To All the Brides in 2021

Dear Bride-to-be,

It’s not often that we get to experience a global pandemic, let alone get married in one. Some may think we’re crazy, but to tell you the truth, a pandemic wedding isn’t so bad after all! But did I have this same attitude in my season of waiting? Pfft, absolutely not! If I was able to go back and do it all over again, I wouldn’t. However, I would tell myself some things that I know now…

Focus on the Marriage, not the Wedding or the Honeymoon

No matter how much I convinced myself that they were, my eyes were definitely not on the marriage I was entering into. If I’m honest, my eyes never made it past the honeymoon… However, the one thing that I mostly regret is not taking more time to pray for my marriage. I think if I was to make that a continuous habit throughout my waiting season, my perspective of the wedding would’ve looked a lot different.

Don’t Let Covid Get the Best of You

I think I had at least two meltdowns during my time as a bride-to-be. Why? I let the little things get to me - the things that didn’t go as planned. This brings me to a passage that I always have to remind myself of: Proverbs 16:9, which reads, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” (ESV). It’s difficult when things don’t go as planned, but I’m grateful for how the Lord can teach us in those moments, because it’s obstacles like that where the Spirit convicts us and allows us to become more like Christ.

Remember Your Priorities

Unexpectedly, Jonah and I had to bump up our wedding date. Though I was a little upset (because I didn’t want to have to deal with school at the same time), we chose to bump it up for the sake of those we wished to celebrate our marriage covenant with. Before we even got engaged, Jonah and I both knew that our wedding priority list would only consist of two things: our Lord and Saviour, as well as our guests and attendants. Once these priorities were listed first, everything else came together smoothly.

Don’t Stress the Vows

Jonah has filmed multiple weddings, so all my advice came from him (in regards to my role as a bride). One piece of advice that I took seriously was that vows should be kept to a minimum and should be from the heart. So, instead of merely focusing on our love story and all the beautiful memories we had together, I poured my heart out by promising Jonah that in all I do, it’s all to glorify God. And surprisingly, I was able to keep my vows all to one page… but Jonah thinks that even that is too long (like, what?)!!!

Start Your Wedding Day with the Lord

The week before the wedding, I never got a full night’s sleep, and it wasn’t until the night before when I slept like a baby. Prayer after prayer throughout the week before the wedding, the Lord answered by gracing me with His peace and comfort; as soon as I woke up, I was confident with the fact that I was going to become a wife. The day couldn’t have started better. That morning, after my realization of what was actually going to occur in less than 5 hours, I opened up my Bible to Philippians 4:4-9. The presence of the Lord couldn’t have felt nearer in that very moment and throughout the rest of the day.

And so, my dear Bride-to-be, may the Lord bless your wedding journey and new marriage covenant. I hope and pray that you will cherish the gift of marriage by honouring Him through the constant love, encouragement, and support you provide your soon-to-be husband.

Humbly yours,

Former bride