We Got Married!

Hello friends! There’s something big that I want to share with all of you…

DFJ and I tied the knot on a sunny Saturday afternoon two weeks ago. I feel so blessed to have this wonderful man by my side for the rest of my life… This is only the beginning of our adventures together and I am looking forward to so many more!  

 

My heart is full of love, gratitude, and happiness! So much goodness surrounds me everywhere I am and I really could not ask for more. We got married on April 6^th, 2013 on the dock of my good friends’, Bette and Bill’s, lake house in Chelan, Washington. That day was a testament to how lucky I am to be loved and supported by such wonderful people.

Our wedding was a very simple and old-school celebration where every guest pitched in and had a big role to play. I have heard horror stories on how stressful wedding preparations can be and I honestly can say that my wedding day was one of the least stressful days of my life. I woke up happy and excited for what was about to take place with great faith that everything will turn out well.

There were some preparations that needed to be done and every one of us was eager to get started. I woke up early and prepared some hors d’oeuvres for the post-ceremony celebration: a smoked salmon, goat cheese, and caper paste and chocolate-dipped strawberries that my friend, Roslyn, helped me with. DFJ washed the grapes and I separated them into small bunches. After a lengthy breakfast with everyone and all the food preparation, I just shoved everything in the fridge and got busy preparing myself for the ceremony. DFJ and I went our separate ways to finalize our vows and Joe got busy preparing the order of events for the ceremony and his speech.    

DFJ’s mom did all the wedding flowers, made the most gorgeous bridal bouquet for me, made a sweet little bouquet for our adorable flower girl, and made the boutonnieres for DFJ and our officiator. We bought flowers from Safeway (they were perfectly lovely) which was what she used for the bouquets and boutonnieres. The leftover flowers plus Bette’s collection of twigs and branches that she picked up from road sides and daffodils from my dear friend, Sally’s, garden all came together so beautifully in various vases. DFJ’s dad generously paid for the delicious wedding dinner and wine at Sorrento’s Ristorante. Oh my, what a treat! My friends, Bette and Bill were our gracious hosts, who made us feel at home in their lake house and provided us with rooms, a hot tub, food, wine, champagne, and the wedding dock. On top of this all, they were busy picking up after our messes and serving lunches for everyone. Our friends, Joe and Roslyn, had the brilliant idea of signing Joe up online to be a minister. So, Joe was our wedding officiator and we couldn’t have asked for anyone better! DFJ’s Aunt Laur and Uncle Bill were our photographers (his aunt is a professional and I can’t wait to see our wedding photos) and their sweet little girl, Anika, was our flower girl. Laur also did my hair and while she was doing that, Bill took charge of her camera to take the photos while she was busy. Roslyn was very sweet to iron all the creases away from my dress and Joe took pictures of what was going on with my camera.   

While I was busy getting ready, DFJ was off somewhere polishing his shoes and getting ready himself. Being that I was in my own little world, I was pleasantly surprised to see the table beautifully laden with hors d’oeuvres: my smoked salmon paste on top of rosemary flatbread crackers, the grapes artfully placed around hunks of good cheese and crackers, the chocolate dipped strawberries that held up perfectly after being refrigerated for a few hours, bowls of pistachios, and fancy champagne flutes ready for some sparkling bubbly. Bette and DFJ’s mom have both been hard at work! The table, the rest of the house, and the wedding dock were graced with the loveliest flower arrangements, courtesy of DFJ’s mom and Bette’s roadside collection.

Soon after, everyone was dressed up and everything was all set. There was nothing else left to do but get the party started! My groom looked so dashing in his suit and tie… I could not take my eyes off of him and kept thanking my lucky stars! 

We had a short and sweet civil wedding ceremony held on a dock at Lake Chelan… DFJ and I followed our flower girl down the stairs to the song “Ho Hey” by The Lumineers. The music skipped some, but it was a perfect stop and go for photo shoots. Joe welcomed everyone and gave a good speech about marriage, Bette read 1^st Corinthians 13:4-13, and Roslyn read my favorite Hafiz poem “I Want Both of Us”. DFJ said his vows first and his sweet words touched me deeply and made me laugh at the same time. We kept our vows secret from each other but somehow, it seemed like we had planned to insert the same key words in every sentence. When it was my turn to say my vows, I felt my voice starting to crack and it was all I could do to will myself not to cry. After the vows, we said our “I dos”, kissed, and became officially married. Bird seeds flew everywhere and got in my hair and the top of my dress, “Lover of the Light” by Mumford and Sons played and skipped, champagne was popped, photos were snapped, and everyone was merry!

DFJ and I were grinning ear to ear and we both decided that we couldn’t have asked for a better wedding ceremony than the one that just took place. Everything about it was who we both are and what we both believe in… each other, family, friends, nature, and all the love that surrounds us.

We went inside to enjoy our pre-dinner party and then drove to Sorrento’s Ristorante at Tsillan Cellars Winery. Laur and her family were already there and she took more photos of us around the beautiful winery grounds. When we all sat down to dinner, there were lots of dinner toasts and DFJ and I couldn’t thank everyone enough for their presence, love, and support. The wine was good, the food was delicious, and great conversations were shared. 

 

I got nervous when it was time to cut the cake because I wasn’t sure how it turned out… my worries were unnecessary because everyone loved it! Just in case you wanted to know, I baked our wedding cake on Friday, the day before the wedding… Beatty’s Chocolate Cake Recipe by Ina Garten with a Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting from The Pantry at Delancey flavored with a good dose of Elise Bauer’s Caramel Sauce recipe. It was simply divine!     

All throughout dinner, there was a man playing beautiful piano music and DFJ asked me to dance. So we danced to a few songs and our wedding party joined in. I felt so beautiful, special, and so very loved as DFJ held me in his arms and I love him so much for making me feel that way.

As much as I wanted the moment and that day to last, it had to come to an end… so we all said our goodbyes and headed off to our respective accommodations. When DFJ and I got back to the lake house, we just had enough energy to say goodnight to Bette and Bill and hang out with Joe and Roslyn for a few minutes before we went to our room. We snuggled in, talked about how wonderful everything was and how perfectly the day went, and smiled at each other with the full knowledge that life will take a new turn from here on out… and everything will just keep getting better when we are together.  

 

Cheers!