A Unique Perspective From A (Fairly) Recent Bride
...Who Is Also A Wedding Planner!
by Ariel Banks Baker
Photos by Brett Matthews Gallery
From first date, to girlfriend, to fiancé, to bride, to newlywed! This transition can be a short one, but in most cases the journey from first date to newlywed is a long one. We often dream about the bride we want to be and pour our hearts and souls into each and every detail of our weddings, with distinct visions for the rehearsal dinner, the day of “getting ready,” the ceremony, the cocktail hour, the reception, the after party, and the next-day-brunch. And, seemingly, this long road leads to our new status of newlywed. As newlyweds, we get to bask in the “wedding high,” a most satisfying after-glow, which makes us feel so special and so very loved. So, how long do we get to embrace and enjoy the title of newlywed?
Traditionally, I think we get to consider ourselves newlyweds until we hit that first anniversary mark. There is the honeymoon, the first day back at the office, running into acquaintances at the gym or at a restaurant, encountering well wishers each day who are beyond excited for us and beg us to share every moment of our weddings with them. But, typically, as time passes, and there are other friends, co-workers and family members who tie the knot, our newlywed status most definitely shifts and ultimately the role of newlywed transforms into what seems ordinary… married. Of course, there are so many exciting joys and milestones that come with this new status, but to the outside world, we are no longer newlyweds. (insert frowning emoji here)
Being a professional wedding planner has allowed me to continue to feel that newlywed thrill, even as my husband and I approach our second anniversary! Sharing my personal experiences with our brides and grooms and their families help validate many of the feelings that they are experiencing while I get to relive all of the amazing moments that are etched in my memory as if they happened just a few weeks ago.
I also think that nothing takes you back to that “once in a lifetime” day and gives you that longed for newlywed feeling better than watching the video of your wedding. Admittedly, I do take a break now and then to watch our artistic highlight video, and it always brings me back to that incredibly wonderful feeling of being a newlywed!
Hopefully, the memories of our wedding days will continue to allow us to become the newlyweds we once were in the early days of our marriages. Maybe it is the same as keeping our youth by being young at heart; in our minds, always thinking of ourselves as forever newlyweds!
Ariel Banks Baker is a top New York area
wedding planner; with her mother, Monique,
one half of the Party By Monique team.