Diary of a Mad Bride (33 page)
Read Diary of a Mad Bride Online
Authors: Laura Wolf
A Note of Apologyâto Kate, who endured far more than she should have, and who, after witnessing countless scenes of wedding hysteria, has enough blackmail material to ruin me.
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And finallyâ¦
A Note of Reconciliationâto Gram, who despite her recent antics is still the only relative I have who reads
Round-Up.
Before returning home, Stephen and I took a few extra days and went to Wisconsin to surprise Lucy. She was so shocked that she started to cry. Then I started to cry. And when Stephen began to well up with tears, despite the fact that he'd never met her, we all started to laugh. Although there was no way to re-create our Grand America adventure from twenty years earlier, we did ride the Ferris wheel at the local state fair.
And now we're home. I can't wait to get back to work on my “Faces” issue. I've got all sorts of ideas for the layout. But the BEST news is that Barry has quit his job at
Round-Up.
He's become the stage manager for a regional tour of
Sondheim's
A Little Night Music
âstarring Fabrizio! Apparently, in my absence the two got better acquainted, and during walks in the park and drinks at the bar around the corner had a meeting of the minds. And then some. Their tour leaves for Baltimore in August. Until then they're enjoying the summer at Fabrizio's house in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
Now,
that's
a wedding present.
Speaking of which, I still have tons of thank-you notes to write. People to whom I need to express my a-p-p-r-e-c-i-a-t-i-o-n. I also need to recycle all the packing papers, boxes, and Styrofoam pellets that came with every gift; start looking for our new apartment; check the photographer's proofs; choose our photos; buy photo albums; pay all the wedding bills; return Mandy's earrings; get my wedding dress to the cleaners and have it hermetically sealed for posterityâ¦. You never know, maybe the Frontier theme will be cool by the time my kids get married.
As for
Beautiful Bride
, I gave it to Anita, along with a note warning her to take Prudence and all her rules in stride. I never got a chance to read the last twelve chapters, but I figure maybe someday Anita will. I know she says she's not interested in getting married, and that's just fine. But you never know. After all, that's what I used to say.
Yet here I am. A wedding-day survivor.
There are so many emotional moments prior to a wedding. Some are euphoric, some are devastating. Peaks and valleys. Just like the rest of life. But without a doubt I'd say it was worth it. Sure, I thought I could rise above the hysteria and have a hassle-free wedding. Instead I failed. Miserably. But in failing I didn't necessarily lose. In fact, I wonâI married someone I truly love.
The funny thing is that although we place so much energy and importance on our wedding day, it isn't the biggest
day of our life. The biggest day of your life is every day thereafter. Because it's not the pledge to love someone that matters, but the act of fulfilling that pledge that is most important.
In other words, it's only just begun.
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Gram conveniently slept through the entire ordeal.
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Which was an exaggeration. He looked more like a middle-aged hippie in search of a Byrds concert.
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Not one to dwell, I yanked it out immediately. From the root.
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God bless the veritable bridal emergency kit that Mandy had loaded into the trunk of her father's car. Although I'm still not sure what that double-stick tape was for.
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Although I suppose the final verdict won't be in until I see the wedding photos.
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It seemed right that we should take this walk together. For while it may be a tradition for fathers to walk their daughters down the aisle, it's a reality that the majority of mothers spend every moment prior to that day worrying about report cards, doing laundry, and breaking their backs to ensure that their daughters grow up with common sense.
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Which actually made it easy for us to tell the photographer which guy
not
to take any photos of.
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Not just because Nicole invited Pablo.
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A gift of two Backstreet Boys concert tickets, along with backstage passes (courtesy of a connection at
Teen Flair
magazine), to follow.
For Karl
Who helped the writer to wake up
(And without whom I
never
would have been a bride)
In praise of womenâ¦
All of whom helped to guide, shape,
and support this book.
My editor Kara Cesare, my literary agent Tracy
Fisher, Beth de Guzman, Cori J. Wellins,
and Lauren Sheftell.
In praise of friendsâ¦
Who took the time to read my early drafts
and to offer invaluable advice.
Garret Freymann-Weyr, Mikie Heilbrun, Albert
Knapp, Elizabeth Marx, Giuliana Santini,
and Matthew Snyder.
In praise of familyâ¦
Who have always given unwavering support
to my creative efforts, and who bear absolutely
no resemblance to the fictional families
that I've created.
And lastly to my father, who in a moment of
stunning clarity suggested I write a book.