6 years, 4 months, 3 days

A visit to New Jersey, a “missed” train, a Christmas in North Carolina, an impromptu lease signing in Maryland, Garth Brooks on the radio and a U-Haul headed to Georgia, a treasure hunt, a little velvet box, moving boxes labeled “—> Seattle,” 7 months of rain, 2 months of sunshine, and then…a haze of blues, greens, and greys, ivory lace, tears, cheers, camera shutters, love, and unimaginable joy.

August 10th marked 6 years, 4 months, and 3 days of togetherness, and we started it like every other Saturday: late. We rolled out of bed after 10 AM, more rested than expected, but full of anticipation. A quick glance outside revealed raindrops on the window, and an ominously grey sky, of which we discussed the pros and cons. Pro: pictures tend to look better when shot under overcast skies. Con: There was a 70+% chance of rain, and 70% in this state usually means “most definitely.” And that pretty much took care of both categories. In Seattle, we spend a great deal of time trying to game the notoriously unpredictable weather, and we have to be willing to roll with whatever comes our way, so although we preferred to have a rain-free wedding, we weren’t going to count on it. We took to the internet, and found a wedding umbrella boutique at Pike Place Market, so we decided eat grab a bite to eat, then find a suitable umbrella. We spent around 20 minutes at the boutique searching for a pretty, off-white, vintage umbrella with which to take pictures, and two clear umbrellas for non-photo use. Afterward, we walked home to relax for a bit, and before we knew it, it was time to get ready for the wedding.

There were only three people in our apartment at the time, but it was abuzz with nervousness. Amelia did her hair and makeup, and Alex polished his shoes, as I sat rocking on the couch, checking the clock, waiting for my hair and makeup artist who was running a bit late. I started to panic in a way that only people with the same need to control every circumstance in their life can truly understand.

My sheer panic only dissipated into moderate anxiety when my artist arrived. We sat down and immediately got to work putting my hair up into a side-swept bun, and did my makeup. By the time it was all complete, Amelia, Alex, and I were anxious to get the show on the road. First stop: the first look!

I said goodbye to a suit-clad Alex who went outside to wait for me, and I put on my dress and veil. I nearly cried as I exited the apartment, and my heart was racing as the elevator descended to the garden, and I finally walked out of the door.

One of my dreams came true when I saw him standing there, and I was overwhelmed with gratitude towards the universe for allowing me, an unremarkable girl from a small town in New Jersey, to experience that kind of joy.

Alex told me I was beautiful,  and that he had waited for this for so long. I told him that he was handsome, and that I felt so lucky to be marrying him.

We laughed, and smiled, and seemed to have only the ability to talk about our happiness as we walked around taking photos.

After we felt that we sufficiently captured our first look, we made our way downstairs to a waiting limo, ready to whisk us to our first photo location ahead of the ceremony.