Reader, I Married Him

14 August 2020

 

Skyler and I got married on June 6, 2020. 

When this day was the only date that worked with our schedule and our venue and our photographer, it seemed like a good omen that it just happened to be the same date my parents got married 28 years ago. The first six months of wedding planning passed by in blur, everything coming together easier than I expected. We planned a simple wedding for 200 guests, with all the traditional wedding activities: dancing, cake, fellowship. The excitement grew in our household as June approached. We were ready to get married, to celebrate, and have a perfect day.

Then March 2020 happened, and everything we had planned and anticipated for six months was gone. I thought the only thing I had to worry about was whether or not it would rain the day of the wedding, or whether or not we would be able to get the long strands of lights across the ceiling of our reception space. I never could have been prepared for my whole wedding to be taken from me before I had even sent out my invitations. We mourned. We replanned. We canceled. But despite all of the changes that had to be made, we knew one thing wouldn't change: rain or shine, for better or worse, we were still going to get married on June 6.
Instead of the original venue, we were able to get married under a tree in my mother and father-in-law's front yard. Instead of the 200 people guest list, we had 30 witnesses with just our bridal party, parents, siblings, and grandparents. Instead of a catered meal, we had chicken my dad grilled the night before. There were remnants of the day I had planned from the beginning. The dusty blue, grey, and cream color scheme, my beautiful lace dress I bought impulsively from Etsy, the woodsy centerpieces, and the lemon cake my sister baked and decorated were still there, just not in the way I had originally imagined.

There was so much I worried about in the months and weeks leading up to the wedding. Weddings are notorious for things going wrong, and I couldn't help but wonder if anything more could possibly happen before we finally got married. But when the day finally came, full of sunshine and spring, everything melted away. It was a beautiful day, and if something did go wrong, I still remain oblivious to it.

Ten weeks later, our wedding day holds such a special place in my heart. The intimate nature of a small, backyard wedding was something we had been too scared to do when we started planning out of fear of offending distant relatives, but it turned out to be exactly what we wanted. It was perfect for us. It was simple, yet heartfelt, with special moments I will cherish and remember forever. 
But of course, the best part about the wedding, the reason why simply postponing the day wasn't an option for us, was finally getting to marry my best friend. Skyler has been the love of my life and my biggest supporter for the past two years we've been together. There are so many things I never would have been able to do if it weren't for him. He knows me better than anyone and I can be myself when I'm with him, which is rare for me with most people. I have learned so much about my strengths and my weaknesses, and the beauty of God's relationship with us through marriage. Forever is a long time, but I'm glad I get to spend forever with my favorite person.

I know it's been a hard time and that everyone has had to make sacrifices, especially couples who had been planning weddings. Every couple has their own priorities of what they want out of their day. I've seen so many people handle rescheduling or replanning in so many different ways, and I respect all of their decisions. It's taught me how love and celebrations are so important. I'm so thankful that despite all the unknowns in the world right now, weddings are still able to happen in one way or another. It's not about the stress, traditions, and expectations. Let us never forget the purpose of marriage at the center. It's always more important than anything.

4 comments

  1. Congratulations! I can't imagine what it must have felt like to have to change all the months of working, but it worked out beautifully. Every state had different rules at different times. I went to a outdoor and barn wedding in June that had we guessed 80 people. They had had to reschedule, cut down, and move their wedding. Then my sister got engaged at the end of May and married at the end of July. They were able to have it indoors and over a 100, but it was still probably smaller than it would have been, but she was happy for the excuse to have a small wedding without offending anyone I think.

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    1. Thank you so much!
      It's definitely been a difficult time for everyone planning a wedding, and every couple needs to do what's best for them. It's exciting that your sister was able to get married! Congrats to her!

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  2. You had horses in the wedding!!!! #goalsgoals

    so so so happy for you and this new season, Hannah. I hope it’s everything and more and better than you wished for.

    xxx.
    k.

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    1. Aww thank you, Keira! <3
      They were the neighbor's horses, and they were very sweet and tolerant of us. :)

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