"Brides should worry about wedding preparations, I just pay the bills." Many men may have this idea when they are in a circle of friends talking about preparations for this special day. But what you may not know is that having an active voice in these decisions is important and capable of making the date even more memorable. At least that's what I think.

Continuing the texts of personal experiences published here in Mega Curioso, I bring the account of the walk alongside my wife in preparation for our wedding - which involved not only the ceremony itself, but also some other details.

The beginning of everything

Before leaving for the wedding, a brief summary of our history. I met Bruna on November 2012 on Facebook, when we got together to give a couple of godchildren. However, life always brings some surprises, and we end up becoming more than friends at 6:35 pm on June 8, 2013 (time and date of our first kiss).

The first picture together, taken the day we started dating

In the meantime, we had already talked a little about everything, including our willingness to get married and raise a family. That's when I thought, “This is the girl I was waiting for, ” and we kept betting on this idea and our relationship (which, like everyone else, had moments of joy, crying, twists and even some fights - after all, no one lives forever in a fairy tale).

Speaking of twists and turns, we are faced with a problem that you, the reader, may have had (or may have) faced during your relationship: at a distance. When we met, she lived in the interior of São Paulo, but moved to São Bernardo do Campo before we started dating (it was not the ideal scenario, but we were closer). However, as an indication that everything could go well, she moved to the town table that I, practically one block from my house.

This made it much easier not only for us to live together, but also for some conversations about what we would like to have on our special day. A little early? Perhaps, if we take into account that we were already talking about it officially with about eight months of dating. It was about this time that we began to play with guest lists and the like, and also to realize one thing: this would be an expensive “joke”. Very expensive.

The decisive steps

I remember that by mid-2014 we were already looking here and there to get a sense of how much we would spend on our wedding. Yes, what they say is true: getting married is not cheap, and we realize that when we come across prices that, for our reality, were a little distant (after all, we could not afford to pay R $ 14, 000 just to rent the ballroom for the party).

By this time, we were already looking for a place to live, so we had to think about how much we would have available to invest in the special day. There were not a few times when we bent over sheets and more sheets doing math and trying to adjust our plans. We even thought of postponing our marriage, but many close friends would say things like “don't worry, set the wedding date that God forwards the rest” (we are Catholics) or even “don't give up, go in search of the dream and it will come true. "

And what we confirm later is that it really comes true. In October 2014, when we were almost giving up looking for a place to live, we found an apartment. However, the purchase did not take place before the first half of February 2015, and in that period we had already marked the day we would say yes: October 17th.

Before that, I made the decision that often leaves many people with butterflies in their stomachs: to propose. I always wanted to make this moment special for my future wife, and from thinking so much, I ended up curling up. In the end, I made the request in a very simple way: after a Christmas mass in a church of Santo Antônio. I stammered (I was more nervous than on the date), but at least I was able to get the message I wanted and, most importantly, make her say yes.

And let the games begin!

At the beginning of 2015, we had a lot of things already defined. We had already chosen the church, the decorator, the buffet (we opted to host a children's buffet, which was extremely positive - and cheaper!), Musicians and so on. Shortly thereafter, we took the key from our apartment and had already set some of the furniture we would have. "Ah, you were well advanced, " some may think. It was the same thing that went through my mind, and I discovered shortly after that I was wrong.

At one point, Bruna and I began to list a few things we had to do. To leave everything with our face, we chose to get our hands dirty and do many things at home, from the invitation of the groomsmen to the “tears of joy”. After a few conversations, we come to the following list:

No, you are not seeing it wrong: as much as we had rushed to anticipate much of it, the work was far from over. Since I chose to help (at the time) my fiancée in everything possible, I lost count of how many times we went to sleep late cutting paper, closing bags, writing messages, doing more accounts (they never end) and many other things.

With so much work, it was expected that we would have disagreements along the way. In this process, even if by accident, we end up hurting ourselves a few times and saying things without thinking. But the desire to move on was greater, and the only certainty we had was that it would all be worth it after all.

Making the special even more special

If you looked at the image that is a little higher, you will see that item 57 says "Doug doing the surprises." Even with all the rush and attendance at various meetings (men, believe me, they are not few, but our presence is critical even in those that seem less important, if only to hear and shake their heads), I decided that I would prepare some surprises for my fiancee. But she had also thought the same.

I did a lot of things as a countdown, like the video that is lower down and brings a retrospective of our two years of dating (with 40 photos, as it was published when this number of days was missing), a surprise in the her work on the ten day mark and even some for October 17th. In contrast, she recorded several messages from friends and acquaintances, and presented me with a bow and arrow set (for real!) And prepared other treats.

Interestingly, even thinking separately, we realized that we had planned the same things. To many it might just seem like a coincidence. For us, the certainty that we somehow had a tune even when we were away.

The big day

Finally we come to the long-awaited October 17, 2015. Many say that day goes by fast and you do not even notice, while others believe it is just a date to complete formalities. In my case, it was a time of restlessness and, above all, anxiety.

I clearly remember that a movie crossed my mind during the day: everything we had lived and shared and, above all, the expectation of imagining what still awaited me. Luckily for me, it wasn't long before the afternoon came and I was closer to finally finding the one who would become my wife.

I went to church at 3:50 pm because we had arranged to meet to pray before the ceremony. In the meantime, I was welcoming the incoming guests, and whenever anyone questioned if I was calm, I would show my shaking hand. By now I was quite cold in my belly and eager to find the one I call "my little one."

It didn't take long for this to happen, as we “met” at 4:35 pm - and there it goes with quotes even because I couldn't see what was going on (I was blindfolded). Eye contact was only possible later, around 5:30 pm, when the church doors opened and I, in an effort to contain my crying, saw her coming in.

I must confess: she was more beautiful than I expected. For days she kept teasing me to guess what the dress was like, what it would look like, and the like. I would never have gotten it right by any chance I had, except for one thing: I always said I would look beautiful, and I'm sure I didn't make a mistake.

Finally married!

A few minutes later, we were officially married, ready to leave the church and begin our journey together. Four months and 22 days have passed since then, and we are about to complete Chocolate Weddings. We have learned and grown more during this time, we have stumbled a few times, but we always get up and continue our journey as it should be: united. Love you, my little one!

And you, do you still remember how your wedding preparations were? Comment on the Mega Curious Forum