Preparing For Marriage (and not just the wedding)

There’s a difference between preparing for your wedding day – and preparing for marriage.

Yes, the wedding is a special celebration that takes some planning, but what I’m much more invested in, is our relationship and how it continues to grow, leading up to the "big day" - and every day after that.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m still into the dress, the cake and all that jazz, but keeping it simple is definitely the theme. I’m aware of the balance between planning the celebration and “preparing” for marriage; or in other words, paying attention to our relationship, living in this moment - and having fun.

Our time isn’t consumed by wedding talk and “to do” lists; this is a unique, special time in our relationship - and we’re not trying to miss out.

Like the other afternoon, we were shopping for a few wedding things, and as we were finishing up, we discovered this beautiful back alley that led to a small park and a funky restaurant patio where we stopped for a drink.

And, while a part of me knows I can easily get sucked into the devilish details (because I love to plan), I'm conscious of taking the time to enjoy the summer, each day and each other; and not to take our relationship or this time for granted. It's important that we set the pace for the type of life we want to have together, in this moment and in every moment. And while I'm excited for the wedding day, I'm loving today.

I’m conscious of what matters - the union & partnership that we’re coming together to celebrate. And when I find myself slipping into wedding mode and out of the moment, I take a deep breath and look into my mister's eyes. Because there's one thing I know for sure:

Our relationship will make the wedding more beautiful than any flowers or ribbons ever could.

So that’s where my focus is.

I know what matters most to me is that we set the tone for the kind of relationship, marriage and life that we want. And when we do arrive to this beautiful celebration, we'll be calmly present and the vows we'll say to each other will come from the realest place.

It's easy to get carried away, I get that. But the question we all have to be mindful of at this stage and really, at every stage, is "what matters most?".

Peace and lots of love,

Diana