Yesterday I posted about how my husband and I decided to get married after dating for a few years then not talking for a few years. It all happened quickly, but it felt right. Here's the story of our (first) wedding.
Because EJ lived halfway around the world in Cape Town when we rekindled our romance, you can imagine wedding planning was a little bit of a challenge. Particularly because our family is spread out over the country and even over several continents. And especially because I had hated weddings for a long time. That's not true any more, though. And to some extent, it wasn't true in the first place because I really only hated a certain type of wedding. The big, invite-500-people-that-you-don't-even-know type. It's just not for me.
So what did we do? We got married at the Melting Pot. Yes, the fondue restaurant. It was quite nice, actually. We hired a minister we found online--she also runs a balloon business and her husband breathes fire. The only people there were my immediate family and EJ's brother and sister-in-law and we had a little room all to ourselves, dimly lit and with Frank Sinatra playing in the background (we didn't have control over the music, but it was fine.)
I was nervous, excited, anxious. Looking back now, it gives me butterflies! It was very atypical and very "us". We had all (my soon-to-be husband, sisters, parents and I) gotten ready in the same house and caravanned to the restaurant. I sat next to EJ in the car thinking, when we get back in this car, we'll be husband and wife!
During the "ceremony," we held hands as the minister read from a small black book, and we drank wine from the same glass to symbolize our unity. My favorite part was the vows:
"Knowing this man’s love for you and returning
it, realizing his strengths and learning from them, recognizing his weaknesses
and helping him overcome them, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
I did!
Do you love, or love-to-hate, weddings?
That's an awesome story! My daughter just got engaged in November after dating her fiance for 7 months. We are now wedding planning - they will marry in September! I love weddings but this is the first one I will help to plan and that scares me A LOT. Fortunately my daughter is in charge and is very organized! Her dad and I married 31 years ago before only our immediate family, at home, with a family dinner that followed. Warm and cozy and very easy to plan!
ReplyDeleteVicki, Good luck with the planning! I agree that organization is key--unfortunately that is not my strong suit! I'm sure your daughter already knows about these sites, but I recommend looking at The Knot and WeddingBee for inspiration. Also, for a good read, I recommend "Altared," a collection of essays about weddings--it helps take the edge off!
DeleteLove your wedding story. The bit about the minister selling balloons and her husband breathing fire is a part to remember! How unique.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jen! It wasn't the wedding every little girl dreams of, but it turned out nice. We actually ran in to the minister many months later at an IHOP. She was with her husband who looked very normal! You'd never know!
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