Jessica had always been a part of my life. After her parents divorced, she spent a lot of her childhood at my home. We would bake cookies, watch movies, and I would listen for hours as she talked about her dreams. Helping her plan her wedding was something I embraced wholeheartedly. I wanted it to be perfect, just as she envisioned. Or at least, that’s what I thought until today.

As the weeks rolled on, I started to sense that Jessica’s vision for her wedding was neither fully her own nor entirely genuine. The pressure to impress, to conform, to outdo others seemed to overshadow the essence of what a wedding truly represents—love and union. I believed my involvement would relieve some of the burden she felt. But perhaps I was wrong.

Sitting in my office, surrounded by contracts and receipts