TheGeoffRe(y)port

My wedding is in 33 sleeps. That’s coming up, really, really quickly. And it’s important, it’s big, and it will be very exciting. But it’s not the key part. The important thing is that in 33 sleeps, I’m going to be married. And that’s a whole different kettle of fish. Because while the people who are making small talk (and there’s nothing wrong with that at all) are asking “How’s the wedding preparations going?”, the people who I’m in really close relationship and who are wanting to find out what’s really going on are much more likely to ask something along the lines of “How are you going with preparing to be married?”

It’s a curious phenomenon that a culture who isn’t really sure what it wants to do with marriage, really wants to do something big and impressive for a wedding. And while I’m in awe of my bride-to-be’s ability to resist the pretentious and expensive in favour of the personal and home-grown, there is constant pressure to go bigger, more spectacular, more more more more more. We want to celebrate our wedding, we want it to be a very special day, but we don’t want to incur the sort of costs that are going to send us and our immediate families into debt. And ultimately - it’s a party. A big party, a nice party, a party with a beautiful sacrament in a church beforehand,  but it’s a party.

But preparing for a marriage. Wow. Marriage will surely be one of my life’s biggest challenges, and it’s a big call to be going into this thing. There’s so many ways I can stuff it up - and probably some of them that I will. There is no doubt in my mind that Rebecca and I should be taking this step together, but I’m nevertheless terrified by the scale of this commitment we’re entering into. It’s exciting, and it’s a happy feeling, but it’s undoubtedly mixed with fear and terror.

So how’s the wedding preparation going? Good. How’s the marriage preparation? That’s a bigger and better question.