We’re only 73 days from our wedding day now, and I’d be lying if I said the stress of putting on an event for our friends and family wasn’t starting to sink in. I’ve been putting the finishing touches on everything with our caterer, our florist, our musicians, our transportation and tent vendors…the list goes on and on. And we only have 40 guests! I think that at my ripe old age, I’m too old for this sh*t. LOL. But with all the stress and organization that comes with the details of the day, we are also starting to lean into the overarching POINT of the day– and we’ve been doing that as we craft our ceremony with our officiant.

We started the process of crafting our ceremony and coming together to center our values in the process, and working with Maureen has brought the joy back to our wedding prep FOR SURE. Chatting in my one-on-one session with her, it brought me back to the beginnings of my relationship with Ian– and the down-to-the-bone peace that I felt with him. That sacred time that was just for us before he ever met the kids or hopped head-first into the chaos that is our (very blessed, but full) life together. It’s made us both stop to consider the whole journey of our love and our union, and that feels like exactly what we need right now.

I can’t say that the “ceremony” part of a wedding has ever been my favorite part per se, but now as we craft ours to be so personal, meaningful, and specific to us as a couple and as a family– I feel totally differently. Having such a small wedding has definitely given us the opportunity to have a more intimate ceremony. I’ll keep the details a surprise, but we’ve found a way to involved both our guests and the kids in our union process– and we are even bringing in some VERY old traditions to the mix. Being so intentional with all of this has really centered me. I’ve remembered that the food and flowers and the music and the dress are all great and good, but that the point of the wedding is to celebrate US and our commitment to each other.

Next month, Marlowe and I go into the city to try on our wedding dresses, and I can’t wait! I’m also a little nervous. I hope I’m as obsessed with it as I remember, and I hope I love how it looks on me like I did then! It’s so fun having the kids existing this time around. LOL. Bringing them along for all of these fun moments, and involving them in the process has been a part of being a second-time bride that I am the most grateful for. We tried on the boys’ wedding weekend suits last weekend, and just even having them dress themselves in them and hearing their styling input was totally surreal. I know they’re at the age where they’ll remember this day forever just like we will, and I can’t wait to watch them enjoy our wedding day in their own special way.

This will probably be my last blog update until the big day, but make sure to subscribe to my newsletter because I’ll be sharing much more there, along with sneak peaks before I share on social!

Photographs by Julia Dags | Copyright © 2024 Happily Eva After, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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