The BIG Day

Before I met my husband, I was not that interested in getting married and I wasn't sure it would ever happen. I had a wonderful life. Living in the city, being a social butterfly, enjoying the singles scene – I had finally become comfortable with myself to a point where I didn’t need anyone. So when friends would refer to their weddings as ‘the big day’ I would argue that I had plenty of those that were just as important. Running a marathon, buying a home, traveling the world, witnessing births and deaths – these were all BIG days. Who decided that a wedding was any more significant than these life events?

Then came my big days of falling in love, become engaged, planning a wedding, enjoying a bridal shower and bachelorette, attending pre-cana. I began to understood. This was a really big day. This day took a full year to plan, a full salary to pay for, religious preparation, conflicts with family and friends, and in just a matter of hours we were committed to each other for life. Aside from my realization of this as an important day, society informed me this was the biggest day ever! Wedding websites spammed my email, bridal shows sent me invitations, random people congratulated me when they saw my ring, and the cost of every vendor increased by 20% when we mentioned the word 'wedding'. 

Throughout the process, it was important to me to remember that it was just one day. Just 24 hours, compared to the lifetime commitment ahead. Not more important than the birth of our first child or the death of a parent. Certainly not comparable to anyone else's big days. I decided to ignore those who told me this was the most important day of my life. Big days are definitely in the eye of the beholder. Our wedding was one of the biggest days in my life and it was a fabulous day. But there will be others (for us and for the people in our lives) and I look forward to celebrating those as well.