All that really matters

Dear ESB,

I've been an avid reader since I got engaged 16 months ago. I truly appreciated the attitude with which you approach the whole wedding process.

In lieu of writing in with my questions about flowers, money misunderstandings, table decorations, hurt friends and hurtful mothers-in-law, etc., I tried to focus on the main tenets (as I see them) of advice you give: Please yourself (its your fucking wedding) but don't prioritize your vision of an ideal wedding over your future life-long relationships with friends and relatives. I like to think I stayed mostly sane.

Then at 5:30am two days before my wedding, I got a call that my little sister (my Maid of Honor and closest person to me in the world other than my husband) was in the hospital. We found out that she had appendicitis and was going to need emergency surgery. My kind husband immediately came up with all sorts of ideas to make us feel better (skype, facetime, a helmet with ipads attached on all sides...) but that didn't help at all. I didn't want to have my big wedding without my sister. Flowers, centerpieces, first dance songs? What did any of those matter now?

She was rushed into surgery and, thankfully, it went very well. When I realized that she would be able to be at the wedding (albeit in a gentle state) I was overcome with happiness. Once I had to picture the wedding without one of the most important people, I knew that nothing else mattered. She spent most of the day in a wheel chair, but she wanted to walk down the aisle herself. I couldn't have asked for a better wedding. 

With three days of marriage under my belt, I want to tell everyone out there planning their wedding to picture the people you love at your wedding and remind yourself that really, nothing else matters.

Thanks for everything,
One less appendix at the wedding of my dreams

Photo credits Andy Clayton King (professional photographer)and one selfie from my sister in her wheelchair on the way to the wedding

*****

Man I love you guys.


(All of you.)