Liz Schauer

I am here to confess something that will seem very contrary to everything you may have heard or experienced: Planning a wedding isn’t that stressful.Here’s why:

I said no to Pinterest and I threw away all the magazines. Nobody has time for that!

While my wedding will likely be the biggest and most expensive party that I ever throw, it’s ultimately not about gold foil and perfect bouquets. It’s about my future marriage, about celebrating what God has done and is doing, thanking the people who have walked with us and supported us, and committing my life to love and honor Jake for all of my days. The rest is just “extra,” or as I like to say, “We don’t need it.”

No, we didn’t hire a wedding planner, we had friends do our engagement pictures, we got vases from Goodwill, ordered flowers from Costco, took wood from Jake’s grandma’s barn to put on the tables, I designed our invitations and got them printed for really cheap (free), they had an online RSVP (not cute little cards guests needed to mail back—save the stams!), we won’t have programs, we might even just drive ourselves home from the wedding.

I have exhaled a sigh of relief because we are a month away from getting married, and our relationship is stronger than ever. The planning has not caused fights, rather, it has caused us to constant re-evaluate what we are going to put our energy and money toward. We have done our best to say no to the things that really don’t matter that much, and say yes to the things that do…like having fun dates each week.

On the day of my wedding, I don’t want to worry about things going wrong (they will), because I will be surrounded with the people I love the most, and they won’t mind anyway. It’s a day to celebrate, to dance, to laugh, and to cry the most joyful tears. I want to look everyone in the eyes, hug them, and thank them because I wouldn’t be who I am today without them. If it rains, we will dance in it. If the sound doesn’t work, we will sing loudly. If the food is terrible, there’s a Chipotle on the way home. If the flowers wilt, we will laugh, becuase Costco hardly ever fails. If anyone trips walking down the aisle (I’m giving Katie a 50/50 chance), we will laugh even harder and pray the videographer caught it.

If you’re coming to our wedding, I hope you love every moment of it. You won’t know what’s next in the ceremony (remember, no programs), so I hope you simply sit and be present. I hope you find your table; I hope you dance like crazy. I hope you laugh and maybe cry a little. I hope you take our flowers home with you—really. I hope we all deeply enjoy what will last long after October 16: the people and the love.

Cheers friends, here’s to saying no!