EPT![[image loading]](http://a.yfrog.com/img532/8375/y9byd.jpg)
May 21 2012
There ya go! A picture of the most important day I've had in my life so far. It's all kind of crazy and surreal. The feeling after is kind of like..." so that's all it takes? There's no test or approval board to convince?". Now I'm married. This band of gold feels like a band-aid and I keep touching it with my thumb.
The ceremony was awesome. It was in Abbington Ma. at a Grange Hall on Washington St. The building is an old square farm house looking thing with a nice butterfly garden out back and a side yard with a giant pine tree. We set up some grills and had a clawfoot bathtub filled with drinks underneath.
(Side note on the bathtub)
I bought my house about five years ago and started to renovate the bathroom. I installed this clawfoot bathtub and the realized the soil pipe was cracked and needed to be replaced. When I got estimates for the plumbing there were three and all of them out of my price range. So I stopped renovating the bathroom halfway through because I'd have to rip it all out in order to redo the plumbing in the future anyway. The tub alsoloat a foot and I rigged up a wooden box to hold it up and it was a little unstable. To shower you had to kind of balance in the center or risk the tub rocking around. It worked but was very messy looking. One thing that people gave me money for before the wedding was to finally fix the bathroom and make it more of an adult home rather than a sloppy young adult frat house looking thing. We fixed the bathroom and it looks amazing. One needs a lil paint now. So I brought the tub to the wedding for drinks as a representation of going forward as a serious adult.
... the wedding
We showed up around noon to decorate and get the tables and chairs set up. The Hall Rental was $200.00 and that included use of the kitchen, tables, chairs and no time limit. CHEAP! Heather made paper flowers with my sister a couple weeks ago and my other sister and her mother-in-law brought some potted plants. For party favors we bought 50 potted herbs and had foil on them for people to take home. There were little wild flower seed mixes for peopple that flew in. The place ended up looking fantastic.
The ceremony was going to start at 4pm so afound 3pm my mom suggested I get dressed. "It takes me like 10 min. tops" I said. Well I listened to her and I'm glad I did. I was in the bathroom for at least a half hour talking to myself and trying to figure out the best face for crying. I'd be totally fine and then all of a sudden an eruption of emotion would fall out of my face. I don't know about you but I sure as hell don't look pretty when I'm crying. It took me what felt like 20 tries to get my tie on. I normally tie a double windsor but my brain wasn't working at all. The fat end would be down passed my crotch then up near my nipples. I was shaking and just couldn't do anything right. "I'm getting MARRIED!".
When Heather came back from the hotel her uncle was staying in she looked SO pretty. Her dress was simple and perfectly white cotten. At this point it didn't take much for the water works. Every time someone I loved would show up I'd cry and thank them for coming. All of the most important people in my life were there.
We set chairs out in a circle around the Hall. In the center there was a card table with a lace tablecloth that Heathers step mother sent to us as a wedding present. On the table were 100 tea lights two long tapered candles and a big cylinder beeswax candle in the middle. A chalace was lit like in the UU tradition and the woman that married both of my sisters began.
With nearly all the chairs filled Marion asked the room to come and light a candle if they would like to and say something they felt moved to say. I attended a quaker boarding school and this idea of sharing came from the quaker style of worship. Heather is very active in NA and they also Share like this at mertings. Some people knew this was going to be the format but I don't think most people did.
It was intense. Having 50 people one by one tell you how much they love you and how happy they are that you're entering the next chapter in your life with someone so fantastic and wonderful is REALLY emotional. All the advice and warm wishes and poetry... the room was over flowing with love. It was impossible to speak. I was crying on and off for an hour. I have so many memories now of my friends and family and the love they have for us.
After everyone shared our mothers lit the long tapered candles to represent the passing of tradition and love through generations and we said our vows.
A suprise to me was that my Aunt gave heather my grandfathers wedding ring. My grandfather that I share a name with and aparently the same sized fingers. So that was pretty enotional too.
Heather and I used the mothers candles to light the central "unity" candle and we were pronounced Husband and Wife.
Party ensued and there was much music and eating.
The dinner was a pot-luck so there were SO many different home made dishes. I didn't eat much at all sadly. I was so busy hugging and talking and playing music.
The meat for burgers we got from a local farm and it's all grass fed and free range and DELICIOUS. I had been a vegitarian until I found that farm that I cpuld feel okay about eating meat from.
Desert was Strawberry shortcake and allll sorts of other amazing things.
We're in Puerto Rico now enjoying a week of Honeymoon. It's fuckin crazy to have it sink in a little at a time. I'll just look over and think... My Wife! Forever!!! No more looking. I'm SO lucky. I love this girl so much.
I love having this ring on. The one I'm wearing we bought before we knew I'd be getting my grandfathers. I would die inside if I lost his in PR. I notice the other people wearing rings now and I wonder if they're as happy as I am.
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