Dresses Without Pockets

"They just can't run down to the bureau at 3:05 a.m. and be married by 3:10. They have to give just a little thought to the process,"said Clark County Clerk Shirley Parraguirre.

Thanks, Shirley.

She's commenting on Las Vegas' new policy prohibiting 24-hour wedding chapels. County officials approved a new 8 a.m.-to-midnight schedule that will take effect next Wednesday.

And as a soon-to-be-married individual, I must applaud the efforts of Shirley's department.

If the rest of us have to wrestle with important decisions like whether or not to allow the groom's cake to be a red velvet armadillo with grey frosting, celebrities and others prone to making hasty decisions should have to think at least a little.

It's funny, or perhaps unfortunate, the amount of time, energy, and preparation that goes into planning a wedding. I'm a little frustrated with the whole process myself, and I am fully aware that we've only just begun (thanks, Carpenters).

I'd like to be thinking about potential ministry opportunities with my future husband, or how we're going to resolve the "he likes having a cat/she doesn't" issue, or if we should wait until he's done with grad school to start a family, or what ornaments to hang on our first Christmas tree, or how to actually live out scripture about spiritual leadership and Biblical submission, or how to combine responsibility, teamwork, sacrifice, friendship, provision, joy, honesty, commitment, passion, communication, forgiveness, hope, individuality, memories, respect, and a shared tube of toothpaste into a lifetime of marriage.

But what I've actually been thinking about is whether to a) carry a bouquet; b) have my sister-maid-of-honor carry a bouquet; c) both...but that means she has to hold both of them during the ceremony, which is awkward; or d) neither...but then what will we do with our hands since our dresses don't have pockets?

Seriously.

Since our ringagement back in June, I've been asked more questions about wedding plans than I ever thought possible. People don't want to know why I love this man, or how we're going to use our life together to glorify God. They just want to know if I have found a reasonably priced photographer. Which, as of today, I have not.

My wedding day is supposed to be the happiest day of my life. I guess I hope that it isn't. I think that day will be wonderful, but I hope the days and years keep getting better. After all, we've only just begun.