The prince kisses the princess, and an uproarious cheer rises from the crowd. Fireworks burst across the sky, brightening the place and heralding the couple’s promising future.

The image slowly fades, the romantic background music softens, and…

“And they lived happily ever after.”

Such is the cliché ending of most fairytales.

In real life, we all want to hear someone’s story: the butterflies in one’s stomach when the couple first met, that first gaze, the romantic first date in a fancy restaurant, and eventually, the swooning moment when the guy drops down on one knee and asks the magic question. Those spellbinding moments are always the first things people ask about. Everyone is eager to listen to the romantic side of love.

And it doesn’t end there. The most intriguing question- the one many are excited to know- is about the most awaited moment: the wedding. After that, no one asks you anything anymore. It’s like watching a fairytale: people want to know the what, the how, and the when… and then it ends.

No one wants to ask what happened after the famous “I do.”

If they ever ask, it’s usually, “How was the honeymoon?”

But truly- what happens after the “I do”?

As someone who is newly married, I can say the wedding is not the ending of a story but the beginning of a new season. Suddenly, my now-husband is the person I see when I open my eyes in the morning and the last face I see before I fall asleep. He is no longer just my partner- he is my family.

Life shifts in small and large ways. A new place to build, new routines to create, new plans to dream about, and a future we’re now responsible for shaping together. It’s quiet, sacred, sometimes messy, sometimes overwhelming- but deeply real.

And this part- the part after the “I do”- is where the true story begins.

Somewhere in the middle of this newness, reality begins to sink in. There are days filled with misunderstandings over tiny things, moments when we struggle to adjust to each other’s habits, and nights when we sit in silence trying to figure out what married life is supposed to look like. But even in the tension and the growing pains, I’m reminded of the vow I made. No matter how many challenges come our way, no matter how imperfect our beginnings may be, I choose to stay. I choose to keep showing up for him, for us- because this is the love I promised, and he is the man I promised it to.

These are the things fairytales never show- the petty arguments over who forgot to wash the dishes, whose turn it is to cook, or why the laundry is still sitting unfolded. Stories never mention the frustration of mismatched habits or the silent stare-offs caused by crumbs on the counter. They never show how two people learn to meet halfway, to apologize first even when pride says not to, or to laugh over the things that once triggered tears. But this is marriage too: the unfiltered moments where love grows not from perfection, but from choosing patience, humility, and teamwork every single day.

In life, we all want to talk about the happy ending, the happiest moments, and the triumphant days. We spend years in school only to look forward to graduation and the awards we receive. We wake up every single day- whether it’s sunny, rainy, snowy, or chilly- and go to work only to remember the day we finally get promoted. We move through life marking only the major milestones: birth, graduation, marriage… and not much more.

We’re drawn to the highlight reel because the idealist in us wants to believe that life is made up mostly of victories, celebrations, and picture-perfect endings. It’s comforting to hold onto the fairytale version of our story- the one where everything aligns neatly and beautifully.

But the realist in us knows otherwise. Life isn’t just the mountaintops; it’s the in-betweens. The ordinary mornings, the quiet struggles, the tough decisions, the small sacrifices, and the hard conversations. It’s the days that don’t make it into photo albums and the moments we don’t announce to the world. These unfiltered parts- messy, imperfect, and often overlooked- are what truly shape us.

Because while the idealist celebrates the milestones,
the realist learns to honor the journey in between.

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How One Hairstylist Made My Wedding Day Unforgettable
When to Say Yes to the Dress
Why I Chose Not to Hire a Makeup Artist for My Wedding
(Disclaimer: Photos are taken by Leah K Photography)