I like to think I’m not a highly dramatic person. Nor all that romantic/girly either. So I never thought I’d feel very strongly about something like weddings– as they seem to exude drama, romance and ALL things girly. But I like them. “I do”… I really do.

I don’t like them in the obsessive, “Say Yes to the Dress” kind of way. I’m not into picking out centerpieces, the color of the bridesmaid’s dresses or the exact size and shape of the petals the flower-girl will sprinkle down an exactly three foot wide aisle. I enjoy the end result, but the planning itself looks like an absolute nightmare. What I do like about weddings, though, is the LOVE. Or rather, the public expression of it.

Weddings are like the grandest Public Display of Affection you can get. But in a good way. They exist to proclaim just how much you love and are committed to someone. And I think the tradition of doing this in front family and friends is powerful, and refreshing. It not only makes that commitment to those vows all the more real, but it allows people a small glimpse into the soul…. kind of.

Weddings allow us to just see something very honest (hopefully). Because people usually don’t express their most vulnerable feelings in such grandiose terms everyday. Not only would it be socially awkward, and a bit dated, to do so, but I think scrawling a lengthy, hand-written love letter in calligraphy on thick parchment paper addressed to your Dearest Patricia on a daily basis just to reaffirm your eternal love would get kind of old after awhile. The authenticity of those words would lessen, as would the resolve probably.

But that doesn’t mean “love” itself is any less grand. Or even unworthy of the endeavor. Love is immensely powerful. We all know this. And weddings, with all their drama and flair, remind us of it’s grand existence. They remind us that it is a big deal to find someone you actually want to spend the rest of your life with. And as single, twentysomething gal with a slightly cynical bent, it’s nice to be reminded of this every once in awhile.

So I like weddings. I like the vows, the toasts, the speeches, and the small looks/exchanges between the betrothed throughout all of it. It’s all about the LOVE, despite how obsessive people can get over the actual event. I think I love weddings, actually… and I don’t care who knows it!