My best friend and I met in 2000 in Mrs. Connie’s art class at Emerald Mountain Christian School. I was six and she was seven. We both had a mutual love for horses, American Girl dolls, and the color pink. We decided to be best friends soon after we met, and sealed the deal with a secret handshake. Ever since she has always been there for me. We have been there for each other through family struggles, moves to different cities, the unfortunate circumstances of middle school, boyfriends and heartbreaks, college applications, high school graduation, sorority rush, more heartbreak, and dreams of what our futures will look like.
Most recently, my best friend got engaged to an amazing man named Mitchell. She’s the kind of girl who has been dreaming of her prince charming and fairy tale wedding since we were little girls. I could not be happier for her, but somehow walking with her through this next milestone is different than anything else we’ve ever been through. It’s incredibly bittersweet. It’s a different kind of transition for our friendship.
The other week I was helping her choose save-the-date invitations, and it hit me that I won’t be driving to the house she grew up in to have sleepovers anymore. By summertime, she’ll be married, living with her husband in their apartment, with a job and a new chapter in her life. There’s a realization that we’re so far gone from those two little girls in plaid jumpers with matching bows in our hair. We’re adults who are about to brave the real world. When did we even become old enough to graduate college and get married?
My best friend is getting married, and it’s a milestone for both of us. It’s something we’ll walk through together. From wedding invitations, to dress fittings, to making sure she actually gets to eat a piece of her own cake on her wedding day, I look forward to walking with her through this next step. At first I felt like I was losing my best friend and everything would change, but I’ve realized this is just the next step in our friendship. We will still have lunch dates, we will still have shopping trips, and we will still have problems that we go to each other for. My best friend is getting married to a man that loves her, and would truly do anything for her, and knowing she is happy gives me joy.
