The Groom: What I'm Looking Forward To - Part 5

Ever After

What I'm most looking forward to is our life together. After we say "I Do" I'm looking forward to a brief return to normalcy. A life without the craziness of wedding planning or Burning Man projects, a life I get to share with my amazing new wife. Not a life that's entirely free from sadness or conflict, because that would be a fantasy, but one where we love and support each other and face our difficulties together. A life that, someday, we can look back on as full of joy and laughter, good food and adventures, and the occasional surprise.

The Bride: What I'm Looking Forward To - Part 5

Tonight we break for fun. Boys and girls go their separate ways. What I'm looking forward to today is:

My Bridal Shower

The theme is "Here's to the Future" - but it's not space related (no Dale Arden redux). To reduce my overall stress level and increase the fun, I asked for the details to be kept secret. All I know is be ready at 7pm. Dress up.

When I asked about whether I could safely get away with heels (yes I truly am *that* klutzy), the answer was yes, but bring boots. Now... which outfit will I wear? A shift with ruffle that Juicy helped pick out? Or a vintage 1950s ensemble? Decisions. Decisions.

The Bride: What I'm Looking Forward To - Part 4

In three days, we'll be getting married. So as you would expect we're busy with last minute details. But in all the crazy, I keep trying to take a moment to think about what I'm looking forward to. Here's the fourth thing I'm looking forward to.

Father-Daughter Dance

As to what song we'll be dancing to. Well you'll just have to wait for the recaps. In the meantime, here are some photos of my dad and me.

The Groom: What I'm Looking Forward To - Part 4

The Celebration

After, at last, seeing Eden in her wedding finery, saying I do, exchanging rings, and spending a little quiet time with my new bride, I look forward to celebrating with all our friends. I'm particularly looking forward to hearing our friends Josh and Starr DJ.

The Bride: What I'm Looking Forward To - Part 3

Our Something Borrowed

This Sunday cubes and I won't just exchange the rings we picked out for one another. We'll also exchange his grandparents' rings. When we announced we were getting married last September, Nan offered us their rings for the ceremony. We were both incredibly touched by this gesture.

I never got to meet Poppy, he passed away before cubes and I met. From the stories I've heard of their life together and their love, I feel very honored that we'll be borrowing many years of wedded bliss. In fact, one of the nicest compliments cubes has ever given me was when he compared our life to that of Nan and Poppy.

The Groom: What I'm Looking Forward To - Part 3

Yichud

I should preface this post by pointing out that I'm not a particularly Jewy Jew. There will be no chair dance at our wedding, but, that said, there are some Jewish wedding traditions that I'm a fan of, in particular, yichud. Put simply, yichud is the opportunity for the newly married couple to spend some time in a room by themselves.

After all the craziness involved with planning, and experiencing the wedding, I'm looking forward to some quiet time with Eden where we can simply sit, bask in each other's glow, and enjoy the moment of being newly married.

The Bride: What I'm Looking Forward To - Part 2

Our first dance as husband and wife.

Photography Credit: Wes Roberts via Glamour and Grace

I get chills every time I hear the song we picked.

The Groom: What I'm Looking Forward To - Part 2

Exchanging Rings

We've talked about our various rings on several occasions. At our playa wedding we exchanged our Burning Man rings. And, of course, there's Eden's engagement ring. I'm looking forward to the exchange of our proper wedding bands, which, incidentally, are not pictured here--you'll have to come see the bands for yourself.

There are various moments when I become increasingly aware that I will have the privilege of sharing my life with Eden, but, if I had to pick one moment where the dream becomes real, it will be when we exchange our proper wedding bands.

The Groom: What I'm Looking Forward To - Part 1

The First Look

From my vantage point, the secrecy surrounding Eden's wedding dress rivals that of the Manhattan Project. Sure, I hear whispers and rumors about the dress, but I know these are likely red herrings and misdirections. Although Eden has posted some sneak peeks of the dress for you, our faithful readers, I've been a good groom. I'm holding out for the surprise, but can hardly wait to see Eden in her wedding finery.

The Bride: What I'm Looking Forward To - Part 1

Following in the tradition of Britt's series of week of posts "Things I'm Looking Forward To," this week I'll be revealing what I'm looking forward to.

My Groom's Vows

Early on we decided that we wanted to keep our vows a surprise. Unlike our vows for our Burning Man ceremony, these have been written for weeks. And at this moment they are being safeguarded by our rabbi - the only person who knows our vows.