The wedding season is in full swing and we can hear the weddings bells chiming everywhere. Whether it’s a stressed bridesmaid running errands hastily, or the teary-eyed father of the bride, ready to give her away, it’s hard for anyone to not a love a wedding. People get high off the wedding bliss that newlyweds exude. The scent of opportunity and new beginnings that come with weddings is intoxicating as well as having everyone you love in one place, celebrating together.

Here are 8 reasons why weddings are just so awesome:

1.  Love often seems like a complex elusive force that is hard to get hold of, but the bride and groom seem to have captured it perfectly between their intertwined lips and hands. At the moment when the “I do” is uttered, there’s always a shift in the way they interact with each other. There’s a true feeling of companionship, someone to grow old with, someone you can be 100% yourself around. Its visible, just look for it next time you’re at a wedding.

2.  Weddings unfurl potential for lasting love and rekindle our faith in it. Seeing the bride and groom step up on the altar ignites the flame within. We are in awe of their audacity to commit solely to one person for the rest of their lives. A part of us feels if they can have it, we can too.

3.  Weddings uncover beautiful love stories. Listening to drunken toasts, stories about the couple, the myriad personal touches to their wedding theme reflecting their love, the stories about how they met, clicked and built on their love, is just purely heartfelt.

4.  Happiness! HAPPINESS!!!! I’ve attended so many wedding and every one is filled with smiles and laughter. This goes from the happy couple right down to that distant family friend you haven’t seen in years. Weddings are happy occasions and it’s clear to see with every wedding I photograph. Everyone has such a good time.

5.  The reception is the most fun part of the wedding, with delectable food, breathtaking decorations, and entertainment and best of all, dancing. It’s the only formal event where you are allowed to get drunk, kick off your heels and have a great time. Be it slow jams or line dances, weddings get everybody on their feet at some time.

6.  Wedding food these days is better than most resort fare. The multiple courses, complemented with refreshing cocktails, are just too good to miss. For some people, free food is one of the most alluring features of weddings.

7.  A wedding brings together the entire family. Distant cousins, childhood besties or beloved aunts and uncles might all be spread out across the world but rest assured, they love the couple and won’t miss the wedding for the world. The irresistible force of weddings pulls them out of their shells to make an appearance.

8.  Weddings give you the license to freely express yourself. Weep in public, hug everyone you see or maybe get swept off your feet, as it is acceptable. It’s a tearjerker moment to see two young people bonded by love and their loved ones there to support them. It’s fine to feel a little gushy at weddings.

Keep in mind, these are just 8 reasons why weddings are awesome, this is just the tip of the iceberg.