That time I got married

I didn't think I'd ever get married, and I probably wouldn't have if I hadn't met Pete. When I was younger I never dreamed about weddings. I dreamed of becoming independently wealthy. But life is funny. On Memorial Day weekend, Pete asked me to marry him and on Labor Day weekend I did. And on our wedding day, looking around at all the wonderful and amazing people who came to celebrate the occasion with us, I felt like the richest person in the world.

There are no words that can fully express the enormity of my incredulity that this day was even possible nor my gratitude that it was. And even though it was hot as balls and I look terrible in all the pictures and the officiant said "Pete and Joe" at one point before correcting it to "Pete and Jen" (and wrote 9/6/5 as the date on our marriage certificate. Yes, it has only felt like a few days to me too, but apparently we have been married since the year 5), the wedding was everything we wanted it to be. We played catch, we walked on stilts, we ate BBQ and cake and cookies, we danced for 3 hours, we laughed and hugged and made the best of a sweaty situation.

We didn't do a lot of the traditional things everyone does. We didn't spend a lot of money. I didn't wear makeup or diamonds or have a bouquet. My dress came from Macy's and cost $100. I got my hair done at the HairZoo. I spent the day before our wedding and the morning of our wedding running instead of doing whatever it is normal brides do. We didn't have a photographer or a DJ or a seating chart or a limo or bridesmaids/groomsmen. Pete saw me in my dress before the ceremony. The ceremony was literally five minutes long. But it was a beautiful day with some of the best humans I know and it was a perfect start to our adventures in marriage.

The pictures don't do it justice, but here are some of them. If I am making weird faces in all of them, it's only because I could not stop laughing/smiling the entire day. Thank you to all our friends and family for the photos. 

All the thank yous in the universe to my family and friends. I was truly humbled and overwhelmed by your generosity and well wishes and I am eternally grateful for your presence in my life. I am infinitely better for having known you. Meaningful relationships are the true riches of life. And I am the luckiest because I have all of you in mine.

Lyric of the moment: "For all the places I have been, I'm no place without you..." ~Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness "Cecilia and the Satellite"