Friday, July 9, 2010

5 years ago

5 years ago was a hot, sunny day in Pennsylvania. I was sporting a $200 dress I found by accident and a 'do by the *fabulous* Sarah F! Danielle was with me that day, as were my sisters and Lindsay. They made the blue satin look good - even though there was a baby bump to hide and a maid-of-honor who was too tall for her dress!

The Sam's Club white roses looked great, though the boutonnieres were frozen from the day before. Evidently: don't put roses on the top shelf of a fridge, apparently it's a bit too cold in some fridges.... My heart is eternally thankful for two Great-Aunts who remade a dozen boutonnieres in the church kitchen McGuyver style.

I only burst into tears once. Melody thought she was giving me my "sentimental moment", and instead I went into a panic about my "last moments as a single woman" [No worries Mel, it makes a good story now. You'll get your pay back!]. Pam S. saved me - shooing everybody out of the room and praying with me.

Our ring bearer decided ring bearer duties were for losers and locked himself in the bathroom as we were getting read to walking down the aisle. He ended up holding my Dad's hand and helping walk me down the aisle. He refused to walk with anyone else. When we reached the front of the church Ps. Roy (his dad) was at the front to ask "Who gives this woman..." and Christopher ran from my dad to his dad and sucked on his leg like a little octopus. It was funny then; it's funny now!

If you fast-forward out wedding DVD you see that Matt and I were some sort of bad [read: nervous] metronome - we sway through the whole ceremony - tick, tock, tick, tock, tick.

My dad said the word "erotic" about 10 times in our wedding ceremony [he did the ceremony]. He was trying to talk about the Greek word for Love [eros], but ended up getting stuck on the word "erotic". I died inside, just a little.

We ate hot wings and meatballs - and I wore a big towel over my beautiful dress, so that it could *stay* beautiful. It was a bath towel... I made it into a bib and it was hideous. But funny. :)

And you know what? If doesn't matter what did, or didn't happen that day.

As my mother told me, and as I have passed on to every bride I've met since, "At the end of the day, you're as married as you're gonna get!" In other words, it doesn't matter what goes wrong, who spills what, that the ceremony wasn't quite right, that the music wasn't cued correctly, that nobody but you and your sisters wanted to dance at your reception, or that your dress bustle broke ten minutes into the reception. At the end of the day - you're married, and there's not "degrees" of marriage. You are, or you aren't.

We are. And we're doing the best we can, with what we have. We have a crazy-awesome life full of adorable children, absolutely nuts adventures, and more "stories" than you can shake a stick at.

Matthew Joseph, here's to another 55!


18 comments:

  1. Congratlations! Have a wonderful anniversary.

    My brother was telling me about our friends wedding (that I wasn't able to attend) where he nearly DIED trying not to laugh as the minister started talking about relations between a man and wife, and that you need to "invite God in for a holy threesome"

    Poor Rob was nearly under the pew.

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  2. So happy for you guys! Happy Anniversary!!

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  3. Congratulations!! Your mum's advice is so good and true!!!

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  4. Congrats on your anniversary!! :D :D

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  5. You have packed so much into that five years too - think of the stories you will have to share with your grandkids (and great grandkids) in another 55! Congratulations!

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  6. O my goodness I remember that day... not gonna say like it was yesterday.. but it sure doesn't feel like 5 years ago. The funny thing is like you said your married and the rest doesn't matter.. because I don't even remember half of the things you wrote and I was there???? I remember you looked beautiful, and I also remember you and matt having gifts delivered to each other the morning of the wedding. I can cleary remember the look on Matts face as he watched you that day. I do remember you "tiny" meltdown.. however it refrenced back to that moment at my own wedding and though as I was having a "slightly larger" meltdown .."Hmmm maybe every bride just goes through this."

    I certainly remember it being HOT out, and we got lost on the way due to road closures from a flood. And I can't forget that I thought it was lovely that you walked down the isle to "chris Tomlin indescribable.. and thought to myself "I'm so stealing that for my wedding" ....... and well .... I did.. however we walked out to it after the wedding was completed.

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  7. Happy Anniversary! I've always held to the fact that the thing that went wrong only made it more memorable. For better or worse starts early.

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  8. Happy Anniversary to you both!! Many happy years to come..... :-)

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  9. I literally laughed out loud at your dad's use of the word 'erotic'. Too funny! Happy Anniversary!

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  10. Oh Susie - I love your dad. That wee story is hilarious!! erotic - HAHAHAHAHA. That reminds me about what he said at Havalah & Davede's wedding. "I'm gonna make this speech really long cause I know Davede has plans for my daughter later"!!!!!!!!!! I still laugh at that!
    Oh and Happy Anniversary xx
    Margo

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  11. Happy Anniversary to you both!

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  12. Hope you had a wonderful anniversary! I loved the part about your dad getting stuck on the word "erotic". When my husband and I got married we had a parochial vicar from India perform the ceremony. He had a pretty thick accent and kept trying to talk about "success" in marriage...it came out sound like "sex". I about fell on the floor (we were seated) and EVERYONE of my friends brought it up at the reception and for a couple years after. There was some definite snickering behind the programs going on at the church :)

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