Photos taken from Pinterest.com
This blog post is going to be real. I don't usually analyze society or criticize things here on this public forum, but this feels necessary. This semester we've got over a dozen engaged couples at our little school, including myself, and everyone is beyond excited! We have our own brides Facebook page, and we're hurrying to get planning done while still trying to pass classes. And it is a lot of fun. But, let's face it, wedding planning can get out of hand. So now I have to admit something.
Last summer I was obsessed with weddings. My now-fiance-then-boyfriend was out and about all summer, representing our college at different Christian camps. Meanwhile, I was on Pinterest, planning our wedding (and also doing a Children's Ministry internship at my church). Not a big deal, right? Everybody does it! However, I was given some wise advice to step back and calm it down. That was probably some of the best advice I heard all summer. Though it only lasted a few weeks, that time I spent planning our wedding really distracted me from God and even from my relationship with Kaleb. Every time I saw him, it was like all I could talk about was getting married. So we decided together to stop talking about it, and though we were actually engaged a few months later, I felt much more ready than I did during the summer.
Now, as an engaged woman, I feel at peace. Sure, there's probably tons to do, but I'm keeping it simple. And I wish more women would. I think it's extremely dangerous to plan a wedding, engaged or not. We have this perception that it has to be absolutely perfect, so we need to start long before we even have a boyfriend, and when we are engaged, we have to spend every waking minute (and every last dollar) to make the day just right. Yet, it's only going to last ONE DAY. We see all these overly-glamorized photos on Pinterest: the mason jars, the poofy wedding dress, the awesome bridesmaid photos, the insane DIY decorations, the make-up advice .... The list goes on and on. And what for? So you can post your awesome pictures on Facebook and maybe get enough likes to feel satisfied?
Having mason jars at your wedding won't make you happy. I do admit that I still use Pinterest for wedding ideas, and I have probably spent waaaay too much time working on my decorations (though, in my defense, I'm hardly decorating anything compared to the cultural expectation). However, I recognize that the only important thing about my wedding day is glorifying God by coming together under His name to be united to Kaleb. I probably won't ever finish making the flowers for my wedding. And that's totally fine. But I will be there, Kaleb will be there, and God will be there. And hopefully we'll have friends and family, too. But who cares about the rest?
Maybe I seem hypocritical, but honestly, this is something I'm still struggling with. I feel the pressure. I want my wedding to look nice so we can get some great pictures. I want it to be a beautiful day that we remember for the rest of our lives. But what we think will make it memorable isn't actually what matters. Consider that the next time you open Pinterest. Just a thought.
