2022 Northwest Florida Weddings Magazine

Page 14

from the editor

My Most Cherished Day

When I think of this day, those memories come to me most urgently, most joyfully. In the highlight reel of my life, our wedding is on repeat. I have spoken with countless couples over the years, and I resented the answer, “best day ever.” I thought it lacked creativity. Surely it couldn’t have been that special, that perfect, that untouched. As someone now married, I understand. It is the best day — but it’s even more than that. For someone paid to find the right words, I have decided that a wedding day is the most cherished day. As a romantic, balanced and humbled by her realism, I will be honest: I had knots in my stomach as the wedding countdown entered the final 24 hours. For any couple planning a wedding in 2020 — amid all the postponements, cancellations, downsizing and alterations — I can speak for us: The process was the opposite of “the best.” I put off writing this letter for months. Even in the brightness of our wedding day, I felt weighed down by the experiences of the past year. I feel a deep sense of empathy for those who had weddings, family members and friends impacted by the pandemic. As much as a global pandemic shocked me into stagnancy, it also awoke in me the resilience of humans, our need for connection, and how we continue to relentlessly pursue kindness and love even in our most detrimental days. I believe that we band around one another to guard the sacredness of a wedding day. So much of the world is tinged with impurities, but marriage is one of the few divine acts we have left. We are able to have the “best day” because we believe wholeheartedly in it. I have been the editor of this magazine for five years now. I have been in a relationship with my now husband for all five of those years. This warmth fills me when I think about how I’ve shared this journey with readers. I look back at the first editor’s letter I wrote, Zan and I had just started dating, but it was always going to be him.

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NORTHWESTFLORIDAWEDDINGS.NET

SARAH & PAUL PHOTOGRAPHY

Lipstick smudges on champagne glasses and the laughter of the women who have most influenced and impacted my life as I got ready. My husband’s tears staining the letters we shared with each other during our first look. My husband wheeling my mother-in-law’s wheelchair onto the dance floor. Sparklers illuminating the faces of the community of family and friends that encompassed us in their love.

Now, I have a husband. The solidity of our relationship and unwavering love we share has made me feel married to him for years. Then I see his ring, and electricity zips through me. I think about the sublime and spiritual exchanging of our vows. I reflect on the statement in support of unity that we have made through our marriage. To all vendors, venues and wedding service providers, I now, more than ever, appreciate the dedication and commitment you have to giving couples their most memorable day. It has been a tumultuous year for the wedding industry; even still, you keep showing up, creating and giving all in the name of love. To my own vendors, most of which are throughout these pages, I will be thanking you endlessly. Readers, I hope you find nothing but joy, comfort, inclusion, unity and beauty within these pages. As we come into each day with enlightened perspectives, I hope you are even more in love with this world and with each other. All my best,

Rebecca Padgett Frett, Editor *I dedicate this issue to Adeline Bruenning. I know you would have read it cover to cover.


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2022 Northwest Florida Weddings Magazine by Rowland Publishing, Inc. - Issuu