June 23, 2013
It is a day I will never forget. It was a day filled with joy, love, happiness, laughter, and friendship. It was the day I married my best friend in the company of friends and family in a beautiful park.
When I agreed to marry Greg after he proposed in New Zealand, I assumed we would get married before a justice of the peace. I just wanted to be married to him and didn’t need a big to-do. And, I didn’t want to wear a dress! When a friend suggested that those who loved us might want to share in the celebration of our union, I decided a small, drama free wedding would be fun. Greg and I kicked around some ideas and decided a trail run, brief ceremony, and low-key reception at Lake Chabot Regional Park would be just the ticket.
The only problem: I suffer from a fair amount of social anxiety. The idea of planning and hosting a party causes my hands to sweat. Way, way too stressful. The answer: my amazing neighbor, Marci, who can plan a successful party in seconds flat and never stresses about socializing. That girl can walk into a room full of strangers, know everyone within minutes, and leave with several new life long friends.
Marci offered to plan our wedding. Early on, she asked how many details I wanted to know. As few as possible was my answer as I hoped being kept in the dark would help keep me from stressing out. I was completely comfortable leaving it in her hands and just writing checks to cover the costs. I happily completed my assigned tasks: getting the running shirts for all involved in the wedding, ordering bracelets for favors, and sending out the E-vite.
When the day arrived, I quickly realized Marci and her assistants had gone above and beyond for us. Wow! Everything was beautiful and so much attention had been paid to the smallest of details. I was speechless – yes, me….speechless.
I remember standing on the picnic table so I could address the crowd and get us all running/jogging/walking in the right direction. As I looked out upon all our friends, it was impossible not to be overwhelmed with gratitude for all those who came out to celebrate with Greg and me. I remember thinking I was so damn lucky and so, so grateful. As someone who grew up in a home seriously lacking in love, I figured I must have done something right to be on the receiving end of all this love now. It filled my heart beyond capacity.
The ceremony completely captured what Greg and I are as individuals and as a couple. It was truly “us”. My face hurt the next day from constantly smiling. I think that was a sign of success.
My only regret is that Greg’s family was too far away to make the trip. I know they were all there in spirit and their best wishes were beautifully woven into the ceremony by our talented officiant, Chris. I look forward to celebrating with them this summer.
(Just for info: we will be posting a wedding day photo album on this blog when we are done gathering all the photos. Feel free to subscribe to the blog so you get an e-mail notification when this happens.)
I just want to say thank you to everyone who made the day so awesome. To Marci, Michael, Miguel, Chris O, Christie, Michelle, Dina, Ruth, Mary Kay, Chester, Leslie, Heather, Naomi, Sandie, Dave, Al, Chris W, and Vinnie. To Team Clubsporters, RePeeters, Lake Chabot Running Peeps, HPD’ers, our biking buddies, Fab Five +1‘ers, GNO’ers, and all our other friends. To Bosco, Bodie, Kora, Finn, Oscar, Maximus, Jack and Buddy (in spirit). And, lastly, to my husband, who makes me feel loved every minute of every day. It’s an honor to wear this ring.
