Preparing to be Bridal Showered...

 

I'm on the East Coast again for a bit of work and play, which mostly involves my bridal shower which is happening at my parents house tomorrow. For me, this is a big moment because it means that the wedding is getting Really Close! Hooray for that! And, I will get to have many of my favorite ladies in the same room for an entire day, which is just thrilling—especially since not all of them have met each other before. And even though I don't know any of the details of what's happening, I am quite sure it's going to be a lovely and meaningful way to spend the day.

Thinking about this occasion is making me feel really grateful for my family and friends who are helping us to prepare for our marriage. And despite some of the popular wedding advice out there (I'm not going to name names!) that talks about the loss of your single self when marriage approaches, I feel not a loss, but an enormous gain. I still love my single friends, I still love my married friends and I value each for the individuals that they are. I feel like I have gained a seriously amazing support system by joining forces with the man I plan to marry and to me, I am closer with my friends simply because I am a better version of myself—nothing about that is a loss. And I, not for one second, mourn the time when I was alone. My life is so much fuller and richer now, in all regards.

I mention this because I find all of the talk about the transition to getting married fascinating. Maybe it's because I went through a lot of that when our relationship became really serious—making the choice to commit at the beginning felt like jumping off of a bridge. I had never done it before and I didn't have any idea whether I would be any good at it. It was scary. But I decided to trust us and I soon saw that we could do it, and that we were even really good at it. That has turned out to be the best decision that I have ever made.

So this weekend, I hope for laughter, time to reflect, talk and catch up, and maybe, if I'm lucky, a chance to sew with the women I love most.

Image: Faux Bridal Shower on Snippet and Ink