Are we even 100% sure that today is Monday? Asking for a friend…
Hello my badass besties. Alright, it is indeed Monday. Our lives are still happening. We are still breathing, and we are living through a period in time that we will remember and tell stories about for generations to come. Inhale. Exhale.
Something huge happened in my family this past weekend and it put a lot in perspective for me. What it first and foremost reminded me of is how incredibly beautiful love is.
You see, my sister met a wonderful man sometime last year, and they fell in love. HARD. Like beautifully, can’t stop admiring each other, gaze into the night sky and fall asleep under the stars kind of hard. Like I knew he was going to be my brother after meeting him 3 times hard.
My sister is an environmental engineer. She was top of her class in college, landed a sweet ass gig in LA right out of school, and finally moved to San Diego for another stellar career move (and to be close to me, duh).
She is a classic engineer in some ways. Like has a spreadsheet for everything. Only buys the amount of food she actually needs. Calculates risk. Doesn’t spend all her money at Nordstrom Rack (eye roll). She has a savings account, a 401k. A Roth IRA, and did I mention that she just turned 25? This woman has her shit together, and still parties like a rockstar on the weekends.
What I’m trying to paint a picture of for you here is that my sister is not a spur of the moment wedding kind of gal. But a spur of the moment wedding she did have.
She went from saying “We have mindblowing sex marathons” to “I’m going to marry this guy next month” in a matter of what seemed like minutes.
And why? This is my favorite part. Because she effing wanted to. Because she believed that what her heart was saying was real, and she followed it.
Despite several people in our close circle saying she was too young, or this was too soon. She held strong because love persevered. My analytical sister chose her damn heart and it just makes me cry.
Camille sees love in such a beautiful way, and I’ve always admired her for it.
Her wedding was a reflection of this. It was so obvious for me that Michael was the person Camille should be marrying because she didn’t freak the fuck out about the wedding. It was the most simple, the most heartfelt, and the most genuine wedding I have ever been a part of.
I felt like I was in a love story. Because I was, and it’s exactly what I needed right now.
So real quick, her wedding went like this (don’t worry, I’ll share the video link too):
The wedding was supposed to be 5 people (Camille, Michael, Me, Jason, and groom’s bestie Brett) in Hawaii. A tiny, private ceremony.
Covid knocked that plan into the outfield (sports analogy? wtf?) with no hope of recovery.
So she decided to have the wedding near my parent’s property in Temecula, CA on a hill overlooking the other rolling hills and very socially distant from any other human beings.
All the ideas for the new ceremony came together in (I’m not joking) ONE DAY. Including, location, getaway vehicle, flowers, videographer, dress, champagne, decorations, music and guest list. I kid you not, their rings didn’t arrive in time, so they fastened little pieces of metal in circular shapes to fit their fingers.
But did this concern them? Nope. No fuss.
There was no stress. No swearing. No personal attacks or knock outs. No questioning if this should be happening. Just simply full steam ahead without any panic.
It was just perfect love. The way she wanted and deserved it.
Okay, so here’s my point. Love doesn’t have to be this hard, drawn out bullshit. It doesn’t have to be gut wrenching and complicated.
Of course there are peaks and valleys. Of course we need to heal from our wounds and unpack some stuff. Of course there will be times of hardship, and arguments. But through all the chaos and the banter and the kids and the dogs and the dirt under our new manicures…
Love is one hell of a beautiful thing. It’s not all about carats on our fingers, or fancy cakes, or the perfect sparkly eye shadow, and an elaborate open bar. Those things can be compliments to love, or fun for a party, but often, we confuse those material items for the real deal. We confuse them for the intimacy and connection that love truly is.
Love is all around us. In the flowers, in the birds. In our pets and our bodies. Love is here. It’s within us.
I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to witness and be a part of their special day. I hope this video you’re about to watch brings a smile to your mouth and maybe a tear to your eye.
In the midst of all this nasty little global virus, it feels good to feel, doesn’t it?
HERE’S THE VIDEO. Enjoy, babes.
https://youtu.be/AqECf7G9q5Q
I love you! -Lauren
P.s. if you’re in need of video production, look no further than my friends at Othentik Productions. I mean, WOW.
