We are officially married! I’m a wife, he’s a husband, and Pearl has a Dog Dad.
Our tiny wedding went well. Our wedding was in the morning. I was lucky the weather warmed up after some unusually chilly mornings for late summer. I love the cool mornings but I didn’t want to freeze in my dress. It took place on my Mom’s deck so it felt up in the trees. We only had our parents and remaining grandparents present and of course, Pearl.
My grandfather married us. He and my grandmother have been married for 63 years, a legend in our family so I hoped some of that wisdom could transfer to us. We wrote out most of the ceremony for him and my grandpa did a wonderful job officiating. Here’s a little snipet of our story. It was our chance to get our official story right for our parents:
Mike and Becca met in high school at the ages of 15 and 14. They were high school sweethearts. Together they enjoyed the ups and downs of young love with school dances, river trips, and weekends with each other’s families. They dated for two years – a long time in high school years. They went their separate ways in order to grow up, learning about life and becoming their own persons.
Becca went to college and traveled the country and eventually the world. Mike went the different route of staying close to home learning through hard work what he wanted from life. They remained in each other’s social circle having chats over coffee, walking dogs, and the occasional hike. Mike graciously helped Rebecca when her car needed work and she couldn’t afford a shop.
Thirteen years later, after returning from New Zealand, Rebecca called Mike. She was shocked and pleasantly surprised to hear he had just moved back from Alaska. They made plans to spend the next day together to catch up on their respective adventures. The day turned to dinner and they’ve been back together ever since.
It’s honestly a little crazy that this huge thing takes only 10 to 15 minutes (plus you’ve usually already rehearsed it), have a couple people sign a piece of paper and you’re hitched. I’m grateful we changed our plans to something small and intimate. It was more our style. Plus I think I was nervous enough standing in front of only 6 people. I even forgot my bouquet walking out of the house and down the steps with my Dad! Everyone told us there’s always some mishap with a wedding, it’s just the guests don’t notice.
After the ceremony we enjoyed Smith Island Cake in honor of my stepdad. We used to bring one or two of these cakes home with us every summer from the Eastern Shore of Maryland. We opted for the traditional chocolate and there were 10 tiny layers in it. It was fun to share that memory and flavor with my husband’s family.
My best friend from college is a photographer – Corinne Hall Photography. We studied photo together. When she offered to take our wedding photos as a gift for us, I originally just wanted some shots of us and our family as a record. But she wisely took it to another level for us. She shot it as a real wedding and remembered so many little touches to add to our day. All the photos in this post are hers. I will treasure our photos forever!
What’s your wedding story?
