By Amanda Permann
This spring, my daughter got engaged, which meant I had the exciting opportunity of helping plan her wedding—the first wedding for one of my daughters. While I had experience from my sons’ weddings, I quickly realized that planning for a daughter was a lot more and bringing its own unique set of experiences.
I wanted the day to reflect my daughter’s wishes, without overwhelming her with my own ideas. Fortunately, she wasn’t picky—she gave me her colors and shared a few things that were important to her, and then let me handle most of the details. While I was excited to decorate and create something beautiful for her and her fiancé, I also felt the weight of making it special within our financial constraints.
We had set a budget that was realistic for us, but I couldn’t help but worry about how to afford everything. I wanted it to be magical, yet felt unsure if I could create something beautiful enough. On top of that, I was juggling many other responsibilities—my daughter didn’t live nearby, so our planning was done mostly over the phone. She was busy finishing her college semester, and I was stretched between end-of-school-year activities for my daughter and doing other family activities. It started to feel overwhelming, especially when it seemed like most family and friends were too busy to help or I had a hard time asking for help, not wanting to intrude on their time.
I prayed for guidance, but when I got up from my knees, I often felt paralyzed by the weight of it all. I let the doubts begin to creep in, both from within and from the well-meaning comments of others. Some people would say things like, “Weddings are expensive,” or “It’s a lot of work,” “you never know how many will really show up,” These comments fueled my own worries and made me second-guess my ability to manage it all. Thoughts like, “What if I can’t afford the things I want?” and “I don’t know how I will pull it off by myself” or “What if nobody shows up?” began to take root.
The hardest part was that some of these worries felt so true. It wasn’t always easy to reject those thoughts, especially when they seemed to reflect reality. But I knew I had to fight back. I started affirming to myself, “Everything works out for me,” even though I had no idea how it all would. I’d tell myself, “I reject that negative thought,” when doubts would creep in. Still, there were moments when I felt unsure—uncertain of how things would actually come together.
One day, as I was feeling especially overwhelmed, I remembered the power of writing a vision for what I wanted. I was grateful for this inspiring thought. So, with a few things in place and with just over a month left until the wedding, I sat down and wrote out a detailed vision for the reception, describing it in the past tense as if it had already happened. I infused it with emotion and gratitude, imagining how wonderful everything would feel once the day arrived. Here’s a little of what I wrote:
It was a beautiful day at the temple celebration, surrounded by family and friends who made the day unforgettable. I felt overwhelmed with joy at the incredible turnout, which made the wedding day truly special. The atmosphere was filled with love, joy, and happiness, leaving me in awe and deeply thankful for all the support.
Helping to create a stunning environment for my daughter and her new husband was a pleasure. The church chosen for the reception provided the perfect setting, crafting a magical atmosphere. The fragrant aroma of greenery and delicious food filled the air, accompanied by elegant portraits of the couple and enchanting lighting that dazzled the eyes. The exquisite textures of the decorations delighted the senses, while soft, captivating background music created a delightful ambiance. Every detail contributed to a wonderful celebration of love, unity, and the sealing of a new family.
The dance floor was a highlight, bringing everyone together in a vibrant, fun environment. Throughout it all, I felt the presence of the Spirit and Angels guiding us, witnessing countless miracles.
As the wedding day approached, I focused on holding onto this vision, despite the lingering doubts. When people’s comments triggered more worry, I reminded myself of what I had written and affirmed, “Everything works out for me.” I didn’t know how it was all going to come together, but I continued to trust and kept taking small steps forward.
Then, to my amazement, things began to unfold in ways I couldn’t have planned. It truly was a beautiful day—windy, but not too hot and just the right temperature so people stayed around. Family and friends turned out in abundance at the temple, just as I had envisioned. The wedding luncheon, provided by the groom’s family, was amazing and the family from both sides filled the gym with laughter and joy. Despite my earlier worries about whether people would attend the reception, the line of guests started coming at 6:30 and did not stop until 8:30! Most everyone stayed to visit, and I heard many people comment on how wonderful it felt to be there. The atmosphere was, in fact, magical.
Help also came when I needed it most. A family friend from Utah came to my rescue and helped plan all the reception food and serve, while another family friend who specialized in false ceilings offered to do it for free. I found a local company called “Unforgettable Events” that provided stunning decorations within my budget. The dance floor was a huge success, with guests laughing and dancing the night away.
These are a few of the many beautiful experiences I had in helping to plan my daughter and new son in law’s wedding day.
In reflecting on the experience, I see how the Law of Perpetual Transmutation was at work. The energy of my thoughts—both positive and negative—had the power to shape my reality. When I allowed doubt to take over, I felt paralyzed, unable to move forward with confidence. But when I intentionally chose to reject those doubts, plant my vision, and trust the process, things began to shift. My initial prayers and affirmations were like seeds planted in faith. As I nurtured those thoughts with positive affirmations and took action, the universe responded, and my vision came to life.
This experience was a powerful reminder that our thoughts truly do shape our reality. The Law of Perpetual Transmutation teaches us that everything is in a state of becoming—our energy, thoughts, and emotions are always moving toward either physical form or disintegration. By choosing faith over doubt, I created space for miracles, and what once seemed overwhelming became an unforgettable, beautiful day filled with love and joy.
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