To have and to hold

Blog a day

Day 20: Describe your wedding day, if you are married reminisce about your special day, if you aren’t what do you picture

Tom and were married in early October, 2001.  The weather was beautiful and clear, just as it had been three-weeks earlier on that fateful day in September.  My family is from the east, and our wedding was set in Wisconsin where most of his family resides.  Many of my relatives were tentative about boarding an airplane, so the ones still intent on coming rallied the troops and drove cross-country to celebrate with us.  







My maid-of-honor was my big sister.  She was the best.  Directing traffic, sitting with me while I got my hair done.  Splashing water on my face as I kept losing consciousness.  (I was really, really nervous.)  

Best man was a mutual friend from high school.  We had seen plenty of good times together and it was nice to share this milestone with him.  

We were married outdoors in a nature center.  The weather was cool for the season, but sky was blue and made a lovely backdrop for the fall leaves.  Later after the ceremony Tom and I were taking wedding photos underneath a vine covered arbor, and it began to snow.  It was magical.  We looked at each other and laughed.  It was like a fairy tale.  We would never forget that moment.  

The day really flew by quickly.  From the girls and I toasting Champagne in the morning, to well after midnight  when I patiently held still while my brand new husband cautiously unbuttoned the 50 pearl closures that ran down the back of my dress.  All in all I couldn't have pictured a more perfect day.

Random things I loved about the day: 

• A borrowed pearl necklace from my little sister
• Seeing my mother in a blue, lace, dress
• Seeing my brother in a tux
• Looking into my husband's eyes and listening to the breeze in the trees (like someone was watching over us) 
• The receiving line (never been hugged so many times in my life)
• The relief I felt putting on tennis shoes 
• The way my wedding dress felt light as a feather, like fairy wings when I put it on that day
• The way my wedding dress felt like 50 pounds of wet cement by the end of the night 
• Riding in a vintage car (as husband and wife) from the nature center to the banquet hall
• Cream cheese wedding cake (delicious!) 
• Scottish thistle in my bouquet of white roses
• Sitting quietly with my husband on the couch that night (well, early morning), ear drums ringing as if we'd been to an all night rock concert 
• Snuggling with him in bed that night, finally drifting off to sleep