Show & Tell Monday- Wedding

Today I'm linking up with the fabulous Becky From Mrs. to Mama for Show & Tell Wedding style.  This is right on time because I recently said in a Blogger 411 that the day I would most want to relive is my wedding day.

Are you married? If so when did you get married, and tell us about your special day. 

I married the Husband on May 20, 2006.   We got married at the Mansion on the Hill Hilton in RTP at 4pm in an outdoor ceremony with the reception following inside. (I had to look some of that information up on our invitation- no lie)  We had a non-denominational ceremony with little sprinklings of the Husband's Jewish and my Catholic intermixed.  I really loved my wedding but if I was doing it again today I'd probably do a few things differently; I mean it's been 6 years.  About 80% of our guests were from out of town and we were very lucky to have everyone travel and then stay in the hotel for the weekend.  Which means, the Husband and I stayed at the Sienna in Chapel Hill on our wedding night, hoping not to be bothered by all of them (but I still got tons of phone calls from one bridesmaid anyways- it makes for a very funny story).  Honestly I don't remember everything much about the wedding, but the photos bring it back.

Show us some wedding pictures. 

Get ready, because here they come.  I love our wedding photos.

It takes a village to get ready.  Hair & Makeup showed up at 8am (pictures started at 2pm!)

The details!  I loved our aisle runner and programs! And cute photos of our rings.

Some favorites

The Husband's 26th birthday was two days after our wedding & I surprised him with a Fenway Park groom's cake while the DJ played 50 Cent - "We gonna party like it's your birthday."  And you notice the people already in jeans for our send-off, they were ready to hit up Franklin St the minute we exited.

How about the engagement? Tell us your story. 

The Husband and I got engaged April 24, 2005 at The Biltmore Estates and I was seriously the last to know.  When I came home from work on Friday night, the then boyfriend took me out to eat at Maggiano's spur of the moment (or so I thought).  While we were there he says that he planned a spontaneous weekend in Asheville for us at the Biltmore.  This immediately set off some warning bells for me because 1- he is not spontaneous and 2- it's one of my favorite places to visit.  Once we got on the property Saturday morning I had to close my eyes for a surprise; I hate surprises!  We were staying at the Biltmore Inn!  Now I was pretty positive that he was proposing.  My first, knee jerk response was to blurt out my realization.  But I knew that would pretty much ruin everything, so I kept it inside.  We spent all day walking around the estate.  It was cold, but beautiful; tulips are one of my favorite flowers and they were in bloom.  I would forget about the proposal, but every now and again it would pop in my head and I'd wonder when?  He kept wanting to walk down to the waterfalls, so I assumed it was then, but it wasn't.  He actually proposed on our balcony after dinner and I have no idea what he said!  All I remember is him acting weird, not eating his lobster dinner, and drinking a lot of champagne in the bathroom (I said yes to a bathroom drinker!) Later we went in the outdoor hot tub and it was snowing!  That was the icing on the cake for me.  Of course, once we called family, they all knew.  The husband had went to visit my dad that week to ask him, and of course, my dad told my mom, who told my brothers, who told my cousins.   And, in true form, I woke up in the middle the night making lists for the wedding.

The Biltmore Estates, Biltmore Inn, and some photos from our trip: Tulips in Bloom, walking the grounds, after the engagement,! the flowers, ring, and room, and on the balcony after the snow (in NC that dusting qualifies as snow)

Show us your wedding rings or an engagement photo!

Instead of a Bridal Portrait we got engagment photos on UNC's campus.  I think they are just ok; I don't love how I did my hair, it was hot outside, they just aren't my favorites. But here they are.

Tell us why you think marriage doesn't work out for so many? What can we do to make things last?

Hmm, this is a tough question.  My parents are actually separated and divorcing after 32 (almost 33) years of marriage.  I think that we as a species are getting more and more used to having what we want or seeing results instantly.  Whether it's email, the internet, two day shipping, 30 day weight lose- it's all instant gratification.  If you have to work hard at it, you might be less likely to do it.

I think a lot of people lose themselves along with way of life, sometimes the way back to themselves does not include their partner.  Currently, the Husband and I are going through the 'young children' stage of life.  We need to make that we keep coming back to each other as we move through the stages.  It's easy to move your focus onto something else, especially children.  If you don't come back together and re-group, then you'll keep drifting further apart.  Once your each on your island, you won't and don't need each other anymore.