Try Something New

Hey Y’all! Blogging live (last night) from DIA Denver International Airport during a 2.5 hour delay on Saturday night. It doesn’t get any better than this!

Megan and I just got back from Colorado last night. We were attending her sister Emily and new brother-in-law Mark’s wedding. The views were amazing and so was the whole wedding.

Megan was the Matron of Honor and was thrilled to be by her sister’s side on her big day. Emily was Megan’s Maid of Honor March 1, 2018 so she got to return the favor a little over a year later.

Back in September, at Megan’s mom’s wedding, Emily and Mark asked me if I would be their officiant for their wedding. Initially, I was shocked, paused, and didn’t respond. I was trying to process why they were asking me, and what would all be required for me to do a great job. After about 10 seconds I said, “Yes” and was super excited to be part of their wedding.

Over the next few months I jotted down some notes that I wanted to include in the ceremony. I continued doing this and adding as I had stories about the couple. I tried to think back to our wedding and what the ceremony looked like. We needed to include introductions, how the couple met, background about them, a unity ceremony, vows and ring exchange. I made sure that they liked the order and included the items specific to their requests. Their dog, Bruce, was the ring bearer and had their rings around his bow tie collar. He was a very good boy and did his job perfectly – a real primetime player!

Because this wedding was in Colorado, I had literally zero legal obligations like getting ordained or taking an online test. I did sign the marriage license after the ceremony as a witness and that completed my duties. Mark and Emily chose a gorgeous venue, outside on a deck with the mountains in the background.

This was the most nervous I’ve been for a task in a long time. People asked me leading up to the ceremony if I was nervous, and I didn’t lie. I told them I was. It was the first time I was officiating a wedding, and it was a very important duty. People remember their wedding day for the rest of their lives. I really wanted to do a great job. It wasn’t as though I was trying something new and there was nobody there to see me. The stage was set with 125+ people there to see the couple get married.

As the groomsmen and bridesmaids began walking down the aisle, I actually got a little less nervous. It was show time and I could rely on my preparation and memories of the couple. Emily came down the aisle with her parents and she looked stunning. As we were about to start, I remembered the advice my Mother-in-law gave me. The people attending weren’t there to see me; They were there for the couple. I was just the lucky one getting to tell their story. I included some jokes, some stories and needed to recognize some of the individuals attending, as they are a huge part of the lives of the couple.  The ceremony went better than I expected, the rain held out and it was amazing. They may very well be the only couple I ever marry! I’m so happy for you Mark & Emily GAFARI! Enjoy your honeymoon in Hawaii. You guys deserve all the happiness in the world and I’m so excited to see the future you build with each other!

When was the last time you tried something new? Did you do it by choice or by force? What will be the next new thing you try? This was a great way for me to try something new and dive all the way in. It was exciting and important, nerve-wracking and special. I’m so happy I had this experience and was able to be a part of Mark and Emily’s wedding day!

Getting personal: Megan is now 32 weeks pregnant.  The wedding was held in Breckenridge, Colorado – elevation 10,000. Elevation can do some weird things to your body like making you feel bloated, gassy, out of breath, etc. Emily secured an oxygen tank that Megan slept hooked up to each night and would make some time to get back to the room for 5-10 minutes and it was a huge help.

Megan is doing a great job listening to her body when it tells her to slow down or take it easy. She was a real trooper this trip being there for her sister, running interference when the bride needed it, and dancing at the rehearsal.

The photos above were captured by me, but there are much better photos out there on Facebook from their wonderful photographer, Steph Murray Photos.

Now that we’re back, it’s time to start putting baby furniture together in Baby P’s bedroom.

PS – we bought a house! We’ve been real busy getting things in order which has slowed the blog down.