Well, the vows have been read, the first dance was a hit and the whirlwind year of wedding planning is over. Our families and friends have come and gone and we’re feeling our way back to reality.

This also means it’s time to start thinking about my writing again and, of course, to get back to my blog! Apologies for my absence the past few weeks. Those last days leading up to my wedding were hectic and amazing and I just didn’t have any time or energy to focus on much else. And after, I got sick of course, and have spent the past couple of weeks recuperating!

It’s been so long now since I’ve thought about my writing, that I know it’s going to be a tough transition back. Like after a long stint at the gym, it’s gonna hurt. But, hopefully it will hurt in a good way!

I think the easiest way to begin is to answer this: What did I learn as a writer from this whole wedding experience?

Well, I think the biggest thing I learned is how there are so many different ways to express yourself beyond words. Through color, music, lighting and more, you can convey a feeling, a mood, an emotion. Of course, I knew these things, but sometimes I forget about other modes of communication and expression since I am so focused on writing and words. It was a nice reminder. And, the words had their place. We decided to write our own vows in the form of letters and read them to each other during the ceremony. I got really nervous right beforehand, mostly due to the idea of reading a personal thing in front of lots of people. But, it went so well! And we both loved sharing our thoughts with each other. One of the things I loved most was how different our letters were since my husband and I are such different types of writers. He is an academic and I tend to be a bit more literary and poetic. Our messages reflected each of us perfectly.

Another thing I learned from this whole wedding experience is how things can move fast and slow all at once. Despite my best efforts, I still feel like I missed out on things. There is also an odd sensation of my memories. They are so recent, but they exist in a random array, almost like when you a remembering something that is far distant. A lot of the day felt like a dream and I still have trouble comprehending that it was real life. Experiencing all of that in real life will allow me to write about such a phenomena much more easily or to apply those feelings to different scenarios in my stories.

What do I wish I remembered more? How the room looked. The rows of people during the ceremony filled with our friends and family. I actually purposefully looked away because I didn’t want to cry, though in retrospect, I kind of regret doing that. I looked straight ahead at my fiance at the end of the aisle. I think the photos will help! We’ve seen dozens of photos from different perspectives throughout the room from guests. I’m really excited to see what our photographer captured too!

Perhaps most important, what do I remember?

• How my now husband looked at me during our first look when we had a few minutes just to ourselves. He’d waited ten months to see my dress and I teased him about it the whole time.
• How my dad looked and how during our father daughter dance he talked to me the whole time and made dozens of wishes and gave me lots of advice for a happy life.
• Dancing. Dancing. So much dancing. Friends and family moving in wild circles.
• The busyness of it all. The chatting, stuffing our faces quickly before diving out into the crowd to mingle.

Weddings are a wild, crazy and beautiful experience. I learned a lot about myself this year and I learned what matters and the things that don’t matter, I’ve gladly left behind in favor of the things that do and that are lasting.

Now that I am beginning to focus on other things, I am looking forward to posting more regularly again and maybe, if I can bring myself to focus on it, begin a new writing project!