There was no real reason to delay my dream — except for the belief that I shouldn’t be doing it alone

I walked into the wedding wearing one of my own creations, a black, layered D-RAMA dress.

“Mazel tov,” I kept repeating as I squeezed through the crowd to where the kallah was greeting well-wishers. I stole a glance at my watch. I was hosting a pop-up shop the next day and a long night of preparation still stretched ahead of me.

I finally found the kallah. “Mazel tov, Daniella!”

She pulled me in for a hug. “Im yirtzeh Hashem by you,” she wished me with a bright smile.

“Thank you — and amen.” As I pulled away, I noticed the sparkle on her wrist. It was a white-gold Rolex with a mother-of-pearl face and diamond set-in dial. I recognized the watch because it was the same one I had wanted.

One day, when you’re engaged, you’ll get a watch too, I consoled myself as I left the hall.

Then I stopped. Why wait?

Growing up, I always knew the proper order to life. High school. Seminary. Marriage. Then life begins. In the years I’ve spent dating, I often lament the system. “You’re not anybody until you’re with a somebody” — and only then you can start thinking big.

It’s part of why I didn’t start D-RAMA earlier. How could I think big when I wasn’t even married? How could I have dreams if I didn’t have a husband to support them?

Until I looked around one day and realized there was no real reason to delay my dream — except for the belief that I shouldn’t be doing it alone.