Reading this letter brought back thoughts of my wedding and what I learned from it. Hopefully, this girl won't make the mistakes I did.

First, I did not invite my future s-i-l's to be bridesmaids. I had chosen lovely, expensive empire-style dresses that would only flatter the most streamlined of figures, and my future in-laws struggled with both their weight and their finances. When my big day came, my beautiful bridesmaids and I had a nice lunch, and then they disappeared to have their nails and hair done. I did not see them again until the ceremony many hours later. I had a miserable day - I missed my make-up appointment due to traffic, ran out of gas, hitched a ride home (in my veil) and realized, 45 minutes before the ceremony, that I had no way to get to the church. Who came to my rescue? My future great-aunt-in-law who just happened to stop by to check on me.

The wedding was truly beautiful and all turned out well, but I'll never forget who was there for me that day. And (to get back to the theme of the letter), I'll never forget seeing my future m-i-l helping my father gently carry my dress into the church, wearing a stunning dress that perfectly matched the colors I had chosen, as did my future sisters-in-law. I can't go back and change my decisions but I'm grateful for the lesson I learned, and grateful that my in-laws have never held those decisions against me. That's true elegance.