No Bridezilla in THIS House

The Wedding is this Sunday, and I don't think it's hit me yet. I'm thinking about my dad a lot, and what this means for my family structure. I will inherit a stepfather, stepsister, stepbrother and two nephews. I'm extremely happy that I have new, lovely members in my family and am thankful that they are normal, grounded people.

Nonetheless, all of the hoopla that leads up to this day has made me miss my dad and his mother, my beloved Grandma Ida, who passed away about a year ago. I think her death is finally beginning to set in. When my dad died, she actually said to me, "Now, I know you won't like what I have to say, but I really hope your mother remarries. She's too young (53) to be alone the rest of her life." I was touched that my grandma was selfless enough to think of her daughter-in-law's happiness despite her unfathomable grief. Therefore, I know that she would have been thrilled to attend this weekend, to see my mom happy and to be around her family.

Naturally, the fact that my mom is getting married before me is a little odd and the strangeness that my MOTHER is getting married PERIOD is a bit trippy. When I tell people about it, their faces light up and say, "Oh that's sooo sweet, that's so nice," especially when they find out she has been a widow. However, it's still a little strange that I've been helping a 63-year-old woman plan her wedding when I'm a single 31-year-old. What can I say, other than that I'm human.

I HAVE learned a lot, though, the past few months. For starters, planning a wedding should be fun. My mom and Shelley have had a great attitude about the event since their engagement back in January. They didn't stress out their children or family, they've been kind and understanding about gifts, and all they really want is for the day to be classy, special and fun. There was no cries of outrage at caterers, no tears about people who hadn't responded quickly enough, no anal conversations with their children about what colors they should be wearing and rarely any display of nerves (except before her dress fitting, as I detailed in my previous blog).

My personal experience has made me lose respect for people (women, especially), who lose their cool over the most inane, insignificant details. No one cares about the wedding as much as the bride (isn't that the truth, though?) so why stress? I can only hope that when it's my turn to go to dress fittings and to find the right hair piece, I can approach these tasks with a grateful and calm mentality. If not, I'll just have my mom do everything.