Living BANGS While Planning a Wedding: A Time Unexpected
I never thought planning a wedding would be this nuts.
In the midst of two jobs, my senior year of college, being a BANGS Mentor, and trying to catch a few local shows each week, it most certainly is.
I don’t just mean “nuts” as in busy and undoable; I literally mean it is utterly crazy what Jordan and I are about to do: spend the rest of our waking lives together.
I am into my second term as a BANGS Mentor. I have had the chance to communicate with 38 other Mentors and manage 15 Ambassadors which has taught me a lot about planning and time management, but nothing could have prepared me for the emotional planning THE day requires.
I think back to stories from when I was a girl. The fairy tales never got to the part where you plan your happily ever after.
The princess would already have a beautiful gown to wear. The prince would already have a dream house to live once they are married.
They have no need to eat wedding cake or make toasts or even hire a DJ. It all just comes with the package of happily ever after.
For the past 15 years, Jordan and I have been suiting up for an adventure we never knew existed.
I’ve known Jordan Lazenby since I was 4 years old. We were neighbors in a small town in the middle-of-nowhere Iowa. He was my first friend. My best friend.
We attended preschool together, went to the same birthday parties, play dates, babysitters; we were inseparable from the start.
When I moved away from our small town, I was about 6 years old. I never thought I’d see him again.
In the time after my family moved, I would write stories about our childhood together. The last time I saw him before we started dating was at prom. He was with a girl I knew rather well. I was shy and the situation was awkward seeing him again after so many years.
One night in April of 2015, I posted a clip of my work on FB that I was presenting at my college’s variety show.
He sent me a message that night, and little did I know Jordan had been building up the courage to ask me out months.
When he finally asked me out I was extremely skeptical.
I hadn’t talked to this guy in years. I had only heard stories about him from my friends who went to his school; all the good and bad things.
He was persistent... VERY persistent. I caved and said we could go one date over my Easter break. But just one…
We had an instant connection, nothing to hide from each other.
He asked me on another date the next evening, and we ended up meeting at a small pub called Jersey’s. As I stepped out of the car to greet him, he kissed me with no hesitation.
The tension I was sure of was nowhere to be found. We were back to our comfortable selves in no time.
The rest of our dating year was full of laughs, few heartaches, and many, many late night phone calls. We knew we loved each other from the beginning.
As we approached the one year mark of our relationship, Jordan got down on one knee and proposed to me; first with a ring he got out of a vending machine and then with a gold, sparkly band.
This wedding planning has been horribly wonderful, a third job for us. But with Jordan by my side choosing colors and flowers and making invitation feels like a great adventure.
And maybe this adventure in itself is our happy ending.
I can't wait to see what's next.
#liveBANGS,
Rachel
BANGS Shoes Mentor
