Not going to the chapel

Indiana was great. I'm glad to be back in Florida.

I loved being with my family every day. It gave me the feeling of being a kid again; carefree and playing all day. I spent ample time with friends I hadn't seen in ages, which again provided the carefree feeling, only college-style. Needless to say, I spent plenty of time at Harry's. :)

The end of my vacation was spent bridesmaiding, as I like to call it. Typically I love weddings. I love the dresses, the flowers, the food selection, the music played, the toasting, everything down to the table settings. This wedding was fun, but it made me second-guess my big-wedding-dreams.

I've now stood-up in 3 weddings. And no matter what colors, dresses, and food were chosen, they all have one thing in common: they're kind of a pain in the ass.

I love the whole idea of the wedding. When I have that special someone to spend the rest of my life with, I want to celebrate that with close friends and family. However, spending a year and a half planning for the day of the celebration seems to be more work than it's worth. Yes, you make beautiful memories. But I've come to the conclusion that a wedding brings out the worst in people and can be hell for your family. All the stress and running around and planning now gives me a headache, whereas before I couldn't wait for it to be my turn to run around for my princess-day. Now I see that whether or not you like your future in-laws doesn't matter because there will be some sort of drama with them when it comes to the wedding. There's usually enough drama with in-laws without a wedding, isn't there? Sure, everyone gets along fine after the vows are complete, but was it worth the months of arguing and stress?

My point for all this is not to say that I'm against all weddings and plan to never again attend one. I still like going to them, especially if there's good music and an open bar. I think this was another experience leading me in the direction of the person I'm becoming. Just don't be offended if I invite only my parents and sister to a wedding ceremony on the beach. I'll still want to have a fun party somewhere to celebrate with the rest of my peeps; it might just be at a local wine bar or something instead of a banquet hall.