For weeks leading up to this past Saturday, Mike and I took turns whining about how we should have eloped. See, I'll be honest, planning a wedding is stressful if you 1) Don't have someone to do it for you or 2) Don't have someone to do it for you. Although I do believe I handle stress fairly well—I either internalize it or throw things at Molly—I was just about ready to tell all of those judgmental people with opinions (um, everyone) to suck it, and we'd send pictures from Vegas.
When we got to Tahoe, the first day handed us a few more reasons to consider ourselves incredibly stupid for thinking a wedding of any kind was a good idea. I swallowed my complaints, drank some and decided to just roll with it all. I still had the dress to consider and the dress had been nothing but fabulous to me and deserved a little positivity in return. Also, if we had to leave Molly for six days, we owed it to her to enjoy ourselves.
Then came Friday (the rehearsal/rehearsal dinner/gambling spree) and after that, Saturday (the day). Those days were perfect, and I don't throw the word perfect around, oh, ever. We laughed non-stop. We were surrounded by good people who were happy and excited to be with us. It was everything we could have ever wanted and then some.
I got nervous right before I walked down the aisle and not because I was having cold feet or doubts of any kind, but because I so desperately wanted to remember those moments leading up to THE moment. I wanted to take it all in and not forget a second of it. And—thankfully—I remember. Vividly. I remember turning the corner, my arm tucked under my dad's. I remember making eye contact with Mike and watching his unwavering smile as I walked toward him. I remember my dad kissing me on the cheek before he took his seat and Mike whispering to me, "You look gorgeous." I remember crying and Mike crying and I remember thinking, I am so damn lucky. I remember Mike saying, in his vows to me, that he too was lucky; that when he saw me at the end of the aisle he knew everything would be all right. Then he told me he loved me, over and over again. And, you know, I've never felt more loved by him than in that moment. And the moments that followed.
The wedding was dream after dream come true. We danced, we laughed, we drank, we sang, we took pictures, we were so happy from start to finish. We kicked off this marriage of ours the best way possible. Mike said to me, the next day, "I'm glad we didn't elope." And I agreed.
If all weddings are as happy and full of laughter and love as ours was, well, I don't know why everyone doesn't have one. I'll never tell another person to elope because if that person could feel what I felt this past Saturday, advising them against it would be just mean. I will advise that an open bar is really the only kind of bar to have. And also pick a man and a dress that make you feel like the most beautiful girl in the world, on your wedding day and always.
My vows:
I love you. I love our life together. I love watching The Office and rewinding Sonic commercials to laugh another time at them. I love going to the grocery store and riding on the carts. I love that our dog makes us laugh more than most people. I love date nights and Entourage marathons. And I am so certain we'll be happy because I know our life is going to be full of laughter. And the thought of getting to laugh with you forever is almost too much to take. I love our family: you, me, Molly, your fish, and all my shoes. Michael. You are the best decision I've ever made. I love you.
(Pictures will be posted to my flickr account in the coming days/weeks. Check back often and you can keep tally of how many pictures there are of me waving my arms in the air. I enjoyed quite a few glasses of champagne that night and our DJ played Journey more than once. It was definitely a night to celebrate.)