Love does not strive to impress other people or put on a show. It doesn’t demand lace or diamonds. It simply is.

If I could go back and do it again, I’d probably just throw a barbecue. Weddings should be about love and family. Everything else is decoration.

If you want a big wedding, go for it. But it’s not the only way.

You don’t have to impress anyone. You don’t have to go into debt to throw a party no one will remember in five years. If parties are your thing, that’s great. But if you’re simple like me, own it. I wish I had.

I don’t regret the wedding. This negative feeling was my fault, because I committed to something that didn’t feel genuine. What should have been our thing became a show to impress the family. And that’s something a lot of couples do. It feels necessary to satisfy our loved ones (or simply avoid disappointing them). But bending over backwards to meet other people’s standards can sometimes damage the very relationship we’re trying so hard to celebrate.

The most important thing to realize, for us, was that our families just wanted to see us happy. So why couldn’t we just do that?

In the end, I’m grateful. Seeing my mother smiling and dancing all night will be one of the best memories of my life. But if I could do it all over again, I’d skip the ceremony and focus more on the reception.

Marriage is less about the “I Do” and more about the life that follows.

Now…I hate weddings, but you don’t have to. The beauty in love is our choice in its expression. Our marriage began in Compton, with an anonymous guest and a flask of whiskey. Your marriage can begin however you want. But I challenge you to make it real. In the end, that will be all that matters.