BRIDESZILLA!!!!

What do you think of when you hear that word? The reality t.v. show? If so, you’ve probably seen a bride or two burst into tears and stomp out of the dress shop when her mother, fiancé, best friend, aunt, cousin, other best friend, and mother’s best friend all gang up on her and tell her the dress she chose is ugly. You probably wonder, like I do, why does the girl have 10 people with her trying to pick out her dress? No wonder it turns into a disaster! And as for the fiancé being a part of the dress hunt…well, I’ll just leave it at that.

For me, and more than likely for most of you, the wedding planning process is busy and overwhelming at times, but also fun and blessed in many ways. A mom who is excited to do all the girly things with you, from picking out stationary and invitations and flowers to being there for that special moment when you walk out of the dressing room with a huge smile on your face saying “I think this is the one.” A generous dad who’s willing to let you splurge on special "extras" here and there, cause you’re his little girl and you’re getting married. And girlfriends who sincerely want to keep up with all the details, ask if there’s anything they can do to help, and happily host showers in honor of you. It’s humbling and a little embarrassing at times to be the center of so much attention. It’s also exciting and energizing. YOU—are the bride!

Knowing that you’re only going to do this once, it’s only natural that you want everything to be beautiful and to go as smoothly as it possibly can. Sure, the practical side of you knows that not everything will be perfect. Things WILL go wrong. Friends who have already gotten married have warned you. 

But that’s not what you want to focus on when you’ve just taken up residence on Cloud 9… (i.e. you’ve just gotten engaged to the man you love, who was already wonderful and amazing and perfect before but who has just become even more wonderful and amazing and perfect by nature of proposing.) 

Also, as a Christian, you know that the wedding isn’t supposed to overshadow the marriage that is about to take place. The materialism of it all—from the ridiculous amount of money that is spent on “fleeting” things, to the all the distractions from regular life that it causes, to the pressure you feel to live up to “society’s expectations”…you know all of that will be there. But you’re just not aware of how much of a toll it will take on you until you get a little further into the “planning” process. 

Only then do you realize you're three shades of pink away from transforming into that monster you did NOT want to become--a wound-up, over-stressed, blown-out-of-proportion version of yourself.........BRIDESZILLA!!

After all, you thought you could keep it all in perspective. Your wedding was going to be ONE day--one of the most special days of your life of course--but still...just ONE day.

I think the word “planning,” as I emphasized above, is where it all goes wrong. Or at least, that’s where it went wrong for me. In the next few posts I'll share some stories and reflections on my "Brideszilla Moments." Partly because I don't usually have much drama in my life, so these experiences are quite theatrical and entertaining in hindsight. (Notice I said in hindsight.) And partly because some of you may currently be planning a wedding and feeling like you want to pull your hair out as well. For those of you who have already been there, done that--maybe you can relate. :)