Hey, Relaxed Bride-To-Be, I Feel You

It's five months away from your big day and you have a couple of big things figured out, but those cute bridal boxes that people seem to get done in the first couple weeks following their engagement, haven't even crossed your mind. You thought save-the-dates were the same as wedding invites and you thought bridal showers were equal to bachelorette parties. And with every new thing you come across that you realize you have yet to do or plan, you literally start to wonder if you're even meant to be a bride.

Everything is flying at you a million miles an hour by advertisers, photographers and their unrealistically stylized wedding shoots, and David's Bridal emails. But one thing remains the same - the peace and happiness you get when you picture that face at the end of the aisle. It's the only thing reminding you that you ARE meant to be a bride. And in fact, you'll be a better one because of your lack of desire to spend the MOST amount of time and money on all the frills of the day.

See, marriage won't be established and perfected on this one day. It won't be better because you served filet mignon instead of pizza. It won't be happier because you had a live band instead of a playlist off of an iPhone. Your marriage and wedding are not the same. Your wedding is the celebration of the start of your marriage but it is not the epitome of your marriage and it is not what rules how successful your marriage will be. So to the low-key brides who don't understand the fuss and craziness about weddings - you're doing great. And to the low-key brides who feel pressured to do everything to perfection and at the same pace as the world around you - breath, your pace is already leaps and bounds ahead of those around you solely because your priorities are straight.

Don't wish the wedding planning away. But feel no rush or pressure to have this picture perfect day that only Nicholas Sparks can create in his love stories. Ask for help, pull your closest family and friends together and share in the days leading up to your wedding together. Get excited, genuinely, but only for the things that matter most to you. If you don't like cake, don't get a cake just because "everyone has a cake". And never forget that face at the end of the aisle.