humbled by everyone who is traveling near and so far to be with us on our most perfect day.