time may change me

My good friends, Amy & Johnny, on their wedding day. 5/5/2012

If you had told me five years ago that I would be voluntarily thinking of incorporating Star Wars details into my wedding, I'd have thought you were crazy. Not that my boyfriend at the time wasn't into such "geekery" (which he totally was), but because I didn't think fun and whimsy of the sort had any place in a wedding.

Yet, here I am, newly engaged and designing save the date cards themed after some of our favorite movies, including Star Wars.

My fiance is a different man than I was dating five years ago, but the two share many of the same personality traits, one of which is being a self-described geek. In fact, all of my ex-boyfriends could be described as geeks. I definitely have a type.

And though I can now freely admit to this, I tried for many years to fight it. Geeks were not cool when I was in school. Having been mercilessly teased throughout elementary school and junior high for being smart, I wanted desperately to be cool in high school. My one long term boyfriend during this time was a huge comic book fan, with a soft spot for Captain America. I'm sure he told me Steve Roger's origin story, but I can't remember. At the time I thought comic books were exclusively for children and middle aged men still living with their parents. There was no way I was going to encourage his reading material. Now I'm a huge fan of the Cap thanks to his movie and The Avengers. I also love Iron Man and Thor, and have discovered the artistic genius of Watchmen and V for Vendetta.

The world is now full of celebrated geeks. It's hip to be square thanks to the likes of Steve Jobs and the cast of The Big Bang Theory. All the geeky things I grew up loving are now considered cool: Star Wars, crafting, environmentalism. For the first time in my life I feel completely comfortable in my own skin, and happy to be with someone who understands my obsessions with Harry Potter and Disney. I'm sure some of this just comes with age, but it helps to know I'm not alone.

So the "classy," traditional nuptials I dreamed about in my early twenties have been thrown out the window. Red roses are not mandatory, and neither are formal length bridesmaid gowns, an evening reception, and a multi-tiered cake. I'm a fan of tropical blooms, so orange and purple are definitely in. Wedding cakes never taste as good as I expect them to, so why not serve cupcakes or strawberry shortcake or doughnuts? Short, stylish dresses are now my bridesmaid preference, worn with flats if they choose (You can thank me later, ladies).

All I want is to stand in front of a crowd and marry my best friend, knowing the force will be with us... always. I also hope the odds are ever in our favor, which is not a riddikulus wish.