friends who are about to marry

Are not dewy eyed. Laugh readily at what is to come. Hold their breath. Embrace the foolishness of that which they will do. Hide their romanticism. Save it for later. Have been through the hoops of love and are singing on the other side. Keep their idealism close to their hearts. Laugh at their partners, in a gentle way. Stumble occasionally. Show misunderstanding. Let their belief in fairy tales be subsumed by their delight for flawed reality. Which, they have, all four of them, discovered the hard way, is the real thing.