The Big Day

July 4, 2008. The day finally arrived. The day I get to marry my best friend.

The rehearsal went well the day before despite lots of rain that day, but it all managed to clear up prior to the start of our outdoor rehearsal dinner. It was great getting to see close family and friends as they made their way into town for the big day. The only major hangup with the rehearsal was that one of our groomsmen who was flying in from LA had his flight canceled and it was pretty stressful to see if he'd even make it in in time for the ceremony the next day. Thankfully, he managed to get a flight and arrived late the night before the wedding.

After the rehearsal, I headed back to the hotel and spent some quality time with some old college friends, catching up and drinking wine. Fun times. It amazes me how much I miss these girls. They are truly amazing women and I'm so lucky to call them my friends. The next morning it was off to the hair salon for us ladies to get our hair done where I found out there was a little incident involving two of the groomsmen ending up in a fistfight with one of them getting a black eye, a car window being kicked out, a near accident on the freeway, and a speeding ticket for a bridesmaid who rushed out to pick up the groom and the beaten up groomsmen. Wonderful news to hear the day of your wedding.

After getting ready and heading out for some pictures, we arrived at the church to find it locked. The person who was supposed to let us in never showed. Thank God for my mom's friend who lives 5 minutes away and happens to have a key. Lois, you saved the day!! While waiting (and waiting) for the groom to arrive, the ladies were entertained with a puppet show in the youth room put on by two of my bridesmaids. HYSTERICAL. The groom finally arrived (albeit a little late) and the ceremony was set to start, except the rings had been forgotten!! So after a little delay, and a quick run back to the hotel by my new sister in law and James' mom's boyfriend, we were back on track.

The ladies filed down the hall and waited for their cues. I stood at the top of the stairs looking at these 6 beautiful ladies who pledged to stand by my side and witness our vows. Three that would become my new sisters-in-law and three that are sisters in every way but blood. I felt so honored. My maid of honor and best friend, Megan, turned to me with a tear in her eye, and all I could tell her was to hold it together...I was NOT going to cry! :)

The music started and the parents made their way in followed by the lovely bridesmaids. Then it was my turn. My mom escorted me down the aisle to a version of "Bless the Broken Road". The doors opened up and all I could see was James waiting at the end of the aisle. The look on his face is one I will always remember. It was a look of pure love, admiration, respect, wonder. I knew in those few moments that I'd waited my whole life to marry this man. It took almost 29 years to find him and come to this day, but the waiting had been worth it.

The ceremony went off without a hitch and we received rave reviews about how beautiful it was. We had written our own mutual vows that somehow we both managed to make it through without crying but we did! And even got a laugh out of the crowd!! The best part of the day was hearing the prounouncement of us as husband and wife. I don't think anyone could be happier than I was at that moment! After some time to take some great pics, we headed out to the reception to party! It was great to look around the room and realize that it is filled with people who love us and are here to celebrate us and our love for each other. It's really an amazing feeling. We had a blast dancing the night away, and catching up with family and friends, many of whom had traveled from far away to celebrate with us. We had a first dance choreographed that only a handful of people knew of and we certainly surprised the crowd. It was a big hit. Here's part of it on a video taken by our amazing wedding coordinator.


Overall, the wedding was seriously the best day of our lives. To finally know that there would be no more tearful goodbyes at the airport as one of us had to return home, but knowing that home would be together for the rest of our lives. We had an amazing day, surrounded by family and friends, and in the end, I gained a partner in everything, a comrade in adventure, an accomplice in trouble, an ally in conflict. I married my best friend, my soulmate, my happy thought. I can't wait for the wonderful ride that awaits us in our marriage.