The best day of my life...

It's Mrs. Donnelly to you now 🥰

I know it's utterly cliche to say my wedding day was the best day of my life BUT I don't give a flying fuck because IT WAS.

Marrying my best friend, my person, the person who knows how to push my every button, the one who has learned how to handle all of me, the one who loves me just as I am... How could that not be the best day of my life?

Our photographer (and friend) said it best: "This was the most authentic wedding I've ever been at" and that is so damn true.

The best part of our day? We didn't strive for perfection. We didn't put on a performance. We didn't try to be perfect, we were truly and authentically ourselves. In this day and age it's so fucking easy to get swept up in what the world says is best. Especially when it comes to wedding, there's thousands of videos on social media on the "DO's and DONT's" of a wedding. I saw endless videos on how to hold your flowers, the perfect pictures that you MUST get, what to tell your hair and make up artist, how you must go to every table OR how you absolutely should not do that... I could go on forever.

At one point I was so annoyed at social media algorithm for constantly showing me all things wedding because I almost got caught up in it and honestly, it jus stressed me out. Seeing the crazy, instagram worthy, "picture perfect" weddings and the opinions of everyone was too much.

We are both beyond happy with how our wedding turned out. So let this be your reminder that you don't need to do what everyone else is doing. You don't need to be perfect. You can just be you. On your wedding day, on your worst day, on your best days, on all the days of your life. Just be unapologetically yourself. I've said it thousands of times and I'll say it millions more. You are the only you that there is. Stop wasting your precious gift of life trying to be someone else.

I had a panic attack right before I walked down the aisle

I know you probably think I'm being dramatic but I'm dead serious. I had the most chill morning. Woke up next to Brian, we went to the gym together at 4 am. We had a special moment with my mom then my girls came, Brian left, and we got our hair and make up done. It was such a great morning. Then getting pictures done in the park was so fun and doing a first look with Brian was my favorite. It was all so emotional but I didn't cry because I don't think it had hit me yet.

A few hours later, as "make you feel my love" instrumental starts playing and my coordinator comes in to tell us it's time for the girls to walk as the guys were already up there waiting, it hit me. All at once. I was about to be a fucking wife. I was about to marry the love of my life. It was really happening, like for real. And I lost it. I almost started balling because in that moment it had all became real for me. But, I couldn't cry and my matron of honor yelled at me to make sure that I didn't cry.

I'm not someone who holds my tears in and so... I started dry heaving. My chest broke out in hives. I was totally freaking out. Full panic attack mode from holding in my tears to the point where I literally forgot to breathe and my MOH gracefully told me "get your shit together dana, you have been waiting so long for this day. You can't cry your make up off". And so, I got my shit together. My coordinator told me that Brian and I both are acting the exact same, she told me he is already crying waiting for me.

As soon as I saw him, nothing else mattered. No one else was in the room, it was as if it was just me and him. I wanted to run to him.

We cared so little about being perfect that we laughed during out ceremony, we forgot to take our unity shot, and we hurried down the aisle at the end into our suite where we laughed about forgetting the shot.

This crazy thing happens when you learn to love yourself...

You attract people into your life who love you, for you. When you show up unapologetically as you and you don't try to fake it, when you are just real as fuck - you either meet someone who loves you for you OR you teach the person or people you already have to love you properly just by the way you love yourself.

My entire life I have had people tell me that I'm a lot or I'm too much and most of the time they don't mean it in a loving and accepting way, mostly they've said it in a judgmental manner. At one point in our relationship Brian may have said I'm too much out of anger in the heat of the moment, but man have we grown to fully and completely love and accept each other exactly as we are. Now, he knows just how to handle me, he knows just what to say and do. And the same goes for me with him. We just know each other, when we finally let our guards completely down and were left with the most raw versions of each other, that's when our love grew more than we could've known.

None of this would've been possible if I didn't begin my journey to loving myself all those years ago.

This love story started with just me. Just me learning to accept all the parts of myself. Me unlearning all the negative self-talk that I was taught. Me loving me lead me to be myself unapologetically which I know is the catalyst for this unconditional love that Brian and I share.

See, here's the thing, 17 year old Dana would've never made it to the alter had I not done the work. If I didn't embark on this growth journey, 27 year old me would still be lost and confused and God knows where in life. Your inner child will prosper when you find your way back to loving yourself. I feel more intuitively connected and open than ever, old me would've never been open to showing my truest self.

Now not only do I have a strong self-awareness and deep self-love, but I've also been blessed to marry a man who loves me for ALL that I am and doesn't try to lessen or suppress any part. Let my love story be your inspiration to embrace who you are. I thank God every single day that I am where I am. I am eternally grateful to have a husband I can continuously grow with. I am blessed to be a leader in this work that I do by being brave enough to share my most vulnerable moments with you.

No matter where you find yourself right now, just know that this is possible for you. Just understand that loving yourself isn't weird, it isn't selfish, it doesn't make you cocky. I hope this article has helped you see that when your relationship with yourself is thriving all of the relationships in your life will thrive too.

If you are currently in a relationship and it's not going great I want to challenge you to look in the mirror. Literally and figuratively. Do you love the person staring back at you? Do you see yourself and pick yourself apart? Do you try to make yourself smaller to fit in boxes someone else created?

Louise Hay taught me this practice that I still do often. Look at yourself in a mirror, truly look into your own eyes and say "I love you" out loud. Be very conscious of how you feel emotionally when you are doing this. What thoughts do you have? What emotions?

I know it sounds weird but this practice is more powerful than you could ever imagine. It's step one on your journey towards loving yourself unconditionally. You don't realize that so much of the negativity you experience in your life boils down to this one simple concept of loving yourself. Try this practice for 30 days. Every time you walk by a mirror, look at yourself and say "I love you". See how you feel a month from now.

Let's say your journey to loving the real you starts today, 6 months from now if you are intentional and consistent with practices to show yourself love, your life will be filled with so much more joy.

As always,

Have a great fucking day and remember - you are entirely up to you!