The thought came to me at dinner with my aunt over Christmas break. She's talking about gardening, something she absolutely loves to do. This particular discussion was about her greenhouse, and whether things made it through the winter, or died and needed to be replaced with a new plant come spring. Her motto for her greenhouse is, "If it doesn't Groh, then it's gotta go." A nice little play on words with her married name.

But, I bring this up because wedding hashtags are all the rage these days. The minute people announce their engagement on social media, others begin asking or suggesting these wedding hashtags. And sure, they're cute and fun for the event, but as someone who loves things that last a long time, why not choose a motto that will better fit your life? Spend time thinking about the things you love to do together and make a play on words with that. It might be easier than trying to find something that rhymes with orange.

Finding a life motto even as a single person gives you something to hold onto when times get tough. For me personally, I think of two things that have gotten me this far in life, "Find your better best," and "If you quit, you never wanted it." Neither of them are tied to anything in particular, but when you're training hard for a marathon or trying with all of your might to do pull-ups after breaking both of your arms, it gives you something that in a moment of worry or doubt you can remind yourself of.

While my personal examples tend to fit more to a challenging activity, finding a motto like "just keep swimming," or "Everything will be okay," can be good daily reminders when you feel stressed or inadequate such as after receiving a bad test grade or having a rough day. It's so important to have these little life mantras and mottos as reminders that we are enough and we are doing the best we can.

And, even if you are looking for that magical wedding hashtag, find something that's better or more meaningful to you than "To have and to Hughes," Or "Sam and Connie Tie the Knot." While sure, these are easy for finding Instagram-ed photos later, are they ever going to serve a purpose past that? The answer is probably not.

So while yes, I think wedding hashtags are cute and a great way to collect photos others may have shared on your special day, I think it's more important to find a life motto together as a couple or even as a single person. Find something that inspires you every day to get out of bed instead of hitting snooze, to keep pursuing your hobbies, or even something that just reminds you to take a deep breathe every now and then. And, life's tough, don't stress over finding your motto or your hashtag, let it come to you!