Our 12th Wedding Anniversary Today

Twelve years ago to this day Gerard and I were married. It was a beautiful warm day. Everything went as planned except for the limo arriving a bit late and the photographer insisting on so many pictures right after the ceremony. It made me feel bad that the guests had to wait so long to eat. Gerard and I did not smoosh the cake in each other’s face either. We shared it very nicely because we respected each other right from the start. We had the reception right at the church immediately after the ceremony.

It was a nice ceremony, not a lot of people but intimate. We invited our guests to pray for our marriage. I was surprised how many actually did. My mom was in poor health so I made all the arrangements myself. I was so glad that she and my dad both got to see me get married. I felt bad though that Gerard’s parents weren’t there for him because they both died before I even met them. He did have his brother and sister there though, and his three nephews were his groomsmen. Gerard helped me choose the flowers and we had balloons that we released afterward which was kind of fun.

Afterward, we went to Stan Hywett Gardens in Akron, Ohio for more pictures with our whole bridal party. It really was nice that they took all that time and didn’t kill me because they wore heels—I changed into tennis shoes on the way there and replaced my veil as soon as they let me with a baseball cap. Yes, I’m a bit strange—comfortable is top priority with me! Our photographer, Mike Solomon, got some great shots and it was my childhood dream come true. We had to pay $100 up front, not knowing what the weather would be that day, but Gerard encouraged me to go ahead and do it because otherwise I’d always regret it. I remember standing on the little bridge over the lagoon looking into his eyes and thinking, “Wow, he’s my husband!”

Gerard got a headache and laid his head in my lay on the way home. We were both tired from all the excitement of the day but enjoyed going through the cards at my parents house when we got back. We were thrilled with how generous people were! We spent that night at my place (upstairs from my parents), went to worship at our church the next day and then left for our honeymoon on Monday when we were fresh. My parents took care of Dickie Bird while we were gone (he was Gerard’s bird).

Getting married is kind of scary because there are no guarantees, but if you go into it determined to work at it and stay faithful to each other no matter what, it can still work in today’s world. There have been a lot of changes over the years but it’s fun growing together and having someone to share our dreams, experiences and responsibilities with. We both got married when we were in our 40s and neither of us were married before.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MR. WONDERFUL! I’M SO GLAD WE GOT MARRIED!

(I posted our favorite reads for August yesterday.)

Coming up:
Living Arrangements at the Beginning (9/1/09)
Our Honeymoon (9/2/09)