Diary of a Bride | Final Post | Charlotte NC Photographer

With just under 5 months to go… just 148 days until we say the big “I do”… I’m writing my final Diary of a Charlotte Bride blog post!

I’ve had so much fun blogging for Melissa and sharing my wedding planning experiences along the way! As I look back on my blogs about battling the stressors of nailing down vendors and attempting to beat the always looming budget, I think about how none of this would mean anything without having my very best friend to share it with at the end of the alter come November. I know, I know it sounds so super cheesy, but it’s so true! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not here to say that all the flowers, the big band, the yummy food, and all the fancy stuff doesn’t matter anymore… it definitely matters! I will never regret the big extravagant wedding, but as we close in on our time of being an engaged couple, I realize I want all the fancy stuff because I’m so incredibly proud of my relationship with Adam and I just want to share it with everyone in the grandest way possible! Adam and I are both in a place where we can truly appreciate what it feels like to be embarking on sharing a life with your best friend. I’m also not here to say that every step along the way has been easy, wedding planning has been stressful, we’ve gotten in fights over it once of twice, and how can anyone these days not be aware of the unfortunate nearly 50% divorce rate and not think OMG are we just kidding ourselves here?! Before Adam, I was’t sure if I was a believer or not, I kinda laughed at those people who set out to defy the odds of the marriage curse striking down our generation. I’ll never forget 5 years ago when I was working as a news producer in Charleston and I was super bummed over a recent break up, making myself feel even worse by admiring the pictures on my reporter’s desk of her and her husband… thinking about how much I wanted to punch her for them being so perfect! Haha! She said to me, “You’ll find someone right when you stop looking, and look out for the nerdy ones, they make the best husbands!” A few months later, enter Adam. Who is such a nerd! In the best, most perfect way ever! I introduced him to my friends and their exact response was, “That’s who you’re dating?! Wow Brooke don’t screw this up!” He was everything I wasn’t looking for, but yet everything I always wanted and over the last 4 and a half years he’s taught me how to love, how to allow myself to be loved, how to laugh at things that make me want to cry, what it feels like to truly want to take away someone else’s pain, and what it’s like to always have someone in my corner. And when things get really tough, I have these screen shots of text messages he’s sent me on bad days that I look at to remember just how lucky I am. “Your success is my success. Your happiness is my happiness. I’ll support you forever in everything you do. Always. That is what people who are in love do for one another.” Probably my all time favorite Adam quote!! I’m also not here to make you want to throw up from cheesiness overload I promise! Lol! As a closing to my wedding planning blogging, I just want all future brides to never feel guilty for wanting all the bells and whistles for your wedding day, but also never loose sight of why you’re doing it all… to share with the world your love for another person, to remind everyone that in a world full of hate and doubt that endless love is possible. I just can’t wait to defy the odds with Adam… it’s going to be such an adventure! 🙂

I  recently found an article about the modern day wedding vows that every couple should take. Adam and I are planning on incorporating some of these into our vows on our wedding day. I think they’re wonderful promises to live by and remember during the day to day struggles of a marriage. You can read the article here… http://elitedaily.com/dating/modern-wedding-vows-every-couple-needs-make/971747/   And the vows go like this….

I vow to complain only when not complaining would drive me crazy.

I vow never to make you guess how I’m feeling or what I’m thinking.

I vow to never, ever break your trust, but also to lie to you if it means making you smile.

I vow always to do my share of the chores.

I vow always to treat you like you’re the most amazing person in the world.

I vow to make you fall in love with me all over again, every chance I get.

I vow to surrender myself to you and always keep you guessing.

I vow to be an incredible parent and role model for our children.

I vow to make compromises.

I vow to fight your battles with you as a team.

I vow always to listen to you and hear what you say.

I vow never to abandon you.

I vow never to stop pursuing my passions and never to allow you to stop pursuing yours.

I vow always to work on making myself better.

I vow to dedicate my life to you and to be there for you until your last breath — or my own.

And of course I’m now sitting here thinking of a Pinterest craft involving modge podging them on distressed wood and making some kind of wall hanging! Because there’s no way I can end my blogging without a crafting idea!!! 😉

To all you fellow and future Charlotte brides, good luck and happy planning!

Brooke