From The Pen of Marie

6.5.08

"Do You Have a Wedding Planner? Yes, My Mom!"

She was the most wonderful thing I had ever seen in my life. We had prayed, used my husband like a stud horse, lived through numerous surgeries, and finally, we had the most beautiful little girl.

Now, that is not the most objective statement, but you could not have convinced me that she was a wrinkled raisin with a cone head. A mother needs to keep her daughter on the "most beautiful" list throughout her life to handle the trials and tribulations that come with the ever-increasing hormonal tide that will definitely come in an extremely short time.

Friends with older daughters would tell me, "You are now going to be everything to your daughter—counselor, spiritual advisor, friend, disciplinarian, tutor, and her worst enemy." I assumed since I had been these to lots of people along the way (yes, even worst enemy sometimes), that I could handle these roles with ease, grace, and the evil eye perfected over the 29 years prior to her birth.

The one role they did not warn me about was added to the list this last March—wedding planner. Holy Cow! I would rather be my own worst enemy and flagellate my back everyday than become a wedding planner (might work—nah, didn't help the flagellators during the Black Plaque—scratch that thought).

Well, being the tenacious lady that I am, I decided instead of spending our precious retirement fund (which is fixed at one amount-only to fall if Murphy's Law applies) on a bully and/or aggressive woman or a sweet man set on making us spend money out of guilt ("The Wedding Planner" and "The Father of the Bride" come to mind), I would take the role of the wedding planner.

The following diary describes the ups, downs, failures, and successes from the "yes" to the future groom, to the "I do's" at the church. The question to answer at the end is this: Can a mom successfully be a wedding planner without alienating her husband, daughter, groom, and his family?

Stay tuned to find out.