It Rained That Day

On the morning of our wedding, I woke up to a bride's worst nightmare, pouring rain. This wasn't a surprise to me as I had been checking the weather forecast for the last two weeks. My ceremony and reception were supposed to both be outdoors and I couldn't bear the thought of moving it inside. I didn't dwell on this though, and just like all other things in life, if God wanted it rain, it was going to rain. 

My matron of honor arrived early that morning and we drove to pick up my step-daughter, Sydney, from school so we could all go get our hair done. After spending 3 hours in the salon, we ran out to our car, in the pouring rain. We couldn't help but laugh about it, and I held out faith that God would clear up the skies just in time for the ceremony. 

    (Hair by Annette at Luxe Society Salon)

We spent the next few hours putting on makeup and dresses in the bridal suite. I looked at my curl-fallen hair in the mirror and thought about how if it was my first wedding, I would have been furious at the rain for ruining my hair and potentially my plans, but I see things differently now. Instead, I looked at my hair and thought about how it didn't matter that my hair wasn't perfect, because the man that I was about to marry wasn't in love with my hair, he was in love with ME. 

The chaos began when guests started to arrive, unsure of where to go because of the rain. The owner of the venue told me that it was still raining, and gave me my options for moving it inside. My heart was so set on getting married outside, but I didn't want my guests to be upset because they were getting rained on. As I teetered between inside or outside, my Matron of Honor looked directly at me said, "What do YOU want to do? This is your day, and all that matters is what YOU want." And just like that I decided that we were going to have it outside, rain or shine. That is what best friends are for.

The guests were finally seated, and there I stood at the entrance of the aisle, with not a drop of rain to be seen. The ground was soaking wet and everyone seemed to be concerned about my dress getting dirty, but me. As I turned the corner and saw 35 of my most favorite people in the world, I looked at my daddy and started to cry. They were tears of joy because I knew the old chapter of my life was ending, and a new one was beginning. 

As husband and wife, we made our way to the reception area, where we were greeted by our family and friends. We ate, we cut cake, we toasted, we danced, we laughed and we cried. By the end of the evening, my hair was a mixture between straight and curly, I was barefoot, my makeup was melted, and the bottom of my dress was wet and muddy, and I was happier than I had ever been.

 IT RAINED THAT DAY, and I wouldn't have changed a single thing. 

I'm definitely no expert on marriage, but after having two marriages and two weddings, I have learned a few things that I want to share with brides-to-be, and young women who dream of their future wedding day.

Don't get caught up in the details of the day. The amount of money that you spend, doesn't matter. The number of people that you invite, doesn't matter. Don't prepare more for your wedding day, than you do for your marriage. Things will not always be perfect, but that's the beauty of  LIFE. Don't be afraid to LIVE. Dance barefoot in the rain, under the stars. Get your dress dirty, you only wear it once. Hold each of those moments in your heart, hold him in your arms, and hold that memory in your mind. All the dreams you hold in your heart, and all the love that you hold for him, those dreams begin NOW. The best day of your life isn't today, but in every day that follows. Hold on to his hand, hold on to these moments, and never let them go. 

XOXO,

Brittani