12 Months ’til I Do: Kicking Off Our Wedding Countdown
We’re a sucker for a good wedding story here at Brit + Co and know that so many brides (+ grooms!) face a lot of the same challenges, headaches and laughs during the planning process. Today, meet Rodan. She’s getting married in a year (congrats, girl!) and taking us all along for the crazy ride.
I first met Billy casually through friends when I was in and out of New York during grad school in 2009. By the time we reconnected again in January 2010, I was a goner. Pretty much in love from the start. I never waited the appropriate days to contact him, I kissed him first and I made myself too available to hang out. But, when it’s the one (and it was for me), it’s the one — even ignoring dating rules can’t change fate.
Dating in New York is weird. I have plenty of stories about that from friends but — don’t hate me, women of NY who have put in your time in our fair city — my relationship with Billy was (wait for it) easy and uncomplicated from the start. Really! We were foodies (as every big-city person claims to be) but also get down with chips and salsa at Chili’s. Sometimes when we got tired of Manhattan, we’d take a day trip to go hiking or a midnight escape to the casinos in Jersey. He’d gamble away all our money — and I would win it back ;) Over time, common interests, spontaneous kisses and long nights of drinking blossomed into something truly spectacular. In a city of millions of people, I had found my person.
We got engaged hiking through the Alps on the Tour du Mont Blanc. Everyone always asks if I saw it coming. These days, as a modern couple, it’s hard not to see it coming (side note/golden rule: please don’t get married without talking about it first — even you, hopeless romantics), BUT I didn’t expect it to be on that trip. As we hiked up and down 15,000 feet and endured blistering heat, hail and snowstorms, getting engaged was far from my mind. When he finally popped the question as we summited Le Brévent, I was totally surprised and, of course, said yes.
That was nearly a year ago.
In the past year, I have gone from being excited about the wedding to dreading it. And having occasional nightmares in my sleep about it. It has moved from Vermont to Italy and back again. I have asked girls to be my bridesmaids, only to un-ask. I’ve been through a lot, have been faced with endless decisions and have dragged my loved ones with me for the whole ride. (Sorry, guys… Love you!!)
The more I talked to friends about wedding planning, the more I realized my experiences are not unique to me, but something that everyone has to go through and figure out. The road leading up to “I do” is filled with a thousand decisions; big and small ones that require you to prioritize, delegate and, most importantly, listen to your heart(s). With one year of my engagement down and still one more to go until the big day (April 23, 2016!), I’ll be sharing my wedding countdown and all the planning ups and downs with you guys here at Brit + Co. I’m hoping you can learn through my experiences and maybe help ME figure out some things. Who knows?! Perhaps we’ll reach a greater sense of peace together.
Stay tuned. Later this month, I’ll share a little bit more with you guys about what to do when you’ve seen 30+ venues and still, nothing feels right :-X
Are you getting married or helping someone plan their wedding? Share where you’re at in your own wedding countdown below!