One of the things I did soon after getting engaged was change the setting on my "Wedding" Pinterest board from private to public. All of the ideas I had pinned there were so exciting, fancy...and waaayy out of my budget. However, something happened as I pinned and researched weddings ideas. I started to feel inadequate. I felt like I was going to get judged on my wedding day because it was not going to be as fancy as it "should be". The food was not going to be extravagant, the cake was not going to be as tall as a 5 year-old. I felt like I was letting myself down.

It was not only that, though. My friends that were engaged had their engagement pictures done soon after they got engaged...and mine still were not done. I was not sure on the style of bridesmaid dresses, and only heaven knew when my fiance would choose his groomsmen. I did not have everything done when it was "supposed to be". I had no idea what I was doing, and I still do not. But that is okay.

I need to stop comparing myself to everyone else. I need to stop worrying about what guests will think. I need to stop stressing about the little things. Because, in all reality, they will not matter once all is said and done.

The wedding my fiance and I are having is unique. Not 'no-one-has-ever-done-this-before" unique, but unique to us. The wedding we are planning fits us. It's going to be casual, the food will be homey, and the music will not be fancy. That is just fine. Pinterest and wedding-planning tools can be great, but they also create an image that brides-to-be may feel like they have to measure up to. But we do not, because the perfect wedding varies from person to person. The perfect wedding is the wedding that is perfect for the couple getting married. If that means wearing jeans and cowboy boots--that is great. If that means having silk tablecloths--that is great. If that means having a black instead of a white wedding dress--that is great too. It seems that brides get so caught up in what other people expect, that they forget what they want.

I felt so much stress melt away when I realized that I should not compare my wedding and my planning process to anyone else's--because my wedding is unique to me, and there is no reason I should compare mine to someone else's.

I still have no idea what I am doing when it comes to wedding planning...and I have a sneaking suspicion that I never will. But that is okay, because from what I have heard, it will all go by so fast that I won't remember most of it. The most important thing about my wedding is not in the clothing, the colors, the food, or the decorations. The most important thing is that I am marrying the love of my life.