I’m Estelle. I got married at the end of June last year, in France. And like many people, I went into it thinking I had a pretty clear idea of what planning a wedding would feel like.
I was wrong. Not in a negative way, but in a much more nuanced, real way than what we usually see or hear.
What I thought it would feel like
Before getting married, I imagined something quite smooth, quite joyful, almost like a long creative project you enjoy from beginning to end. And to be fair, there were moments exactly like that. Choosing the venue, imagining the atmosphere, thinking about the details… all of that was genuinely special.
But what I didn’t fully realise is how intense the whole process can be.
The part no one really prepares you for
People do say it’s stressful. You hear it. But you don’t really integrate it. It’s a bit like pregnancy. Everyone tells you it’s magical, and it is, but there are also parts that are much more demanding, emotionally and mentally.
A wedding brings expectations. Yours, your partner’s, your families’, sometimes even your friends’. And without really noticing, you can find yourself navigating tensions, small disagreements, or just moments where everything feels heavier than expected.
Not because something is wrong, but simply because it matters so much.
A beautiful experience… but not a light one
I remember having days where I was completely into it, loving every decision, feeling inspired. And other days where I was just tired. Tired of deciding, tired of logistics, tired of thinking about budgets and timing.
And yet, I loved it. That’s the paradox.
You can be deeply happy and completely overwhelmed at the same time. It doesn’t take anything away from the experience, it just makes it real.
The feeling after the wedding
There is something else I didn’t expect. After everything is over, there is a shift. For months, your life revolves around this one day, and then suddenly, it stops.
Even if everything went beautifully, even if you enjoyed every second, there can be a form of nostalgia. Some people call it the post-wedding blues. And honestly, I understand it.
It’s not sadness or regret. It’s just the feeling that something intense and meaningful has come to an end.
Why I’m writing this
Even now, I still find myself looking at venues, ideas, trends. Not because I want to do it again, but because once you’ve lived it, you see it differently.
So I wanted to create this space to talk about it honestly. Not just the polished version, but the real experience. What I loved, what surprised me, what I would do differently, and what actually matters in the end.
If you’re planning your wedding, or even if you’ve already been through it, you’ll probably recognise parts of your own experience here.
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Estelle