Friday 6 July 2007

Today's Dose of Gratuitous Romance

It's all I have to bring today –
This, and my heart beside –
This, and my heart, and all the fields –
And all the meadows wide –
Be sure you count – should I forget
Some one the sum could tell –
This, and my heart, and all the Bees
Which in the Clover dwell.


Emily Dickinson.

Isn't that just so pretty?

But alas, no space for it. A couple of good friends of mine have agreed to read the ee cummings as a "two parter", and it should be fabulous and will make me cry. P and I are also midway through creating our vows. Wonders will never cease!

Needless to say I am a completely stressed bunny, even for me. I set myself impossibly high expectations of how I want things to be, and always set myself up for a fall. It being mid-July, I had had (too optimistic) dreams of an outdoor wedding, balmy sunshine, gentle breeze, croquet on the lawn, afternoon tea served, gentle laughter, string quartet followed by soft jazz, rural bliss, and then a gentle amble (or stagger) off to the local public house where we could collapse into sofas and generally continue chilling out. Unfortunately the British weather, always (I admit) unreliable, has dashed all those dreams and I am now hurriedly trying to rethink housing and entertaining 100+ people in a tent in a field in the pouring rain with, potentially, gale force winds, thunder and temperatures more akin to March on a bad day. I'm not dealing well with the disappointment. In fact, I am being a ridiculously sulky child.

Still, deep breaths, get a grip and all that... Show will go on. :-)

CR is good. On is good, now I'm home. Wine consumption... hmm, could be better. As for the caffeine!

5 comments:

Mizpah Matus said...

I'm sure your day will be beautiful.

Robin said...

Sara,

I know you read this earlier on my blog but I thought it might be helpful to post it again:

The wedding is one day of your life. Sure, have a big party if that's what you want. Spend gobs of money creating whatever kind of day you like. Getting married *is* a big deal. Just remember, staying married is an infinitely bigger deal.

When my husband and I got married, we decided the wedding itself wasn't so important to us. The important thing was the promise we made to each other. And I think that's just the right attitude.

It doesn't matter whether you're wearing a $2 dress you bought at the bargain basement or a $2000 gown. All that matters is the love and commitment you bring to your marriage. The strength of those bonds will be tested in big and small ways each and every day so in a way, every day is a wedding of sorts - a renewal of your vows to one another.

So much has happened in the six years since my husband and I bound our lives together. We bought our first home, switched careers and brought two beautiful little girls into this world. The responsibilities of work and parenthood and taking care of a home have sometimes created distance between us. And each of us has changed - we are not the same people we were in the clouds above Las Vegas. What holds us together through all this is our deep love, respect, admiration and commitment for each other.

Houses are bought and sold, jobs are lost and won, even children grow up and leave us one day. But this beautiful, wonderful human being loves me so much he has promised to be my constant companion until the day death separates us. And I love him so much I can't imagine my life without him. This is all that matters.

Don't forget what matters, my dear.

And try not to stress too hard.
R

Sara said...

Thank you, Robin; you are completely right. Just what I needed to read.

Mizpah Matus said...

It is so true what Robin said.

My husband and I were married in the registry office. We didn't want to make a big deal out of it at all, and basically just got married for the formality and to avoid complications while travelling together.

But the moment was so emotional and beautiful that I will remember it forever. It was unexpected and overwhelming, we were both in tears, and the witnesses who we had never even met until that day were obviously moved by our demonstration of love and commitment to each other.

Best wishes for you both.

Arturo said...

Hi Sara
Being an anglophile I'm imagining you are describing a wedding scene from "Four Weddings and a Funeral" or "Howard's End" for your ideal wedding. Your wedding will be beautiful, rain or shine.
Cheers,
Arturo