Simple (but Powerful) Advice from the Bride

This weekend, three of my friends and I drove up to Camarillo, CA to attend the wedding of our two friends.

This was the first wedding I've been to where I knew both the bride AND the groom very well (I used to live with the bride and used to work with the groom), so it was all the more meaningful. The wedding was beautiful and everyone had a blast.

The wedding was yesterday, but this morning I got to see the bride one last time before heading back down to San Diego and as she was telling me about what an incredible time she had at the wedding, she said something to me that I've been thinking about all day. She said:

"We were both PRESENT during the entire wedding."

According to her, this is not something that most brides and grooms do.

Having recently gone through a break-up, I can't say that wedding planning has been on the forefront of my mind.  

However, I can only imagine just how overwhelming the wedding day is for most brides and grooms. After months of planning the music, decorations, photography, guest list, food, etc. it is understandable that on their wedding day, a lot of brides and grooms expend too much of their energy on making sure everything is as "perfect" as they had planned, making sure everyone is happy, and thinking about everything other than where they are in the present moment.

Focusing on the present, enjoying the present, and really soaking in the present is something that does not come easy for a lot of us, even just in our day-to-day lives. I can only imagine how much more challenging it would be to accomplish during such a big event.

Regardless of whether or not you're getting married soon, remember to always Be Present.

Being present every day will completely transform your life, perhaps subtly at first, but it will.

Be present with the person sitting next to you, be present with the person on the other end of the phone, be present with the food you're eating, be present when you wake up every morning, be present when you go to sleep every night, be present on your way to work, be present while you're exercising, and be present right now as you're reading this.

It takes practice, but the more you practice, the more automatic it'll become.

Do yourself a favor and listen to the bride:

Be Present.