My wedding is seventy-one days away (I could give you the number of hours, minutes, and seconds until the ceremony, too…), and although the ambience of the day is unfolding exactly how I have imagined it since I was five, I can't help but wish it was over already. Not because I am stressed or getting cold feet. Thanks to my mom, the liaison who's helped procure various vendor selections, there has been little anxiety. But what I really wish is that I would have married Rob yesterday.
Two weeks after we started dating, I knew he was it. After I met him, I forgot what life was like before he was there. He just fit. We started dating October 24, 2008, got engaged October 24, 2011, and our wedding is May 5, 2012. Six months seems like a short amount of time to put together a wedding, especially on the scale that we are planning (320 invitations went in the mail this week).
But thanks to my school-girl imagination, I already knew the wedding would be a regal affair with my bridesmaids in royal purple dresses, and every type of flower in shades of white (except lilies, I don't like lilies). I daydreamed of the groomsmen wearing traditional tuxedos, and our church being where my dad attended growing up. It's very Gatsby, if you will. The entire idea of our wedding is exactly how I envisioned it. The only thing that's different is I now have a groom.
Truthfully, we chose our date around the availability of my perfect reception venue. I went to weddings there growing up, and even as a young girl, I knew I could see myself there in a white dress. Rob, of course, has had much input in the planning process. While there are things he leaves up to my judgment, like cake frosting details, he does know that he wants the flavor of the cake to be white, and we both agree that the most important details are that the ceremony readings and music reflect who we are as a couple.
Now all we have left to do is finalize our ceremony details, order our wedding bands, and wait. I am most excited to see how everything comes together. I can envision all of the pieces of the day, but to see how everything fits together will be my dream come true.
Even so, the importance of every tasting, vendor interview, and apparel choice pales when compared to my groom. Give me Rob and a couple I do's, all the other stuff is just fluff.
Written by: Heather Fumo, soon to be Heather Wotkowski. Heather is the newest member of the West Michigan Woman team. As the magazine's account executive, she works with West Michigan businesses to obtain advertising for our upcoming print edition of West Michigan Woman. She's a Chicago native, but loves Grand Rapids enough to call it home.
