I met my husband at a small gathering for New Years. He was very persistent and at first I thought he came on too strong. I distinctly remember leaving the house thinking "I'm sure to never see him again". After a friend from my childhood had coaxed me, I decided to text him and give him a second chance at a first impression... this was the best decision I have ever made. Soon after our first few encounters, I realized there was something special about this guy... he made me laugh, he was always a good listener, and most of all he made me feel comfortable in my own skin. This was the biggest hurdle for me in the dating World-- finding someone that didn't make me feel lesser, but greater, than I felt already.
There was something I couldn't shake about Charles... he made me feel like I'd known him for years and that if I stuck around long enough, he would be the man I marry. This TERRIFIED me. As much as I loved spending time with Charles, I was majorly into my own success and timeline and felt he might be a distraction. In my last effort to see if I wanted to actually DATE him, not just go on dates, I asked a friend about it. The friend told me something I didn't expect--in fact it was polar opposite to what I thought he'd say. He told me I already knew what I wanted if my heart told me Charles wasn't just any potential boyfriend but someone I could spend the rest of my life with. He told me to go for it. The terrified me EVEN MORE.
Anyone who grew up with me can vouch for my individualism and beating to my own drum (or whatever other cliche adheres to that general sense of 'out of the box') but with Charles, I constantly worried about where he was at and left the figurative drum at the doorstep. This feeling I had about him, this crazy inherent knowledge of his permanence in my life, was one of the most rewarding things I ever pursued.
On September 15th, after knowing about a ring deposit he had done, I decided I couldn't wait any longer... I went to his workplace with a specific purpose in mind--to propose to the man I love. I bought a Zippo lighter and engraved our names with "Be My Forever" and proposed publicly outside of his workplace...which is so not like me, but the risk was well-worth it!
Almost 10 months later, on July 6th 2013, we said our "I Do"s. Surrounded by friends and family, I walked down a straw-covered aisle (barefoot I might add) to marry the man that makes me feel greater than I have ever felt. With a rustic-vintage theme, a LOT of royal blue and burlap, we shared one of the most personal moments of our lives with over 120 people.
Five things I will never forget:
1. The way Charles looked at me that day. He looked so at peace but happy all at the same time. I've never seen him smile so wide. This makes me feel like a million bucks.
2. Having our niece Mackenzie as our flower girl. There is something inherent about a niece from the moment you lay eyes on her, to the moment she starts to walk and so on, that causes you to devote your life to making sure she knows she is loved. Be that, her smile or the fact that she is related to you, or perhaps it's just the love that you can't describe to anyone, this kid holds a piece of you. I even dared to steal her away from her daddy that day for a few moments all to ourselves. At the risk of her pulling my veil out entirely, I picked her up and made a mad dash for the great Aunt's house for snacks and auntie/niece time. Not that I had to steal her away, but I did enjoy having her all to myself for a short while that day--knowing that everything would get busy quickly.
3. My mother seeing me for the first time in my dress and everything. I wish someone had of snap-shot it, but it was very memorable! She was overwhelmed, and sobbed so honestly--I've never seen such a beautiful, crying face as I did that day on my mother. You could tell that she was both happy and sad, like she was so happy to see me getting married to the man I love, but she also couldn't believe I was already there. I hope she knows that I felt it too.... I've never felt that honest bittersweet moment any other time than at that moment...knowing I was not just her little girl anymore, but soon to be a wife.
4. My dad has always been so hard to read, because he is both amazingly gentle but the disciplinary parent.... never too rough, now don't get me wrong... but he was always good at telling you if you were acting stupid lol. That day, I could tell he was so happy for me....there are few times when I've known for sure what he was thinking. On the day Mackenzie was born, he was glowingly ecstatic. On Joe and Maggie's wedding day, he was so content. The day after he came back from his Daytona trip... he looked so exhausted, but the tiredness couldn't even begin to mask the happiness in his face. But on the day of my wedding, I didn't have to ask him--I just knew.... he approved. "Are your feet going to hurt, baby?" "I don't think I'll even notice the straw dad".
5. The amazing sense of community that day and even before/after. Without some VERY AMAZING people in our lives, our wedding wouldn't have happened.... to name a few, meet our:
Wedding planner: Lisa Feltz
Decorators: Wendy Moir & Mary Schlichter (with helo from the lovely ladies Maggie Bice & Angie Park)
Cake maker: Peggy Zavitz
Food Prep/Cooks: Joe Bice, Donnie Park, Bonnie Pelletier & Barb Finkbeiner
Bar Tenders: Jaci Payne, Shawn Jenkinson, George Robbins, Bill Feltz
Hay Bale Provider: Brian Woodburn
Hay Bale movers: Steve Feltz, Gerald Bice, Lisa Feltz, Joe Bice.
And soso many others!
Truth is, our wedding wasn't perfect, but it doesn't matter, it was the BEST day of my life because it was damn-near close!
* All photos by: Heather Jennings at Captured Innocence Photography*
