Whilst it may not be every girl's dream to be swept off their feet by their very own prince charming, it was definitely something that I had dreamed of for most of my childhood – not going to lie.
I watched Disney movies, then as a young adult, romantic comedies & fantasized over the perfect man making me happy. I dreamt of a white wedding, married in a church of course with ‘Canon in D – Pachelbel’ playing as I walk down the isle (but seriously, how beautiful is that song?)…
And that I should find meaning at home (not work of course) and cook, clean and care for our family and live out our happily ever after side by side whilst prince charming makes the money.
Hold up… let’s take it back a step, the perfect man making me happy?! WHAT?!?
Fast forward a decade or two and I find myself partially living that dream, though not quite as I had imagined. Whilst it is true, I did marry a prince and we have 3 incredible children, not much else about my life resembles the dream I so whimsically curated in my mind as a child.
After 14 years together I have learnt:
LOVE IS NOT ENOUGH:
We must love ourselves first, and make ourselves happy outside of finding happiness together.
Communication is key.
Romance & amazing ‘you know what’ is great but it’s not enough to get you through the hard stuff (and there is a lot of hard stuff).
HAPPY EVER AFTER:
It may be real for some, but it doesn't come easy. Do the movies ever actually answer the question of what happens after the princess marries her prince charming???
By removing the expectation that it is supposed to be easy solves a lot.
Despite our ups and downs, my experience has taught me that happy ever after takes consistent work, and a lot of intention from both sides, and it is always a work in progress!
Written by Sarah Cremona.