When Mike and I chose to have our wedding reception in a tent, we knew it felt right. Fonthill Castle in Doylestown, PA is a picturesque property with lots of green. Living in a city, the serenity of the sights and sounds of the property were something that instantly attracted us. It felt so peaceful, so free. This would be the best place for us to get married.
But our parents asked “what if it rains?”
My first thought in response to this was “what if it’s 75 and sunny?” Yes, there is the possibility of rain on our wedding day. But there is also an equal possibility that it’s a gorgeous spring day. And that’s what I decided to focus on.
This is my natural reaction to things. I think of best case. I’m a true optimist.
Yesterday I was chatting with a friend about which grad school she should attend. She’s deciding between two schools. At one point she said something equivalent to “if it rains, will I wish I went to the other school?”
And my thought was the equivalent of “what if it’s sunny?” What if the exact opposite of that bad situation happens? You’ll be happy you chose the school you did.
I think it’s natural to ask “what if?” and consider the potential snags in a situation. It’s smart even. Of course you want to consider less-than-ideal scenarios. But I think it’s best when we ask ourselves this question in a pragmatic way, in a way that opens your mind to a contingency plan in case x, y, or z happens. But don’t let the possibility of it not working out keep you from going after the best case, what you really want.
It’s kind of like that saying “don’t let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” (ok, maybe that’s from A Cinderella Story 🙂 ).
Our wedding day was exactly as I pictured it. A gorgeous spring day. Sun shining. Not too hot. And as we sat on a picnic blanket on the grounds of Fonthill before the reception with the breeze blowing past us taking in the whole day, I was glad we followed our hearts and made decisions with the best possible scenario in mind.
What if we had taken our parents concerns to heart, let their fear of rain eclipse our hope of sun, and changed our plans to a more rain-friendly site? What if we booked a hotel ballroom instead and wished we were spending our sunny wedding day at Fonthill?
The next time you find yourself worrying “what if it rains?” ask yourself this: