Four years ago, today, I married my best friend. Our wedding was one of the best days of my life. It was magical, beautiful, everything I had ever dreamed of and so much more. It was perfect. It was the last day of July near Washington, DC – an area known for hot and sweltering summers and the weather was a beautiful 72 degrees. Surrounded by our families, friends, and so much love one of the things I remember most was the feeling of love and happiness that surrounded us. The day was truly a celebration of our love and everyone there was so so so happy to share in our celebration.
The day before I went with my bridesmaids to Spaworld (an amazing Korean bath house) where we spent the day rotating between saunas, relaxing in the bath house, getting our nails done, drinking bubble tea, and reconnecting. They came from all over the East Coast and each represented had walked with me through the thick and thin throughout different times of my life- the past, present, and future. Having been so fortunate to know each of them and drawing so much inspiration from them, being surrounded and supported by such a circle of strong, beautiful, intelligent, funny, passionate, kind, and loving women on such a special occasion was truly an honor.
Our rehearsal dinner was lovely. Again, surrounded by our closest friends and family it was full of laughter and happiness. I don’t think I will ever forget the late night video Caleb made of Hans while he told the story of “his special friend who lived around the corner”. Heather and I were laughing so hard we cried.
On our wedding day, I woke up early excited for what was to come. There was no rush at all–everything was relaxed and stress free and I remember being so excited to finally be about to marry the love of my life. The day went by SO quickly and, before I knew it I was at the church and my beautiful mother was wishing me nothing but happiness and telling me that she loved me and I was holding my father’s arm as he prepared to walk me down the aisle. If I remember correctly, we did a little hop-skip at the beginning.
It was magical. I looked up, saw Drew at the end of the aisle, heard the Pachebel Canon ring through the Church (the same music my mother and father had at their wedding). It was like when we first met. I only had eyes for him and the rest of the room faded. It was like we were connected by an energetic string pulling us toward one another. It was love. It was perfect. We had a beautiful ceremony, where some of our dearest family members provided the readings for us (thank you Valerie, Aunt Susie, Caleb, and Uncle Steve) and at the end of the ceremony, following the words “You may now kiss the bride” I was swooped into what I think was the greatest first kiss of all time….whew! I was a little surprised because Drew is not one for PDA – at all. We had not talked about it or rehearsed or anything like that so I had no idea what it would be like. Following those words, Drew just about grabbed me and pulled me to him and gave me one of the sweetest, longest kisses that I think that church has ever seen. The whole church was whooping, cheering, and clapping and I do not think there was a dry eye in the house.
The rest of the day was wonderful. Tons of pictures. Tons of laughter. Every speech given was intimate, heartfelt, and perfect. My brother stepped in and provided some of the best wedding music of all time – a foreshadowing of his musical talent and the awesome career that was to come for him. We had a Grateful Dead moment at the end of the evening where my family and Drew’s family held hands and danced in a huge circle to my favorite song, Scarlet Begonias. We were truly one huge family and still are to this day. It was just one big day of love and I am so SO grateful to everyone who was there, who helped, who sent us support and who have supported us throughout the years. THANK YOU.
And here, four years later, we are still going strong. I feel like we are better, even, in many ways. We have grown so much over these four years – both individually and as a couple. Through new jobs, new beginnings, a new home in a new state, we have come into our own as a couple and as a family. It has not always been easy and I am so grateful to Drew for sticking by my side in those moments where I was certainly not at my best. He has been my rock and has been more patient, loving, supportive, and forgiving than I ever thought a human being was capable of being. I am truly lucky to have him as a part of my life and I am honored to be able to call myself his wife. Through the good and the bad we have learned to lean on each other, to communicate effectively, to listen to what is said and what is unsaid, to give each other space when we need it, to respect that space, and to cherish each moment we have with one another. He is truly my best friend and I look forward to seeing him each day. He makes my life better and makes each day brighter. These four years of marriage (and 9 years of partnership) have been amazing and I am so excited to continue on, living each beautiful day with the love of my life.
May we all be able to experience some of this love, sense of connection, and magic- even if just a small taste of it- each day of our lives.
Happy Shanti 