Everything everyone told me about the day turned out to be true: It would go by so fast, things would go wrong but nobody would notice, you wouldn't have time to eat (not literally true, I ate lots, but I did miss out on enjoying details I had looked forward to and worked hard on the entire planning process); Things I said I wouldn't let happen at my wedding happened, things I didn't think I cared about ended up contributing so much to the day, things I thought I cared about ended up not mattering. And all of it added up to such a special night.
What no one prepared me for was how little time I would have with everyone individually. As a destination wedding for 85% of our guests, the room was filled with people I see once a year, once every two or three years, and I barely had 60 seconds with most of them. And these are people who mean a lot to me, the kind of people I'd love to chat with for hours any time they are around. It was overwhelming in a good way to have so many people to want to talk to and so little time. I think in the end this is what surprised me most about the wedding. How all those special people would be in that one room and fill it with such meaning.
It rained for days leading up to and through the wedding. The venue we picked is known mainly for its outdoor chapel and we were unable to utilize it for our ceremony. When we chose the venue we knew it could quite possibly rain, and we decided that the indoor venue the site had (known as, "The Barn") was more beautiful than any other indoor venue we were going to come across. So in a way it was a win-win situation, though I admit we were both a little disappointed it had rained on our parade in the days leading up to the wedding. But as they say, "Wet knots are harder to untie," and the ceremony site ended up being filed under the Things-I-Thought-I-Cared-About file.
I will never forget the look on Boyfriend's face when I walked down the aisle or the vows we made to each other.
Some blog-safe detail photos for your enjoyment:
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| Something old: My maternal grandmother's wedding rings |
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| Something new: My wedding dress Something borrowed: My sister's veil |
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| Something blue: My paternal grandmother's aquamarine ring (we share it as a birthstone) |
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| And a sixpence in your shoe: When I was 15 or 16, my paternal grandmother picked this off the floor, exclaimed, "A lucky penny!" and gave it to me. It has since gone missing and I'm trying to think maybe it used up all its luck for me and has moved on. |
We did brave the rain to get some beautiful photos in the outdoor chapel under the redwoods which in the end is more than good enough for me.
Just when I was getting used to calling Boyfriend my fiancé he goes and turns into my husband. I think the change suits both of us just fine.
The reading from our ceremony:
I love you without knowing how,
Or when, or from where.
I love you simply,
Without problems or pride.
I love you in this way because I do not know
any other way of loving but this,
in which there is no I or you,
So intimate
that your hand upon my chest is my hand,
So intimate that when I fall asleep
your eyes close.
~ Pablo Neruda
