You'll get lots of advice, and you won't listen to all of it. You shouldn't. No matter how hard you try, you'll still get caught up in planning a wedding. You'll know that your marriage is more important than one day, but inevitably you'll worry about the little details that no one else will notice. There will be a day when you'll compare your wedding to those of others, and if you aren't careful, it will steal just a little of your joy.
Sweet little bride, you'll learn more about yourself in your first few months of marriage than you ever thought possible. You'll be met with the ugliest parts of yourself, and you'll wonder how you could ever be so selfish, or why you get so incredibly upset about the littlest things. You'll wonder who you've become.
And oh, sweet little bride, you'll know heartache and the pain of thinking that your groom can fulfill you. He can't. You'll have unrealistic and unspoken expectations, and he will too. You will be more frustrated than you ever thought possible. You'll hope he'll morph into who you want him to be, not who he is. Then you'll realize you need him to be who he is.
You'll struggle to say goodbye to your independence and hello to thinking like two people living as one. You'll realign your priorities as you work on submitting and not leading. You'll navigate through balancing two families and their different ways of life. You will worry about letting others down. And you will let them down.
But it's okay, sweet little bride, because you'll also know joy. You'll watch him from across the room, and your heart will leap in knowing that he is totally and completely yours. Forever. You'll dream of babies and making a house a home. You will wonder how you could ever love him more. And yet, everyday, you will.
Grace. Oh, I pray that you will know grace. More grace than you thought a human could give. Grace and love from someone who won't run away when you're sobbing on the floor, who'll still love you and kiss you goodnight before you fall asleep. Who will hold you in his arms when you need it most, or make you laugh after you just had a fight. Who will pursue you daily. You'll know love and commitment in a totally new way.
And oh, dear one, I hope you'll know trust like you've never known before. You'll know the ins and outs of someone more intimately than you ever thought possible. You will know that he always has your best interest at heart. You'll share secrets you'd never tell another. Part of you will always be with him. And part of him with you.
It won't be easy, sweet little bride. But I can promise you, it will all be worth it. So worth it.
Currently,
Kelsie
Love this! Sweet words for new brides. I actually have a similar post drafted soon. Great minds think alike ;) With our anniversaries coming up we must have weddings on the brain!
ReplyDeleteOh yes, weddings are always a great topic this time of the year. Great minds do think alike :) Thanks for the comment. Can't wait to read your post!
ReplyDeleteYour writing is always so beautiful! Perfect words for a new bride and great expectations of the first few months of marriage... I wish I has read this as a newly wed!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Chantal. These are things that I wish I would have known, so I felt like they could be good to share with new brides or brides to be. And we are always learning new things in marriage :) Thanks for reading and sharing your comment!
DeleteThis is beautiful, although I can't quite understand the wedding part of it. I never was one to dream of a wedding, and when I did get married, it was in jeans before a justice of the peace, with my in-laws as witnesses. I was just so eager to get on with the business of being married that a wedding seemed like a distraction.
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking with #TwinklyTuesday.
Thanks, Sadia! I think weddings can definitely be a distraction sometimes. The marriage is the real focus. Sounds like you did it right for you and your husband! Thanks for reading!
DeleteI forgot to mention - since you linked this post to #TwinklyTuesday, could you please add our badge to the post or your link party page?
ReplyDeleteDone!
DeleteOh my gosh those pictures are so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThank you Shelby! They are actually of me on our wedding day :) Our photographer did an amazing job. I love how they tell the story in kind of an artsy way, but it's still personal! thanks for stopping by.
DeleteAww this post gives me all the feels!
ReplyDeleteWell thanks, Allison! I agree...it still gives me the feels too :) Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteI love this! I hoped on from one of the link-ups and still checking out your site :) Such sweet wisdom in this post. I am sharing it with my community of earlywed wives!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Ngina! I appreciate you sharing!
DeleteThis is so beautifully written and oh so true! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you, thank you Greta :)
DeleteLove this, Kelsie. So beautifully written. Many of us set up expectations for how marriage is going to be before we actually tie the knot. The beauty is, those expectations are far from reality and we learn to grow and challenge and love so deeply in marriage that there is nothing you could possibly expect. God always has different plans and those plans are always far greater than our own. Sometimes that means learning some lessons the hard way - like how to TRULY forgive.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Joy! You are so right. I love how the Lord works in these things to draw us closer to him. Forgiving in a marriage makes me more grateful for the way the Lord forgives us all!
DeleteSo sweet. I can't say I've ever had a better day in my life than my wedding day!
ReplyDeleteWedding days are so fabulous :)
DeleteBeautiful letter filled with heartfelt advice and reality!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
DeleteThis was really beautiful. I am a cohabiting non-bride so I've only learned about half of what you've written... hoping to embrace the full post in the near future though ;)
ReplyDeleteSeriously, this is beautiful.
xxox
Laura @ www.cookwineandthinker.com
Well thanks so much, Laura! I hope you can embrace the full post soon as well :)
DeleteWhat a beautiful post, Kelsie!
ReplyDeleteI am a soon to be bride so I can't wait to look back and feel this exact way in a few months.
xoxo, Jenny
Thanks so much, Jenny! Blessings on your upcoming marriage!
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