That white dress is mine.

Four Years next month.

4

It hit me today. So, I opened my closet

Pulled out my white dress bag

unzipped the zipper

 pulled my white wedding dress out

unzipped it

then put it on.

I took my veil out and put it on

put on those earrings

that tiara

then

I looked at myself in the mirror and memories came rushing back;

The night my mom heard of a wedding dress sale so we hurried to get there before the store closed.

going into the fitting room with three dresses picked out

seeing a picture on the wall of Cinderella getting ready to go to the ball...

 I remember stepping out of the dressing room to stand

in front of those three mirrors on that stool.

 My mom looked at me and smiled I looked at me in that perfect dress and cried.
 I did not want to take it off.

 My mom cried I cried, and so it was that the first dress I tried on was the one.

 I knew it then that it was the only white fancy dress I would ever buy.

but it was mine.

I remember picking my wedding colors, buying little glass slippers to put on the tables, getting M&M's to have our wedding date on them. I remember preparing the backyard for the special day, going over brides maid dresses, shopping for the perfect everything. Robert ordering me my flowers as a surprise (he was amazing)

As I stood there looking at myself in that dress today I remembered how excited I was about a new life with Robert, my own prince charming.
and the adventures and dragons we would slay together.
 I was a little scared at the unknown but I knew with him by my side life would be beautiful.
Even through the dragons had fire.

I was right.

More so than the perfect dress, the perfect ring, the perfect reception, hair, nails, and makeup the best choice I made for my wedding was who I picked the groom to be.

You see all the wedding details are fun and incredible and exciting, but the only detail that really matters is who you are choosing to spend your life with.

I am glad I did not get too caught up in the "extra" wedding stuff to not see the important stuff.

We may not have had the perfect reception

but it was perfect to us

We may have had lame center pieces to some

but they were cool to me. My mom and I made them.

We may have had a broken microphone and people could not hear us speak

but it did not matter because we heard all we needed to.

I may not have had my make up done by a fancy place

But it was done the way Robert likes it best, the way I like it.

My dress was not 1,000.00 + not designer

but it was the most expensive dress I own.

we went to Old Navy to get white flip flops

because GLASS SLIPPERS hurt.

People may have thought that was tacky, but

that is a wedding memory I will NEVER forget; going into that store and having little girls

call me a beautiful princess?
Yes I am glad I did that.

Over all weddings are just a celebration of the incredible union you have created.

All that really matters is the who you choose. 

Not what dress you wear, and what style.

You see when I looked in that mirror today

in my white wedding dress,
4 years later
I realized why
 that dress is important, to me to you to all girls.
In that dress I swore to be someone Else's for the rest of my life and all eternity.
Its the day we get the man of our dreams.
The day we can feel like a princess.

I cried then. Today. 4 years later.

Because I felt beautiful,

and I remembered how sacred

and

special that day was.

The day when my prince charming was mine. ALL MINE. for real.

The day when I wore this white dress. It was perfect.

I did not need a wedding planner

I did not need a florist

I did not need diamond earnings

I did not need make up artists

Fancy dinner

and cake.

I needed Robert, and I and our families.

Well after for years of the: Living Happily Ever After
 I can still

honestly tell you that fairy tales do exist,
they are each different.

I can tell you

That living happily ever after is a choice, and one Robert and I make daily.

You see life is not all rainbows and sunny days

and if it were 

that would be annoying.

We don't always get along and sometimes.
We are stubborn, we fight everyone does.
You can never have the perfect marriage the perfect life house car etc.
but you can have perfect love.
and thats what Robert and I got.
We love each other, faults and all. We speak our minds.
We say sorry.
We love like crazy.

Each of us, our stories are different unique.
Like each of our white wedding dresses.

The memories of your love, your love story 

go past the date you wore that white dress.

The love gets better stronger,

and life gets harder.

But you are two instead of one.
AND
Dragons are easier to sleigh with two
 (believe me one distracts while the other attacks).

My love story is different from yours

but its mine.

My wedding dress was different or will be different from yours

but its mine.

Those memories that the wedding dress created and started were only the middle of my story.

I fell in love first,
got married,

and I am still living the rest.

and
 I will always love that dress.

Now you know why on a Saturday night I put it on,
(weirdo maybe but hey its all good)
like a little girl playing dress up.
For one night again I remembered when my story's Happily Ever After began.

I should pull out that white dress more often,
Cause It's mine.