I’ve been a bridesmaid 12 ½ times (one didn’t actually make it to the alter which accounts for the half), traveled to the tropics, and as far away as Barcelona and Rome, to be by the sides of my best friends on their big day. Hours upon hours of shopping for dresses, learning how to bustle and bow, searching for the perfect pair of wedding shoes, tying pennies to hundreds of Save the Date scratch off cards, soaking wine bottles to loosen labels and replace with customized wedding ones, wrapping favors, doing calligraphy on hundreds of envelopes, folding programs, filling favor bags of candy, running around foreign cities on the search for random last minute items, planning bridal showers and bachelorette parties, baking penis cakes, writing wedding speeches, editing the wedding speeches of others, even writing other people’s vows.

If I counted the dollars spent over the last two decades, I would easily have a down payment for a house by now. Instead, I have memories, funny photos (some not appropriate for this blog), lots of laugh lines (and a few scars- dancing on the bar in stilettos has proven dangerous in recent years) and some best friends who owe me big time. Being single for oh so long, I’m not sure anyone ever believed my cash-in day would come. I certainly didn’t! Although I’ve been in so many weddings and to so many more, being the bride is definitely different and certainly something new.

Thank you for checking out my wedding website! Nobody is more shocked than I am that I’m engaged!

I want to write these blog entries because anything really extraordinary that has ever happened to me has blown by in a whirlwind. So, I want to make sure that I stop, breathe, reflect on and remember this very important time in my life. Plus, I thought it would be more fun to take my friends along for the ride- rather than just having a traditional wedding website.

This isn’t your typical “I’ve dreamed of my wedding day my whole life” kind of blog. In fact, I honestly wasn’t sure if I’d ever walk down the aisle. Up until one year ago, I was single for years, in a going nowhere relationship for 6 years before that… I watched most of my friends get married, and my younger sister and much younger brother say “I do”.  Then, out of nowhere, I met my fiance. I thought the whole “when you know, you know” was a bunch of BS- but low and behold, I met him and I knew. No games, no questioning. One year later, we’re engaged.

After being in 12 1/2 weddings (see next blog) and as a bride in my 30s, I want to do things my- or rather- our way. I hope you’ll comment, make suggestions, interact and join us on this journey!