Someone commented on a link to this blog from Facebook that I should start a new blog so they don't have to go to a wedding blog to read my posts about non-wedding topics. It's true--I've been writing a lot about things other than weddings. For a while I thought maybe I was just a little burned out on weddings. Once the book was finished I was excited to think about anything else. And as things come up and are on my heart, it's natural to write about them. But the more I thought about it, I realized the real reason I have a hard time blogging about weddings. Yes, I know. It's a wedding blog. Clearly this is a problem. But I think it makes sense, and hopefully it will translate as I write about it here.

The nature of wedding blogs and books in general is to give couples ideas. This can be super helpful. You see something creative or unique, you "pin it," implement it in your wedding planning and move on. I'm always impressed with wedding bloggers who build a substantial following. In my mind, it's a marketing nightmare. You have readers who come to look at pretty pictures, get ideas, and then leave. Once the wedding is over, who cares about the wedding blog?

But in writing this book, my mom and I both felt strongly that we didn't want it to be about "tips" for planning a Christian wedding. And the reasons for this are:

1. We could try to give a "Gospel-Centered Wedding Checklist." Couples could follow it, checking off each task as they planned. But this would not guarantee what really matters. Because what really matters is the heart--a heart changed by the love of Christ and the grace of our great Father.

2. A true understanding of grace and the freedom of the gospel should lead to a gospel-centered wedding. But I had neither a true understanding nor a truly gospel-centered wedding. And so the book is far less about tips and ideas, and far more about the gospel. Because it has to be in that order. As God opens our eyes to the beauty of Christ's perfect life, sacrificial death and glorious resurrection, it should change everything. Including our weddings.

3. A photographer friend said she is tired of shooting the same wedding every weekend. Sometimes all these tips and ideas we're sharing and pinning end up making the rounds at every wedding. So what was maybe unique once is now standard issue. There's nothing really wrong with this, but I believe God's work in the lives of a bride and groom is far more interesting and glorious than the details we so easily obsess over. So I'm hesitant to share a lot of practical tips out of concern that we might create some sort of "gospel-centered wedding" culture that limits the freedom couples should have to express God's grace in their own way.

So for these reasons, there aren't a lot of tips on the blog. And to be honest, I have a hard time coming up with things to blog about that aren't just practical. I know the practical stuff is helpful; I'm just hesitant for it to become law.

That being said, I'm hoping to post more regularly and more often about weddings.

But I'm always trying to balance the freedom of the gospel with the practical ideas people might want to read. And if a week (or two) go by without wedding posts, I apologize. I guess I'm still figuring out what this blog is.

Thanks for reading it, whatever it is.