I got married (and I still don't believe it happened)

After fifteen years with my partner, it was about time we took the plunge, if you ask me. It was a gorgeous celebration, but a nightmare to pull together.

Let me explain.

It all kicked off when my cousin, who's already married, got pregnant. We took it as our cue and... signed up on that infamous wedding-planning site, bodas.net.

When you register as a couple, the site builds you a sort of to-do list of everything you should sort out before the big day. And oh my god, what a list. The obvious stuff was there, booking the venue, the groom's suit, the bride's bouquet, but it also dug into things I'd never even considered: accommodation for guests travelling in from far away, menus for people with allergies, gifts for the witnesses, actually choosing the witnesses... An endless whirlwind of tasks.

The funny part is you think, "we've got two years' head start, plenty of time, we can take this slow"... famous last words. Blink and suddenly you've got three months left.

Set up the ceremony space, design the seating charts, make a logo, build a website (because obviously, I'm a dev, I have to build a website), sort the guest list and who sits where, prep the favours (all DIY, of course, so there I was buying a laser engraver and running my 3D printer like the apocalypse was coming), arrange a bus so guests don't have to drive if they want a drink, pick the officiant, write your vows, choose the rings, choose the suit, choose the cufflinks... As you can see, it just never ends. And that's just my side as the groom. The bride usually carries far more of it, because she's on top of everything (mine earned a honeymoon just to recover from planning the honeymoon).

Once it's all sorted, you pick where to go on said honeymoon. True to form, we went all in: a whole month in Japan. Book the trip, the flights, research wheelchair accessibility (for my wife), learn some survival Japanese, exchange currency, and fly fourteen hours across the world.

After all the chaos of planning, you celebrate the wedding. And you enjoy it, of course. It's your day.

Ha... haha... hahahaha...

It flies by. Before you know it you're in the bridal suite, wrecked from the whole day, floating somewhere up in the clouds. The day slips past without you noticing. Years of planning, and in the end it feels like five minutes. Except when you're standing at the altar. There, time crawls by agonisingly slowly... and then, snap, it's gone.

Bottom line: it was one of the best, if not the best day of my adult life. But the two years leading up to it were rough, I promise you, especially those final months.

Then we flew to Japan, and that... also flew by. It was incredible, the best trip of my life, and one I fully intend to repeat. It's pricey to organise, but it's something everyone should do at least once.

And now, after all that, I know people who want to get married because of what they saw at my wedding... and something tells me I'll be firing up the laser engraver and 3D printer all over again for them. Heh.

Cheers, and may your life be full of joy, adventure, and plenty of travels!