ONE MONTH!!

I'm getting married one month from today!!  I think that I have finally hit the point of being undeniably excited and READY, so stinking ready.  For so much of the engagement, I've been stressed and consumed by the planning since I did it all completely on my own, but now that we're down to the little things (getting all of the finalized signage, menus, programs, etc. printed off, putting together out of town bags, having my hair and makeup trials), I feel like I can finally relax and just enjoy and soak up every minute of this last month of being engaged.

It sounds kind of silly, but I'm feeling a little bit sentimental about not being engaged anymore.  I feel like the last 13 months have positively flown by-- wasn't I just buying my first wedding magazine and folding down pages of ideas for my dream wedding?  Weren't we just looking at venues and making my list of things to do (which has exponentially grown-- my brother recently saw it and said it gave him anxiety just looking at it)?  When we first got engaged, so many people told me to just relax and enjoy it because we'll be married before we know it.  This, I have to admit, is true.  I was a girlfriend for 7 years, and I'll be a wife forever, but I was a fiancee for such a short time, and it was fun while it lasted.  In retrospect, I think that the generally short period of time to be a fiancee is limited because it is bound to drive you batshit crazy, either from planning or from sheer anticipation of getting to marry your best friend.

In case you're wondering, I'm borderline crazy from both.

With my mom being so far away in Texas, I just kind of shouldered the responsibility of planning and ran with it.  At times, it was a lot, almost too much.  We certainly have had wonderful support from both sides of our families, but when it came time to make a decision, the simple act of choosing a font could send me into tears.  I would debate for DAYS over what looked best, and I would have these thoughts that made this color versus that seem like an end of the world decision.  It was obnoxious and intense and there were times when Brian would ask me "Are you sure things will go back to normal after the wedding?  Because I like non-wedding planning Katie a lot more..."  Agree, my dear.  I like her better, too.

So while I know the next four weeks are going to fly by, I also want to remember them and treasure them and really focus on our relationship and how big what we're about to do is.  I think that I've let that slide a little bit here and there, focusing too much on the wedding instead of the marriage.  The wedding is one day but that marriage is forever, and I feel so incredibly lucky to be embarking on this journey with the love of my life, and I want to remember that and I want him to know that.

What advice would you give to someone the month before their wedding? 
What did you most look forward to once you hit the final countdown?