> I used to imagine a huge wedding with hundreds of quiet, well-behaved guests all smiling at me as my heart pounded while I blissfully said, "I do." Then I imagined all of the guests, still smiling peacefully, sitting at the reception dinner while my maid of honor (who did all organizing and arranging of the entire wedding) made the perfect speech and everyone held sparkling glasses aloft for the toast. And then I'd go dashing away in a fancy car amidst a shower of some sort of something that wasn't harmful to the environment or the birds or the groundskeepers of the ornate estate where we happened to get married without worrying about the cost.

You know, Elly, that was exactly what I pictured way back when Darien and I got engaged. I quickly realized, of course, that without my parents to pay for everything it was right out of the question. :-}

But even without considering the cost of such an affair- I think Darien and I truly enjoyed everything much more because we had done it ourselves. The favors, the flowers, the candlesticks, even the food, we did by ourselves (with some help from Darien's parents, of course.) Not only was that much more cost effective, but it really felt like *our* day.

Of course, there is something to be said for letting other people worry about some of it- for instance, since Darien's mom was doing the food and cake, I could just trust her to take care of it and not have to worry about any of it myself. The same thing with getting my hair done. But it was the personal touch we added- and the smallness of it all- that really made it special. I think.

~Mina "the other point five cents" moon