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Friday, January 23, 2015

'Twas the week before the wedding

I can hardly believe it - the day is almost here! 


After four months of dreaming, planning, meeting with vendors, signing contracts, and making lists, the wedding is just seven days away. Jacob is so much fun to plan with! Throughout this process, we've enjoyed learning more about each other - our preferences, what excites us, how we envision celebrating with family and friends, etc. We had certain things we planned together and other things we each took charge of and either consulted with each other or decided it will be a surprise. 

One of the things I love about Jacob is his patience. He has listened patiently to me as I talk through decisions that need to be made or details I'm debating. He's such a great partner in the planning, and I know it will carry through in our marriage.

My sister gave me a wonderful planning tool called The Bride's Handbook: A Spiritual & Practical Guide for Planning Your Wedding by Amy J. Tol. The thing that drew me to Amy was her honesty about how busy wedding planning can be and how important it is to not become so consumed with the practical planning that the spiritual focus falls to the wayside. Each section presents a practical approach to planning some aspect of the wedding and then makes an analogy to how we prepare ourselves as brides of Christ. The book is set up in 12 sections:

  1. The Engagement
    • Bride of Love, Your Engagement Plans, Bride of Transformation
  2. The Groom
    • Bride of Loyalty, Your Groom, Bride of Trust
  3. The Budget
    • Bride of Self-Control, Planning Your Budget, Bride of Grace
  4. The Basics
    • Bride of Devotion, Planning Your Basics, Bride of Discipline
  5. The People
    • Bride of Patience, Planning for Your Guests and Attendants, Bride of Selflessness
  6. The Flowers
    • Bride of Joy, Planning Your Flowers, Bride of Peace
  7. The Photos
    • Bride of Faith, Planning Your Photography and Videography, Bride of Modesty
  8. The Wedding Attire
    • Bride of Humility, Planning Your Wedding Attire, Bride of Honesty
  9. The Invitations
    • Bride of Prayer, Planning Your Wedding Stationery, Bride of Courage
  10. The Ceremony
    • Bride of Worship, Planning Your Ceremony, Bride of Dependence
  11. The Reception
    • Bride of Goodness, Planning Your Reception, Bride of Wisdom
  12. The Gifts
    • Bride of Contentment, Planning for Your Gifts, Bride of Generosity

I am sure you can tell from the section and chapter titles that there is some good stuff in this book! Each practical chapter has note-taking pages, and these were really helpful for brainstorming. I highly recommend the book if you are looking for a gift for a new bride (or yourself!).

The days will pass quickly, and soon it will be here: the day I say "I do" to my best friend. My prayer is that the day would honor the Lord and be a special time of celebration with family and friends.


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