As Travis and I settle in to life as Mr. and Mrs., we are slowly learning what it is like to live with one another... how we load the dishwasher, our laundry habits, the organized way I like to keep our pantry, cleaning habits... you name it. As we approach our first month of marriage, I feel like it has been spent getting used to the other person, celebrating our similarities and appreciating our differences, with lots of unpacking thrown in the mix.
As our wedding pictures have come in and our video is about to be in my amateur editing hands, I keep thinking back to our big day and what God taught us in the process. I have drafted this post in my head several times and then wrestled with whether or not to actually post it... I don't want it to come of as a complaint or a soapbox, but rather just a lesson learned... and a way to hold myself accountable when I try to regain control. So for those of you who read this post, let's get real for a minute...
Throughout the planning process, I mentioned several times that God has been teaching me I am never in control... that His plan is bigger and better than mine could ever be. I never could have imagined how true and loud those words would ring in my ears on June 23rd. Leading up to our wedding weekend, everything was going perfectly. Other than a few minor issues, like flowers not being in season any more or putting the same names over and over again on our seating chart or writing and re-writing and then re-writing again the place cards, everything was being dealt with or adjusted. Flowers, typos and re-dos were nothing compared to what was coming.
My mom and I headed up to Athens on Wednesday and spent some time wandering around Athens and just enjoying some quiet. Thursday was spent at Starbucks in disbelief that in less than 48 hours I was getting married, at Pauley's and Transmet with Travis, our families and closest friends, and at Bourbon Street having a dance party. Friday came way too quickly and the entire day I just felt like I was in a daze. After having so many of my closest friends get married in the last two years, I felt like I was attending someone else's luncheon. But when you find yourself being the only one in white, carrying a bow-bouquet as you practice walking down the aisle... reality sets in. It's your turn. The rehearsal was flawless... Emily and Carl House were so reassuring that everything would be perfect. And then the rehearsal dinner at Beta brought Travis and I back to how we met, where we spent most of our college days, and some of the bestest friends and relationships imaginable.
THE BIG DAY!! I can't even begin to communicate the excitement/nervous feeling that I woke up with Saturday morning. It was killing me not to talk to or see Travis... knowing that he was only a few floors below me. 6:30 pm could not come soon enough! Being able to spend Saturday morning in my pjs, surrounded by my closest friends, eating yummy snacks and drinking yummy mimosas was such a reassurance that this life is beyond blessed. After roaming around downtown Athens for some pictures, it was time to head to Carl House.
A few more pictures, chatting and rationalizing with Tessa and Eli, enjoying the last moments as a MISS... 6:00 pm came quickly... but where were our guests? To make a long story short - we had transportation issues. LARGE issues... in the form of two coach buses that were supposed to transport our guests from Athens to Carl House. Our ceremony was supposed to start at 6:30 pm... and as I watched our wedding planner poke her head in and out of the bridal room... Cara go in and out of the bridal room... I knew something was wrong. Our guests eventually got there. Our ceremony eventually started... around 7:15 pm. Insert God telling Travis and I... "You are not in control. I got this." If our ceremony would have started on time, a train engine would have sounded around 6:35 pm. Our guests would have been in direct sunlight... and in already hot, southern temperatures, it was nice to have some relief. And according to my Nanny,
the sky was a God-send.
As our family pictures were getting started, we had another surprise. "Oh what's that on my shoulder? A rain drop? Seriously?!" I wasn't seeing the humor is this quite yet... so as we hurried to finish our family pictures - Travis and I were faced with the decision, hurry inside because it might rain... or head out to the field and finish our pictures as husband and wife. With one look at each other, we decided why not. If anything, it would be a great story. If you can guess where this is going... it didn't rain. Of course, it didn't. How foolish were we to think that we could take control of that situation. When I look back on this moment and this decision, it carries across life. How often are we in situations when the rain clouds start to roll in and cloud our view... and how often do we try to run inside? If we would just give that control over to God, we would end up in amazing places with even more amazing lessons learned... and in our case, pictures that scream to both of us that we are not in control of this life and giving it over to God allows us to fully experience His majesty.
The rest of the night was everything we could have wanted and more... we got to celebrate a new adventure in our lives with our closest friends and family members. People who have seen our relationship from the very beginning - from an 18 year old girl and a 19 year old boy who had no idea what God had in store for their lives... to now husband and wife. We had fabulous people behind the scenes who went above and beyond their job descriptions, just to make sure that we were enjoying every moment.
All throughout this process, I have said that flowers die... food goes bad... but what is lasting is what your marriage is built upon. Your wedding might start late... you might have musical mis-haps during your ceremony... you might feel some rain drops... but here again, what is lasting is the commitment made.
Lessons learned... Life is not perfect. Imperfectly perfect is beautiful. I am not in control - the more control I give over to God, the more I experience Him working in my life. Storms and rain will come - in life, in friendships, in marriage- instead of running for shelter, I need to stand firm and confident in the One who has saved me.
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