When my boyfriend proposed to me, I knew it was coming. We had spoken at length about marriage, and what both of our expectations would be moving into it. I felt prepared when he knelt down and said those words, and when that ring slid onto my finger, it felt like the most natural thing. In most senses, I felt prepared to move into this new stage of my life - engaged life. I had been reading my holy trinity of alternative wedding blogs - Rock 'n Roll Bride, Offbeat Bride, and A Practical Wedding - for months before.

Here's the odd thing about weddings - they're a cultural phenomenon where people are allowed to let loose every one of their specifics