Time to dredge up the old wedding photo again. It’s my anniversary. Number 17 this year. Â
Let me just state a few things about this picture:
1. I was 21. I may have looked 16, but I really was a grown up (legally. Emotionally I certainly was not. But nothing gives you a big, fat dose of grown-up reality in all of its many sucky forms like being married. I’m not complaining about being married. There are lots of great things about being married–that wedding night for example. Hoo boy!– but it makes you mature quickly.)
2. I really, really wanted a dress that wasn’t dripping with lace, beads and other such nonsense. All you brides under 35 don’t realize what a fool’s errand that was. It was 1992 after all! The more crap you could get on a dress, the better. Plain, unadorned dresses simply didn’t exist unless you wanted to dish out $5000 for a Vera Wang. Fortunately I have a mother who is a brilliant seamstress, so I got exactly what I wanted in Shantung silk. I did spring for some teardrop pearls around the waistline, but they were tasteful.
3. I also didn’t want a veil. I don’t remember why, only that most veils at the time were huge white concoctions with sequins and feathery things hanging off of them. And there was often some sort of “across the forehead” beaded thing going on too. I opted for a crown of ivy and roses. It didn’t turn out how I was hoping (nothing like having a florist a thousand miles away) but it was fine.
4. The wedding was lovely, the reception was gorgeous, and it was a nearly perfect day (except that my parents had gotten divorced two weeks before. Can you say “awkward receiving line”? And my two flower girls showed up in completely different–and ugly–dresses than I’d picked out. And it was Oregon so it rained for a while.)
Happy Anniversary Mister! I love you tons! It’s been quite a ride!
P.S. We’re planning on having a fun evening, but he is driving four hours (each way!) to Scout camp today to pick up the boys in our troop. Nothing says “celebrate” like a car full of spazzy twelve-year-olds who smell like smoke and mosquito repellant.
Happy Anniversary! I'm a big fan of your dress – you were years ahead of your time. I look at that picture and the dress doesn't date it in any way. Now, had you gone with the headband veil…
Hi! Lurker here.
Happy Anniversary! Today is mine and my husband's also and coincidentally, he is at scout camp at the moment also! It's very romantic!
Happy Anniversary!!!!! Enjoy!
Happy Anniversary Jennie! I'm so happy that you two are so awesome together.
When will you guys be here?
Happy Anniversary! 18 is big! You look beautiful, but you've aged even more beautifully!
Wow. Are you sure you weren't 16?
And I have to say, I was never a fan of the bridesmaid dresses. Not quite as "timeless" as your dress. But, since I couldn't come anyway, it worked our for me…
I think Darren should buy ME a present every year on your anniversary, you may recall I "convinced" him to propose already!
Happy Anniversary!
(Also, Darren will be lucky if they ONLY smell of smoke and mosquito repellent…)
Happy Anniversary you two! I've always loved your dress đ
I left on a mission in '92 so that puts us at roughly the same age. You really do look 16 here. Also stunning. You look about 26 now.
I got married in '96 and I had a handmade silk dress, too — very simple. It did have allover beading on the bodice in a diamond pattern, but that's all. And my veil was fairly simple, too. I did shell out to line it in silk, which no one does, (they use a polyester lining,) so it was simple but not cheap. Man, I loved that dress. I kinda hope one of my daughters will want to wear it.
My parents waited until just *after* my wedding to announce their separation — but anyone the least bit observant could have sensed what was coming. It actually didn't taint my wedding as much as you'd think, since I'd already done a lot of my grieving. (It also helped that my husband and I left the country for nearly a year right after we got married.)
I'm such a dork, I forgot to say HAPPY ANNIVERSARY.
I note that Mister looks happily dazed, as he surely was by the next morning. And you have only gotten prettier with the years. The great bone structure begins to show after age 32 (you ARE 32 by now, aren't you?)
Thanks for the compliment on my sewing your dress. I thought it was Duponi silk. What's the dif between that and silk shantung? It really was fun to make, in spite of the fact that during that same 3 month period I was out of my head doing a thousand horrible things involving the divorce, getting into my Masters Program, Moving to Utah, preparing everyone for the wedding, and sobbing most of every day. (See MY blog for details next week. I'm still in Oregon.)
Do you age? You look amazing! Keep on doing whatever you are doing, because "Dahling, you look mahvelous!"
You put it's "my anniversary. Shouldn't it be "our" anniversary? lol. Happy anniversary to the two of you. What a cute wedding picture! Also, congratulations to your mom on a lovely one-of-a-kind gown.
Ahhh ivy and roses. I believe I also insisted on that combo at my wedding.
You're weeding photo is beautiful and timeless… a hard thing to pull off at a wedding in the early 90's! Believe me, I know. Back in '93, I had a really classic pretty dress too… however, my veil was all froth and beads… yikes!
Hey, we share an anniversary!
I hope you had a good anniversary..even with the smokey mosquito bitten boys.
I can't believe how young you guys both look! Like kids. Like prom. Wow.
also, for some reason the smell of mosquito reppelant and campfire is such a pleasant smell to me. Happy times, I guess.
I have many memories of your wedding… road trip with Heidi and Kendra (who was SURE that all the cowboys in Idaho wanted to kill her) and your cousin…what's his name? I wish I had pictures of us bridesmaids in our ivy dresses that I could post đ It was a fun trip, a beautiful wedding and reception. Congratulations on 17 years! When did we get so old?
lovely picture… lovely story!!
CONGRATS!! What a great picture!!