Thursday, July 19, 2012

Essential Wedding Day Tips - The How & Why You Should Start Preparations Now



Essential Wedding Day Tips

“The How & Why You Should Start Your Preparations Now”


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          What girl doesn’t like to prepare, or at least dream about her wedding day?  That day, like no other, when she will be united as one with the man of her dreams!  Girls from a very young age dream and plan, and dream again, and change their plans, and then change their plans again.  Everything MUST be perfect! The ceremony, the decorations, the cake, the location, the bridal party, and most importantly - the dress! (Actually, the most important thing is finding the perfect photographer - but I get to say that because I AM a photographer!)  By the time her wedding finally arrives, a girl may have spent 10-20 years or more preparing for it in her mind! It’s a massive accomplishment.

I too, love to dream about, plan, and prepare for my wedding someday!  In fact, I have found several ways to work on my wedding right now, even though there is no special man in my life and may not be for many years.  Despite that, I am working right now on my ceremony, decorations, the cake, and even my dress!  By the time the right man finally comes into my life, I won’t have to deal with all the same stress that normal brides struggle through.  I will be all ready!  Let me share with you the secrets I’ve found to being able to prepare so early.  It’s never too early to start, in fact, the sooner the better!

Let’s begin with the decorations!  For my wedding, I plan to have a very large candle light ceremony, and so of course that means that I need lots of candles!  Unfortunately, I have been collecting these candles for as long as I can remember.   I say it’s unfortunate because I never wanted to end up with so many of them, for these candles are quite different from the ones that you may be thinking of.  The candles that I plan to burn during my wedding ceremony are made of selfishness, anger, bitterness, self righteousness, pride, impatience, idleness, and outbursts of wrath.  I work daily to burn up these candles, but I will still have more than enough to use at my wedding.  The flame lit to dissolve these candles will burn by the power of self control and diligence, and the sweet aroma flowing from the melted candles will be mercy and forgiveness.  

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Let’s move on to the cake!  Not many people can say that they have been preparing the cake for years before their wedding!  Never failing faith, abundant grace, and  unconditional love will make up the three flavors of the cake and it will be lavishly frosted with joy and grace.  These are the free, sweet gifts that I would like to offer to each guest that attends my wedding ceremony.

While the cake is being prepared, I also need to collect more contentment, hope, and faithfulness, for these are the flowers that will make up the bouquet that I will carry down the aisle.  
My shoes are being custom made with strength and sparkling with truth and nobility. 
My sash will be finely woven over many years of unwavering faith and joy.

It’s time for my dress!  Made of purest white, I have been working hard to sew this dress for many years.  The fabric is made of the softest purity, and sewn with threads of patience.  There have been many times when I was sure that I had completely ruined the dress as I brushed it up against something dirty or spilled something on the pure fabric.  I have cried many times over this dress because even the smallest spot shows plainly on the white fabric and cannot be hidden.  There are many people who wish to touch my dress and hold it, leaving more stains upon the fabric.  I do my very best to protect my dress from those who would harm it, but I’ve found that I cannot do it alone.  I always seem to get frustrated by the process and I continually run out of thread, but then I remember that all I need do is humbly ask, and my loving Heavenly Father will bring me more thread, help me protect my dress from those who would harm it, and wipe away the stains that have been made.  Without this continual help, my dress would certainly be a dirty black mess by the time that my wedding day arrives. 

Resting gently on the top of my head will be a crown that I have earned through storms of tears, pain, and heartache that I have faced.  Tiny diamonds will represent perseverance and humbleness that I have learned during the most difficult times and will be jewels that will serve me well throughout the rest of my life. With every move I make, my crown will sparkle with praise for my Heavenly Father, because without Him, I would have never had the strength to gain such a crown.

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The rings that will grace the hand of myself and my groom will be far more costly than mere gold, which is only pavement on the streets of Heaven.  Our rings will be carefully made of unconditional, never failing, ever faithful love, and will sparkle with diamonds of life-long commitment.


Aside from all the other gifts that I plan to give to my groom upon our wedding day, I will also add unconditional respect, understanding, and unwavering support.

Flowing freely above the ceremony will be a banner of the glory of the Lord and will display His marvelous power and might.

I am planning a wedding more extravagant and more costly than the most expensive wedding that has ever taken place.  The cost my wedding will be everything I have, everything that I am, and everything that I will ever be.  It will require all of me, and I can withhold nothing.  

Weddings typically are exceedingly expensive, and for the richest of people who have extravagant weddings, the cost can easily reach into the millions.  All that money spent on a wedding that only lasts a day, and a marriage that may not last at all.

 The wedding that I am working toward does not last just a day, but will last for a lifetime and may be passed on to strangers as well as future generations.  The decorations that I am working so hard for will not simply vanish when the wedding day is over, but they will grace my home and touch the lives of everyone around me.  Many things can be purchased with worldly wealth, but the treasure that I seek is worth far more than silver or gold.  The wealth of this kind of wedding is the only kind of wealth that, when given freely to others, will make the giver more wealthy. 

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My wedding preparations are far from done but I continue to work quickly and diligently because I do not know when my groom is going to appear!  But then, what if there is no earthy groom for me?  Do I labor for a wedding that will never be?  

If there is no groom for me here on this earth, my wedding preparations will not be wasted in the least.  I still will have a groom and whether I have an earthy groom or not, these preparations are first and foremost for my preparation as the bride of Christ, and I plan to be ready when He comes.  

Of course I would like to get married someday, but when I think of this short life in comparison my eternal home as the bride of Christ, I will be glad to make these wedding preparations my whole life long and have Him as my one and only groom if that is His will for my life.  And so while I wait, I plan to gather as many flowers of contentment as I can and continue to sew with threads of patience, both of which I need much of!

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My dear readers, as your sister in Christ, I humbly urge you not to spend your time preparing or even dreaming about your physical wedding until the time of your engagement (or shortly before).   Most of the girls that I know collect pictures, make plans, and pin ideas for their weddings on social networking sites such as Pinterest, Facebook, and online web albums.  This may seem harmless but indeed it is not, for over time, discontentment over your singleness will slowly creep in and may cause you to enter a relationship that is not a part of the great plans that the Lord has for your life.  I have seen this very thing happen to many girls who had at one time committed this area of their lives to God, but became weary and discontent over time. 

If you happen to run across a picture or idea that you really may like for your earthy wedding someday, then by all means save it in a special file for the time that you may need it, but do not continue to dwell on it.  Discontentment is a deadly poison and it is encouraged by romanticizing, early wedding planning, and many other such things. 


Will you join with me in planning a wedding like mine?  If you do, then you will become a bride that is worth more than the most precious rubies.



4 comments:

  1. Amen. What a good reminder!!! Thank you, Missy.

    Blessings,
    Esther
    (joyful-maiden.blogspot.com)

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  2. This is an *amazing* post. Thanks SO much for the encouragement!!!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! I hope that this will spread and be an encouragement to many. :)

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  3. Excellent, excellent, excellent post, dear Missy!

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