Ten Things About My Wedding

The anniversary of my wedding to my beautiful wife is tomorrow. Unfortunately, I am far away on a business trip at the moment, but have some time to contemplate the last eleven years of our marriage. In a nutshell, it's been wonderful. We've had many amazing ups, and a few slight downs, but on the whole we seem to be perfectly matched to each other. After eleven years, we're still going strong, and looking forward to each and every day together.

So, while I'm in a reminiscent mood, I thought I'd think back to our wedding all those years ago. So, without further ado, here are ...

10 Interesting Things About My Wedding
-1) I slept in. And still made it on time. My wife, on the other hand, woke up early and was the beneficiary of her great-childhood-friend-and-hairstylist's talents, spending hours doing her hair. I think I combed my hair in 10 seconds. Sometimes it's really great to be the guy.
-2) My wife and I got married in the Jordan River Temple. It was performed by a sealer who holds the priesthood of God to "bind on earth [that which] shall be bound in heaven." I don't remember his name. It's not really that important -- his priesthood authority was. It's probably on the wedding certificate somewhere.
-3) When I arrived at the temple, I recall being confused about where to go to get dressed for the ceremony, and finally had to ask somebody. My wife, on the other hand, had many women swirling around her every step of the way. Sometimes it's really great to be the girl. It's all good, though. I had the time, and eventually figured it out.
-4) Just prior to the wedding, my soon-to-be wife and I were put in a side room, just her and I, and told to contemplate what we were about to do. I think that little bit of drama was just silly.
-5) I don't remember very much of the wedding itself -- not the room we were in, who was there (well, I remember a few people ...), or what was said. I'm a guy, so you can forgive me for not remembering all these little details. What I do vividly remember, however, is kneeling with my wife and holding her hand. She was stunningly beautiful.
-6) Both of our fathers served as the witnesses. I was honored to have them both there in that capacity, and grateful. They are two very good men.
-7) My wife's brother was our photographer (and did an amazing job), but he was so intent on getting good pictures after the ceremony that he actually kept us out in the sun for hours. My wife had a sunburn on her chest from the scalloped lace of her wedding dress that blistered over the next few days, and since her skin retains a tan line wherever she burns, that scalloped shape was visible on her chest for almost a year.
-8) My brother and his family showed up for family pictures in street clothes. My mother was furious.
-9) Also, because her brother kept us so long, we were late to our wedding lunch. By the time we got there, everybody was done eating, and we were only able to snack on what was left. To make matters worse, we were so busy at the reception later that night that we didn't even get some of the wedding cake. After we left the reception center after 9 pm, absolutely famished, all the restaurants in town were closed (this was Utah, after all), and we ended up getting a burger from McDonalds because they were the only place we found that was open. How's that for a first dinner after being married? (Actually, it was a good burger ...)
-10) Months later, we were reviewing video taken during the reception and in the video we saw somebody hand me a check, which I slipped into my tuxedo's inner pocket. Both my wife and I realized at the same instant that I had left all the checks and money that people had handed me in the tuxedo, and they were lost -- no doubt hundreds of dollars of money we desperately could have used.

Despite all this, it seemed like the day went absolutely perfectly. Everybody "knew their places", so to speak, and things went very well. We didn't worry about timing, or who was where, or what people were doing. It was our day just to be together and to be the spotlight of attention as we began our journey together. I count myself very blessed to have suckered her into marrying me. What's crazy is that she thinks she suckered me into marrying her. Funny how that is.

It was truly a perfect wedding day. It may have been slightly overcast, and as it was early spring, the grass on the temple grounds was slightly brown, but that didn't matter to me in the least. I was with my wife, in the place we were supposed to be, when we were supposed to be there. We said all the right words, did all the right things, held hands practically the whole day, and were happy beyond any reasonable expectation.

The only thing more surprising about how happy we were then is that it just keeps getting better. To this day, she remains my best friend, and I am greatly blessed to have her in my life, as my wife, for eternity.