..and still married. Yes, we did it, even with the white suit meltdown (don't ask), senior citizen ID fiasco and an (almost) missing MIL, we did it and had a grand old party.
We ate. 
We danced. 
We sang. And we had a truly fantastic time.
I'm still processing all of it, and I did have fun living in the shiny bubble of "bride to be" for awhile. It made me feel better about myself, or at least it made me better about prioritizing. But life goes on, even while people are telling you "go for it, spend the money, pamper yourself, it's your day." Southern Sudan declares independence while you go for a mani-pedi and carry Dave Egger's "What is the What" in your bag. Friends lose parents and future parents in law to scary things like "heart attacks" and "cancer" and you just have to be thankful that you get to eat dinner with your own, for another few weeks, for just a little bit longer. A truly "grand"uncle dies just before your and you're able to see his son embraced by your big, wonderful family. Babies are born while you're on your honeymoon; and you check facebook constantly for pictures. Life is life, and you're just a small part of it, enjoying your experience and soaking up the family and the life and all of the things that make this day special - births and deaths and weddings and family and friends. You're a part of that.
And then you slip out of the bubble; make way for the next bride and the next wedding and go back to cleaning the bathroom and tending the garden and going for groceries on Monday morning because you are going to try harder, to be better at prioritizing and getting things done and providing for your family. Lord knows how you watched your mother work full-time, keep house, cook for five, direct a choir, meet and greet various flights at the airport, host a four course dinner party for 20, entertain 6 more guests in her home, arrange music for a funeral AND help you plan for your wedding. You can try a little harder.
And so you find yourself at the grocery store on Monday morning and it's not very busy and the one aisle that is both a)open and b) actually has someone working at it has a cashier in very chummy conversation with an older woman and as you begin to unload your definitely 8 or more items onto the belt you begin to understand that they are talking about weddings. The woman is still there talking as the cashier starts to ring you through and you almost think she's trying to include you in the conversation. You give her a small smile and she finally wanders off with a last comment of "you were a beautiful bride" and you just KNOW that this woman has also recently enjoyed the bridal bubble of love and so you have to ask. She's been married three weeks to your two. And so while you bag your less than ten items and pass her your card you chat about weddings and honeymoons and locations and you feel a bit of that bridal sheen still on you. Never before have you had such a charmingly intimate conversation with a grocery store clerk. You leave with a last "congratulations" and a smile on your face and head off on your next errand. A little happier. A little brighter.
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