Going to the Chapel

I can’t believe it. I’m getting married. It’s official. Everything is booked. Our flights. Our venue. Our photographer. And in just two months we’ll be taking off. I feel like shouting at the top of my lungs out of pure excitement and relief.

This has been a long journey.

A journey I’ve debated whether or not to share, but I’ve decided to go ahead because the takeaway is so inspiring. I hope it will strengthen your faith in good outcomes as it has completely renewed mine. So here we go.

When Brent and I first got engaged on New Years, I had the most vivid vision of us getting married in front of a small, old, stone chapel overlooking the sea with a reception at a villa similar to the Villa del Balbianello, made famous by Star Wars and Casino Royal.

Why? I had no idea. Never once had I dreamed about my wedding. But for some reason it felt so right, and when I told Brent about it, he said it was absolutely perfect — what he’d been picturing.

So we set out looking for it. And we looked. And we looked. Turns out there aren’t any stone chapels or villas overlooking the sea here in New England. At least, we couldn’t find any. And going international would mean our friends and family would have had a hard time making it. So we let go of our dreams, booked a different venue and planned a wedding our friends and family could easily attend.

But the universe, God, had other plans.

For a number of reasons, we had to cancel it all. Sadness loomed for weeks, and after much back and forth, we decided to elope on a honeymoon and throw a big wedding for everyone a year later.

So the looking began again. We looked at Fiji and Bora Bora. New Zealand and Australia. The Caribbean and the Maldives. England and Ireland. France and Italy. But nothing was clicking. We started to think we’d never get married. And then, completely by accident, I stumbled across the most perfect villa.

There was just one problem. It was in Croatia.

Anyone who payed attention during the early 90s will remember the Croatian War of Independence, and the last I’d heard the country was still being de-mined. So I almost ditched the idea. But then, curiosity got the best of me.

I started by looking into Croatia. Turns out it’s safe. Awesome. Then I looked into the island where the villa was located. It’s safe. Even more awesome. Then I looked up photos of the island, and I nearly wept out of shock, joy, awe and thanks.

My vision — our vision — was staring me right in the face.

Dotting the Croatian coast, you can find a plethora of small, old, stone chapels overlooking the sea, and in just two months we’ll be married in front of one. And later that night, we’ll celebrate in a stunning villa just down the road.

Wait a second. I have to pinch myself. It’s too good to be true. Yet it’s going to happen. It’s real, and the message rings loud and clear.

If everything in your life seems to be falling apart, don’t lose hope. Something even better than you had planned is waiting for you down the road. You just need to keep the faith, and most importantly, be open to new opportunities.

Dreams rarely come to fruition as planned. None of mine have. All too often, what we think is a string of bad luck ends up being the pathway to our dreams.

Of course, I say that with two months to go. Disaster could still be on the horizon. But I’m going to keep the faith, and believe in happy endings.

Dreams do come true, if you’re adaptable.