"I Do"

May 20, 2018.  A beautiful, sunny day.  We did it.  We had the wedding we planned for, but was cancelled.

After we eloped, we had decided to cancel the wedding.  Then, my husband gradually got better. Since we had already paid for the wedding, we called our venue to see if we could do a vow renewal.  They said, "Yes, of course."  And so the planning began in earnest.  Originally, a Gatsby-esque affair, it quickly just became a semi-formal affair.

The day finally came and as it turns out, all the things I worried about never came to fruition.  I fit into my dress.  My husband's suit fit.  The flowers arrived.  It was a clear, blue sky outside and not too hot...we could have pictures done in the garden area of the venue.  There was champagne in the dressing room.  I had on just enough makeup -- not too much, not too little.  We watched the Golden Knights win the game that took them to the Stanley Cup finalsfbefore the ceremony in the staff offices.  It was really laid-back.  While watching the game, the officiant heard our story of how we eloped due to my husband's illness.   He then asked if we would like a marriage ceremony instead of the vow renewal.  We both said "Yes!" simultaneously and without a hesitation.

In the preparation for the ceremony, I had spoken with the officiant a few days before.  I had wanted to play a song during the ceremony which was "When I Say I Do" by Matthew West.  Unfortunately, it is a four minute song and four minutes is an incredibly long time to stand in front of people, staring into your beloved's eyes.   Awkward!   And so, we nixed those plans.  Instead, we said we would play it for the first dance.  I really wanted the lyrics "out there" because it is so meaningful to me.

Then, Saturday afternoon, the day before the wedding, the DJ called -- what did we want for our first dance.  "The Way You Look Tonight" by Frank Sinatra," came out of my husband's mouth.  Hmmmm, not exactly what I wanted or imagined but it is a great song and he does so love Frank Sinatra.  "Okay, let's do it.", I said to the DJ.  My husband had little to do with the plans of this party other than the first dance and having pigs in the blanket -- it is, after all, marriage #4 for him, and as he said, "I've been through this enough times...just do what you want."  Except that first dance.  Fair enough.

So, what's a woman to do, who wants the world to know how she feels about marriage and her life with this wonderful man?  She writes a blog...and add links.  So, here you go...enjoy.  Thank you, Matthew West for writing such beautiful lyrics.  They describe marriage perfectly.

https://genius.com/Matthew-west-when-i-say-i-do-lyrics

https://youtu.be/J87IEnoRByE