Every girl envisions her wedding

It's a well-known fact that many women have planned their weddings since they were old enough to say "I do." It's true. It may seem old-fashhioned, especially for women in college with big career plans, but it's a simple fact that we can't help who we are. Women can't help falling in love with the idea of weddings, and that's all there is to it.\nAs soon as the movie credits rolled, we embarked on an in-depth conversation about each girl's dream wedding. Rachel wants her bridesmaids to wear a shade of red. Stephanie wants to wear her mom's wedding dress when she walks down the aisle. We talked about engagement rings, flowers and receptions, but one thing was never mentioned: The groom.\nThe groom rarely ever makes his presence in these dreamy talks of matrimony. For me, wedding details like dresses and churches are easy to discuss; they are stable. But the groom, now that's a different story. I often wonder who I will marry, or even worse, if I will ever get married. But nonetheless, it's not the physical process of getting married that is so attractive; it's the whole idea of it.\nFor the most part, I like to pretend that my independence and wonderful friends are all I need. But then I watch sappy wedding movies and it all goes out the window. My friends claim that I will be the last to get engaged and I always agree. But when I go to family weddings, I hope that instead, maybe I'll be the first. Am I falling into the trap? Have I joined the race to the altar?\nFortunately, a serious marriage pursuit involves a light at the end of the tunnel, a visual of the groom at the altar. While many of my friends are already halfway down the aisle, I myself move a little more slowly. I am still on my way to the church, and I have about an entire football field to go. I have the luxury of avoiding any kind of matrimonial confrontation, and for now, I like that.\nBut I can't avoid my conventional attraction to a fairy-tale ending. I might not know what I want to do after graduation or where I would like to live, but I do know everything I want in my wedding, from music to flowers. In a strange way, it's an almost comforting thought. \nIn the future, when I do walk down the aisle, the same friends who sat in my room last night and got teary-eyed watching a movie wedding will be there watching my wedding dream come true. But in the meantime, we will still get all emotional when we look through a bridal magazine or talk about weddings.\nEventually, Prince Charming will come along and I'll get my white dress and diamond ring. And then I can put a name and a face on the groom. Until then, it might be a while; after all, you have to kiss a lot of toads to find your prince.