The Countdown: Aftermath

In the final part of an exclusive online series, new bride Ashley Primis looks back at a year of planning that made it all worthwhile

THE COUNTDOWN CLOCK says 0 days.

Because we got married! Quinn and I thought we’d come home from the honeymoon to find that the clock had exploded, but

THE COUNTDOWN CLOCK says 0 days.

Because we got married! Quinn and I thought we’d come home from the honeymoon to find that the clock had exploded, but it just displays a bunch of disappointing zeros and probably will until the battery dies.

Since it’s been a few weeks, I’ll recap: The week before the wedding was eventful, with an emergency room trip, a couple of wedding-day wardrobe malfunctions and the scare of a too-dark fake tan. But everything worked out better than expected. Of course, 9 million things went wrong at the wedding, but only my wedding planner and I knew about them (except when the chuppah flew away after the guests were seated — which turned out to be an endearing, ice-breaking moment). The weather was absolutely perfect, which was really all that I could have asked for. And the other weekend events, like the wedding party BBQ, the rehearsal dinner and the wedding-day pampering were just as memorable and special as the ceremony and reception.

Reflecting on the year-o’-planning, I would conclude that the things that were the hardest and most tedious to arrange — timing, order, flow — were the things that made the wedding atmosphere as great as it was, much more so than linen colors or flower choices. Everyone commented on how seamless and effortless the night was. It was those hours we spent analyzing transportation schedules, ceremony order, event durations, seating charts and dinner times that made possible the energy and vibe we wanted.

We are finally back in the swing of things again, enjoying married life and dreaming of our amazing trip to Hawaii. Honeymoons rock. Especially because for the first 48 hours all you want to do is talk about the wedding, and there is no one else in the world that also wants to do that except for your new mate. Other honeymoon highlights: Aimless drives through the islands in our rented Jeep, lots of room service, a solid 24-hour buzz from mai tais, swimming in the ocean at sunset and a Cameron Diaz sighting. Oh! And food. The first of six hamburgers I ate that week was almost as good as the, well, you know. I basically had been starving myself for two months before the wedding (which, was totally worth it, BTW), and it was like discovering food for the first time. I made it a goal to have french fries once a day — and succeeded.

To be honest, I’ve had a hard time writing this, because until, basically this morning, I was in a funk. Yes, we are totally happy and in love more than ever (and still giggle when someone says Mr. and Mrs. Martin), but post-wedding blues exist. It wasn’t that I really missed e-mailing my planner; it was more like there was a 12-month build-up of excitement for this two-week timeframe. There was always something to talk about, to think about and to do; reason to call my parents and dramatic planning stories to share and it made time fly. Quinn and I both agree that the feeling is this sort of emptiness. Kind of like “What is there to look forward to now? Friday?” But really, it is that the wedding took our mind off of impending, life-changing questions. Questions that we now have to face. Do we like our jobs? Do we want to buy a house? Do we want to stay in Philly? When should we have kids? But the complex thing about the depressing low, is that there is also this total high. We are so excited to finally have the opportunity, right and means to start making these decisions. Something we’ve dreamed out for a while. Knowing whom you are going to spend the rest of your life with is not scary — it’s amazing.

“Wedding” no longer sits right on top of my to-do list. It's been replaced with a task I'll treat with even more urgency and care: marriage.

E-mail Ashley to share your stories.

Read part one of The Countdown.
Read part two of The Countdown.
Read part three of The Countdown.