Posts tagged weddings

We spent last weekend in West Virginia for Courtney & Tom’s amazing wedding. It was exactly what I think we all needed and will go down in the books as one of the best of all time. 

And when I say we, I don’t mean just the husband and I. The best thing about my best friends is that three years after graduation, after the loss of one of our own, several address changes, one international move, the subsequent return, and now two weddings, we’re still very much a we. We still refer to each other as my roommates. Not my old roommates, not my college roommates, just my roommates.  

And personally, I hope that never changes. 

Everything about the wedding and reception was absolute perfection. 

I mean, go ahead. Try to tell me that you have ever seen a more beautiful bride. Yeah, I didn’t think so.  

The rest of us clean up pretty well, too. 

But then we do things like this, and any credibility we’d earned, goes right out the window. 

The husband and I even managed to take a somewhat respectable photo. 

Brittany tried to one-up me with my own man, but Chad and his background creeping saved me. 

Of course, we danced our asses off. 

And sang a whole lot of Gaga. 

Kimmy did things like that.

And Brittany made faces like this. 

Essentially, we may have fancied ourselves up with make up, dresses, high heals, suits, and ties, but we were still exactly the same as we’ve always been. We were silly, happy, drunk, and completely, head over heals in love with each other. 

These are the kind of friends that save you from yourself. The kind that last a lifetime and that are always at the core of your heart. 

These are the people who remind me of how infinitely lucky I am. 

Congratulations Tom & Courtney! Thank you for a beautiful day and a crazy night. Well done, friends.  

I am an emotional person. My mother says Some people say that I can be over-dramatic at times. I will sincerely argue that I do not over-exaggerate how I feel; I simply feel things in an over-exaggerated manner. When I’m happy, I am the happiest girl in the tri-state area. When I am sad, there is no consoling me. And when I am angry, I redefine the term woman scorned. 

Despite all of this, I rarely label things or people as life-changing. Largely, the transitions I make are slow and subtle. Most of the time they go unnoticed until enough time has passed that I don’t remember what I was like before I became how I am now. 

Still with me? Okay, good. 

But APW was life-changing for me. APW stands for A Practical Wedding and it is a Web site that began as a wedding planning blog on March 27, 2008. The bride-to-be was Meg Keene and her objective was simple: “to plan a sane wedding on (gasp) a reasonable budget that reflects [the] personal values [of her and her partner].” 

Today, APW is a beautiful and loving community full of pre-engaged ladies, brides-to-be, brides who are, newlyweds, marriage veterans, all-around amazing women, and the partners who love them. APW is a book(!!!!) due out in January 2012 and exceptional vendors. APW is a book club, thoughtful discussions, and the mission of reclaiming wife. APW is support, advice, encouragement, and celebration. Maybe most importantly, APW is NOT judgement, or guilt, or requirement. 

APW is not just about weddings. In fact, APW is barely about weddings at all. Not in the traditional sense anyways. Not in terms of cake flavors, dress silhouettes, flowers, table linens, invitations, color schemes, or bridesmaids. APW is about convincing women that their wedding can be exactly what they want it to be. It also shows women, that in a lot of ways, your wedding is about your guests, too. 

And that is how APW changed my life. Bill and I had a very long engagement which began just as many others do: with a flood of bridal magazines. Like 40 pounds worth. I wish I was joking. 

And I fell for every trick in their glossy books. I wanted it all. Or at least I thought I did. I thought something between I want a pretty wedding and I must have $12-per-person customized corkscrew favors. (Read: Not rational—I was 23. All of my friends were still drinking wine out of a box.) 

APW slapped some sense into me and gave me the courage to be honest about what I really wanted.

• an eloquent, intimate, and genuine ceremony
• a simple, laid-back, and comfortable reception
• an aesthetic that was colorful, playful, personal, and beautiful
• to not bankrupt anyone involved

Then they convinced me that I deserved exactly that. And it worked. It all came together perfectly. I wouldn’t change a thing. 

But here’s the kicker, the secret weapon, the reason why I feel that I owe so much of my happiness to Meg Keene. They made me calm. Yes, overtly-emotional, (allegedly) over-exaggerating me, calm. On my wedding day. They helped me understand that at the end of the day, no matter what, I’d be married to my best friend. 

The moral of the story: check out APW.

If you’re engaged or already married, you will gain so much and you will contribute more than you could ever imagine. And if you’re single, loving it, and not even wanting a relationship, I still encourage you to check it out. The discussions going on over there will solidify who you are, what you want, and what you’re worth. 

That’s my soapbox.