Ever since I was little I have dreamed of what my white dress will look like and the boy standing at the end of the aisle will be like, I never thought of when it would all pan out…however the Lord is GOOD and made me only wait 21 years until I got popped the question! After all the excitement of saying “yes!” died down, the hustle and bustle of planning took place full blast. Boy, was I not ready.
So here it is, the top 5 things I’ve learned the most while going through this season of life.
1. People will surprise you. Whether it’s the family members you haven’t spoken to or seen in years that are the first to send their RSVP to be at the wedding or even the best friends that you lose touch with over the time of the engagement, you will be surprised. Over the past almost two years I was surprised with tears and joy of how people treated me during this time and I take all of it as a blessing. It has showed me who will show up to every shower, listen to every detail, and be just as excited to hear about Martin as they were the first time I met him. I don’t regret the relationships I lost or that grew distant over the time of my engagement because other relationships blossomed. Good friends turned into best friends and I found who will truly love Martin and I got years to come.
2. Not many people understand an engagement at 20 years old.
I had just turned 21 and Martin was 20, most of the people I knew were still figuring out what they wanted to do Friday night and what to wear to the football game on Saturday, let alone planning an entire future with someone. We quickly learned people are happy for us but some were terrified of commitment or just simply didn’t get why we wanted to get engaged so soon, and I learned, it’s okay. We aren’t made to be doing the exact same thing as everyone else and not everyone will always understand. I supported my friends in the decisions they chose and the outfits they picked (most of the time, had to give a few tips sometimes☺️) and they supported me because they knew the most important thing, I loved Martin with all my heart and whether I married him the day I met him or ten years from now, it wasn’t going to change.
3. You are the example. Getting engaged so young people assume you got it altogether, not true. We had certain things together, but planning a wedding while going to class and work isn’t exactly on a list of recommendations for college. However, people set us as an example for a healthy relationship and that was a huge blessing. We were given the opportunity to help our friends in their relationships or help them get out of the bad ones just by being us together.
4. Wedding planning is stressful. You Pinterest your wedding before you can even legally drive on your own, but when it comes to your actual wedding, few of those ideas stay for good. From driving to and from Dothan to working extra to save up for the details, it’s stressful. The advice I was given is, it’s your day, don’t let family members and friends sway you to do what they think is best because at the end of the day it’s for you and your hubby. What makes you two the happiest is what needs to happen regardless of everyone else’s opinions. This definitely is not easy, especially since I’m a huge people pleaser, I probably shed too many tears on certain details I should’ve just said it was our way and people can leave it at that. So whether you want mac n cheese or potatoes, an outside wedding or an inside one, it’s going to be the best day of your lives and you want to make every decision on your own!
5. It is so WORTH it. Not even married yet and I can already say it was so worth it. The long engagement have Martin and I time to learn about each other as one, find which friends will constantly love on us no matter how crazy their own lives are, and to plan the most amazing day with out skipping a beat. This day that’s 3 weeks shy of happening will be the best day of my life and every ounce of stress, every tear shed, every penny spent, and every second I was in the gym (😵😂) will be so worth it.
So for those out there in college, or not, planning a wedding with a million other things going on, take my advice, enjoy every second. It’ll work out how it should with the right people helping you along the way.
With that said…can we plz PLEASE get married now?! (;
Xo,
The soon to be Mrs. Everett
Sweet to My Soul 