Thoughts on marriage

Our wedding celebration is in one week. One week! There are programs to print, gifts to buy and seating arrangements to make! So much to do!

I am understanding the importance of weddings now. I used think that, yeah, marriages are important, but do I really have to get dressed up and come watch you say your vows and give you a gift? What a drag. I've been to weddings that were very lame. Beautiful but lame. So there really isn't much incentive for going, except to maybe see friends but we can do that without the gift buying. Now I understand why weddings are so important for the couple. Why they want people there to celebrate with them. Why people SHOULD be there to celebrate with them.

I mean they are committing their lives to each other for LIFE. That's a pretty huge commitment. This is the one time where they will make a commitment and all of their family and friends should be there to support and encourage them. It's important to the couple that they are there.

I realized this when a lot of people let us know that they couldn't come to our wedding celebration. It was kind of hard not to take some of the regrets personally; to not think, "My wedding is less important than _____________?" Some people couldn't make travel arrangements and some weren't even in the country, but others, just didn't even try. And it may be very selfish of me, but it bothered me. So now I know. When I get a wedding invitation, I should feel honored. They want me to celebrate the beginning of their marriage with them. I shouldn't see it as an obligation; the event is not about me, it's about them! I should try my best to attend their wedding and encourage them. I certainly shouldn't blow it off; they took the time to invite me and I should take the time to try and attend.