“Buying time” on your wedding day
I drive a lot for my job, so when I’m not enjoying a spirited round of “car-aoke,” I’m usually listening to NPR. Last week I caught a broadcast about how buying time (rather than stuff) makes us happiest – in other words, that spending money on a service in order to give us more leisure time makes us happier than spending the same amount on a product.
Seems simple, right? But it really struck me because I’d just experienced that effect a few days before: after weeks of being too busy to catch up on yard work, the lawn was calf-high (too high for my finicky dog to comfortably pee on!) and weeds were growing everywhere: between the patio bricks, along the walkways, and even obstructing the entrance to the garage. It looked bad, and it made me avoid my own yard. I knew I was perfectly capable of taking care of it myself (which is why I’d been so reluctant to hire yard help before) but also knew that DIYing would leave me with a sore back (not a great idea during wedding season!) and feeling resentful about spending a rare day off on such a task.
So, I texted the guy who mows my neighbor’s lawn and scheduled him to come do mine before I got back from my work trip. It was so nice to come home to a finished lawn! Then I contacted a girl who I knew was taking on private yard jobs (in addition to the more involved landscaping she does with her uncle’s business), and her fee was very reasonable. She even brought her boyfriend and they wrestled my yard into shape within a few hours (I helped too, trimming back the brush that was growing over the fence and clearing weeds from a garden plot – many hands make light work!)
By noon, my yard was finished and I was on to other things. I felt like I’d bought myself a “staycation” day! It was such a positive experience, and my mood was elevated for days afterward – just like NPR reported.
Moral of the story? There are a lot of things we technically can do, but would prefer not to – either because we struggle with the task or because it just isn’t what we’d rather be doing with our precious free time. Most of us don’t have the luxury of outsourcing everything, but there are times when it’s worth offloading a few tasks – and a wedding day is definitely one of those times!
I’ve written before about why including your bridesmaids for makeup is such a positive experience, and one of the main reasons is that it gives you time to relax and enjoy each other’s company. There really is no better way to start a busy wedding day, and I love being able to give that to my brides and their friends and families. Even my DIY brides appreciate being able to focus on the projects they’ve handpicked, rather than having to worry about everything else.
The team you hire for your wedding plays a big part in your experience of that day, and the biggest gift they will give you is time. Anyone who has gotten married can tell you how quickly the day goes by, so make sure you savor every minute!
