I’m 18 and can’t wait to get married! My boyfriend, Adam, and I have been talking about it for almost a year now, and we finally decided to make it real. I know people might say we’re too young, but I don’t care. Love is love, and I’m tired of waiting around. Besides, once we’re married, we can do fun things like eat pizza in bed without my mom yelling at me about crumbs. Right now, she always complains that I leave grease spots on the sheets, but when Adam and I have our own place, nobody will be there to judge us.
The only problem is, I don’t really enjoy doing house chores. I’ve told Adam many times that I hate washing dishes and folding laundry. He said he hates doing them, too, and joked that maybe we can hire someone else to handle that stuff. Sounds perfect to me. My mom raised her eyebrows at that idea and muttered something about how a housekeeper costs money. Well, Adam doesn’t have a steady job yet, but I’m sure once we’re married, he’ll find something. After all, we’ll be a team. Isn’t that what counts?
Right now, we’re in the middle of planning our big wedding. We decided on a destination wedding in Italy. I’ve always dreamed of traveling to Europe, and Adam says it will be the best day of our lives. He even showed me pictures of a lovely villa in Tuscany that has beautiful views of rolling hills and vineyards. We want around three hundred guests. That might sound like a lot, but we have big families, plus all my friends from high school and some of Adam’s old buddies. Also, it’s such a special event—why leave anyone out?
My mom keeps telling me we can’t afford it. She says things like, “Do you know how expensive flights, hotels, and food for that many people will be?” and, “Who’s going to pay for a champagne fountain in Italy?” She seems to think we should pick a small local wedding or wait until we have good jobs and can pay for things ourselves. But I’ve explained to her that love is all that really matters. I can’t imagine walking down some boring aisle at a local church when I could be walking through an ancient Italian garden with the sun setting in the background.
Adam and I have also been working on custom invitations with a fancy calligrapher. We found her online, and her work is beautiful—curly letters with gold leaf details. Each invitation costs quite a bit, but we believe every guest deserves something special. My mom gasped when she saw the price. She tried to lecture me about saving money for “important things,” like rent and groceries. But I just rolled my eyes because I figure we can live with her for a while after the wedding. That way, we won’t need to worry about rent at first.
When I suggested that plan to my mom, she looked shocked. She reminded me that the whole reason I want to get married is so Adam and I can have our own life together. Why would I move back in with her? But I explained that it wouldn’t be forever—just until we save some money. She said something about how I need a real plan, but I’m not sure why she’s so worried. Adam and I are good at going with the flow. We’ll figure it out as we go along. If we need more money, we can always pick up extra shifts at our part-time jobs, or Adam can find a better one. It’s not that big a deal.
Sometimes, though, my mom’s words do echo in my head. I remember how she always warned me about planning for the future. She said things like, “Love is great, but love doesn’t pay the bills.” Still, I think she’s forgotten what it was like to be young and in love. Adam and I are certain that once we’re married, we’ll have all the motivation we need to build a good life. He’s so sweet and thoughtful. When we talk about our future, we see a house with a pool and a big yard. We see ourselves laughing, traveling, and living the dream.
Adam’s parents haven’t been too vocal about the wedding. They just smile and say they’re happy if he’s happy, although I notice they haven’t offered to help pay for anything. When we brought up the idea of the champagne fountain, his dad looked a bit worried, but he didn’t say no. Maybe they’re also wondering how we’ll cover all these costs. But hey, that’s what credit cards are for, right? Adam mentioned getting a loan, and we both shrugged. If we have debts, we can deal with them later. It’s not that urgent when you have your whole life ahead of you, right?
My friends from school are super excited about the trip. They’re already planning their outfits and talking about how cool it will be to roam around Italy, eating gelato and exploring ancient ruins. The idea of having all my friends together in such a beautiful place makes me so happy. I can already picture us taking amazing photos with the Tuscan sunset behind us. Of course, some of my friends said they can’t afford the plane tickets, but I told them to just ask their parents or save up. This is a once-in-a-lifetime event. If they really want to be there, they’ll find a way.
As the wedding day gets closer, the tension in the house grows. My mom keeps trying to have these “serious conversations” about financial stability and realistic planning. I keep telling her to stop being so negative. Adam has started searching for jobs online, but he hasn’t found the perfect one yet. Meanwhile, I’m focusing on little details like the color scheme for the flowers and whether we should have a four-tier cake or a five-tier one. Those things feel much more important to me right now. After all, I can’t let the most special day of my life be anything less than perfect.
Last night, my mom gave me a long talk about how marriage is not just about a wedding day, but about working together through hard times. I listened, but it felt like she was just trying to scare me. She asked what I would do if Adam and I had disagreements about money, or if we both hated doing chores and didn’t have enough money to hire someone to help. I told her those are future problems, and we’ll handle them when they come. She sighed and walked away, looking worried. I wish she would trust that everything will be fine.
Now, as I sit here writing down the guest list and picking out the font for our invitations, I feel that familiar excitement rising in my chest. I can’t wait to be married and finally be free from my mom’s rules. I can’t wait to decorate my own home—well, her home at first—and live with Adam. Even if things get tough, we’ll have each other. That’s what matters. Love, excitement, adventure. Isn’t that enough?
So here’s my question: Do you believe true love and excitement can carry you through any challenge, or do you think we need a more solid plan before jumping into marriage?
