Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Confessions of a Hands-on Groom
Three days to go.
You'd think that by now, I'd start to get cold feet. On the contrary,
I'm looking forward to our wedding day.
Although Janice and I started preparing for our wedding day a little
over 11 months ago, my own personal preparations have begun much earlier
than that Sunday morning in Tagaytay when I asked her to marry me .
Around two months before I popped the question, I have studied the ins
and outs of buying diamonds, and secretly searched for the perfect
engagement ring. Add to this the "buwelo" I had to gather before I
started to make my move, I'd say I have been preparing myself for almost
2 years now.
Come to think of it, I have been preparing for this wedding the last
thirty one years.
I will never be able to recall a defining moment in our relationship
when I was finally sure that Janice would be the person I wanted to
spend the rest of my life with. It was not a divine sign, nor a
dramatic moment, nor a magical night underneath the stars, that led me
to this conviction. In between the fears, the tears, the uncontrollable
fits of laughter we've shared, it just grew, and I knew, that our happy
beginning is not a question of "if" but merely a question of when. As
we nurtured our relationship, I was starting to pack my bags, preparing
to take the train that will take me to a place called marital bliss.
Preparing for a wedding is an adventure. Primarily because it is always
your first time, and you will never be ready for it. You simply jump
into the darkness, and learn then ropes along the way.
Weddings have traditionally been the bride's kind of thing. But having
known a couple of male friends who themselves got their hands dirty with
the bridal DIY glue, I was somehow encouraged that there is nothing
wrong with me for being excited with all of these. I am proud to say
that I am a hands-on groom. I was the one who found my bride's make-up
artist, discussed the design of our unity candles with our online
vendor, surfed the net for the perfect venue for our prenuptial
pictorials, and a lot more, to the point that Janice claims I have done
90% of the work.
Sure, wedding preparations are fun. But the truth is, your wedding can
only be as good as the effort you put into it. The truth is, there are
elements you have to let go of, ideas that will never work out the way
they were conjured in your head. The truth is, two people in love will
disappoint and frustrate each other, either through miscommunication or
negligence. The truth is, things will never work out perfectly the way
they were planned. Preparing for a wedding is a roller coaster ride. It
goes up, comes down, it goes too fast then stalls; it takes a lot of
fortitude and faith to keep the wheels rolling towards that envisioned
destination.
It was during the homestretch that we discovered the value of Faith in
our relationship. Barely 2 weeks into the wedding day, I found myself
consoling my bride who was crying over her less than perfect wedding
gown. I found myself trying to reassure her that things will be okay, as
long as we have faith in Him and firmly believe that He is watching over
us. A week into the wedding day, I found myself, with my faith
dangerously wavering, trying to convince myself that all these things
are trials from God, and that we should, as the Bible puts it, be joyful
for them. Last Sunday, God once again manifested his Love for us, and
turned things around. Janice now can't wait to march down the aisle
with a wedding gown she loves.
Preparing for our wedding has been a long and exciting adventure for
both of us. In our desire to make our dream wedding turn into reality,
reality joined the fray and helped us grow together. Fate interfered
and multiplied our faith a thousand fold. In preparing for our wedding
together, we have now prepared ourselves for our marriage.
|
You'd think that by now, I'd start to get cold feet. On the contrary,
I'm looking forward to our wedding day.
Although Janice and I started preparing for our wedding day a little
over 11 months ago, my own personal preparations have begun much earlier
than that Sunday morning in Tagaytay when I asked her to marry me .
Around two months before I popped the question, I have studied the ins
and outs of buying diamonds, and secretly searched for the perfect
engagement ring. Add to this the "buwelo" I had to gather before I
started to make my move, I'd say I have been preparing myself for almost
2 years now.
Come to think of it, I have been preparing for this wedding the last
thirty one years.
I will never be able to recall a defining moment in our relationship
when I was finally sure that Janice would be the person I wanted to
spend the rest of my life with. It was not a divine sign, nor a
dramatic moment, nor a magical night underneath the stars, that led me
to this conviction. In between the fears, the tears, the uncontrollable
fits of laughter we've shared, it just grew, and I knew, that our happy
beginning is not a question of "if" but merely a question of when. As
we nurtured our relationship, I was starting to pack my bags, preparing
to take the train that will take me to a place called marital bliss.
Preparing for a wedding is an adventure. Primarily because it is always
your first time, and you will never be ready for it. You simply jump
into the darkness, and learn then ropes along the way.
Weddings have traditionally been the bride's kind of thing. But having
known a couple of male friends who themselves got their hands dirty with
the bridal DIY glue, I was somehow encouraged that there is nothing
wrong with me for being excited with all of these. I am proud to say
that I am a hands-on groom. I was the one who found my bride's make-up
artist, discussed the design of our unity candles with our online
vendor, surfed the net for the perfect venue for our prenuptial
pictorials, and a lot more, to the point that Janice claims I have done
90% of the work.
Sure, wedding preparations are fun. But the truth is, your wedding can
only be as good as the effort you put into it. The truth is, there are
elements you have to let go of, ideas that will never work out the way
they were conjured in your head. The truth is, two people in love will
disappoint and frustrate each other, either through miscommunication or
negligence. The truth is, things will never work out perfectly the way
they were planned. Preparing for a wedding is a roller coaster ride. It
goes up, comes down, it goes too fast then stalls; it takes a lot of
fortitude and faith to keep the wheels rolling towards that envisioned
destination.
It was during the homestretch that we discovered the value of Faith in
our relationship. Barely 2 weeks into the wedding day, I found myself
consoling my bride who was crying over her less than perfect wedding
gown. I found myself trying to reassure her that things will be okay, as
long as we have faith in Him and firmly believe that He is watching over
us. A week into the wedding day, I found myself, with my faith
dangerously wavering, trying to convince myself that all these things
are trials from God, and that we should, as the Bible puts it, be joyful
for them. Last Sunday, God once again manifested his Love for us, and
turned things around. Janice now can't wait to march down the aisle
with a wedding gown she loves.
Preparing for our wedding has been a long and exciting adventure for
both of us. In our desire to make our dream wedding turn into reality,
reality joined the fray and helped us grow together. Fate interfered
and multiplied our faith a thousand fold. In preparing for our wedding
together, we have now prepared ourselves for our marriage.
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