OUR WEDDING Mike and I were married on December 21, 2012. This was a very special day for us. Not only was it our wedding day, it was our engagement anniversary. Mike proposed to me exactly six years prior, December 21, 2006. December 21 is Yule, the first official day of winter for the northern hemisphere and the longest night of the year. Mike and I celebrate Christmas on this day with our two kitten boys, Thor and Loki. The wedding was held at the Monterey Inn. My Maid of Honour and myself stayed over the night before and woke up to a white winter wonderland. It had snowed quite a bit over night and was still snowing when I opened the curtains to the balcony. I was greeted by a world covered in a thick blanket of snow next to a frozen river. It was gorgeous. Of course it wasn't fun for all the people who had to dig themselves out of their homes and driveways and risk the roads. By the afternoon though the roads were clear enough that driving wasn't quite so dangerous. My bridesmaids arrived around 9 am, my soon to be sister-in-law bearing beloved Starbucks. The ladies doing our hair and make up arrived shortly after and we were soon wrapped up in getting ready. The photographer arrived just after lunch and before long it was time to get into my wedding dress and head over to our ceremony and reception room. My parents met us in my hotel room. A few more pictures were snapped and then we were out the door, heading over to the main building for the ceremony. We snuck into the small side room that the cocktails would be hosted in and lined up. And then the music started. The groomsmen processed down the aisle followed by the groom and his parents. A change in music alerted us to our entrance. The girls went first, processing one by one down the aisle. Then it was my turn. Arm in arm with my parents I processed down the aisle, eyes on Mike standing next to the officiant in his kilt. My girls, lined up on the left side of the officiant and Mike's boys on the right. We exchanged our vows and before either of us knew we were kissing and signing the registry and posing for a million pictures. The next hour flew by with us greeting guests and rushing around taking photos. Dinner was delicious. It didn't take long before it was time for the speeches. I asked my brother to give a speech. It was a very beautiful speech about us being best friends and the importance of that. Mike went next thanking his groomsmen and of course he had written something special for me. I was last. I thanked my maid of honour and my bridesmaids and wrote a poem to Mike about how he was my soul mate and how much I loved him. Then it was time for the first dances. Mike and I danced our first dance as a married couple to No Doubt's Underneath it All. I danced with my step dad to Dixie Chick's Lullaby and Mike danced with his mom to Lynyrd Skynyrd's Simple Man. Then we asked everyone to put on their masks and invited them onto the dance floor. I danced with my father-in-law to Adele's version of Crazy for You and then with my brother to Extreme's More Than Words. After that it was a blur of music and dancing with as many people as possible. There were more photos, more food and more time spent socializing and dancing. The snow continued to fall all through the day and night. Slowly people filtered out until it was just family and a few close friends left. We cleaned up, thanked the DJ and carried all the gifts to the car before driving back to our hotel room only a few minutes away. There was champagne, pop and chocolate covered strawberries waiting for us in our room. The beds were very uncomfortable so neither of us slept well but the next morning we met up with my brother and his wife and went to Cora's for breakfast. I want to thank everyone who was able to join us at the wedding. It truly was a gift to have all those close to us there with us on our special day. It was the perfect day! |     |
