For the record, weddings require A LOT of music. Such as…
Pre-ceremony Music.
Processional Music.
Music during the Ceremony.
Recessional Music.
Music to enter the Reception.
Dinner Music.
Cake Cutting Music.
First Dance.
Mother-Son Dance.
Father-Daughter Dance.
Dancing Music.
The first time I looked at the list, I just put in my wedding binder and moved on. It was overwhelming to say the least. And I LOVE music. The problem is, every time I hear a song I like or find a song I think I might be ok, I start to pick apart the lyrics, consider the beat and tune, figure out if it flows from the previous song, wonder what the guests will think, ask Jordan what he thinks, listen to it again, and usually talk myself out of whatever song I had settled on. These thoughts race through my mind.. “It’s too fast. Or too slow. The lyrics aren’t right. No one will know it. It may be weird at a wedding.” Oh, and don’t even say, “well, it’s your wedding” one more time. Now I just feel like I have to pick an even more perfect song.
Music, however, can be a perfect metaphor for life, and choosing wedding music perhaps describes my life more acutely than any other analogy at the present time. I tend to over-analyze everything. I debate and evaluate and think and research. I strive (read struggle) for perfection. And I usually end up stressed out, burnt out, exhausted, and generally not very fun to be around. Ask Jordan. We have both decided if we make it through planning the wedding, we will be set for the first few months of marriage. (who knew weddings caused fights?) It was cause for celebration when I finally settled on a song to be sung during the ceremony. We only listened to about 100.
The thing is, at the end of the day, no one really pays attention to the music. I mean, how many weddings have I gone to and never thought the music. The music is just the background noise to the bigger celebration. And with or without it, the wedding goes on and the vows are said. No one looks back and says, “Oh my gosh, the processional songs were awful.” (you can’t go wrong with Canon in D) As I think about the bigger picture, I find so often I get tripped up in the little details. I can’t see the forest from the trees. Sure, I can tell you exactly how many leaves are on the one right in front of me, but I will miss the beauty of the whole forest because I am too busy counting leaves. And at times I am pretty sure I may miss out on this whole wedding because I am so caught up in the little details. Details no one else will know about or notice.
Life is like this. How often have we gotten so worked up over something little only to realize we missed the bigger picture? How many times have we tripped over a bump in the road only to fall into a giant hole? I have stressed myself out over music or decorations or cake and at times forgotten I am preparing for a marriage, not a wedding. And the next forty years of my life (or more) are a lot more important than one day. So here is to new beginnings and the hope I can work on seeing the beauty in the big picture, not the blemishes in the small one.
