My Wedding Weekend Getaway (Part II)

I want to take a moment and admit something here, something that I didn’t believe could be true until I was married. As last mentioned in the story of Will’s proposal, I didn’t consider myself the marrying kind. I was never one to dream about my wedding day, I never tore out magazine pages of…

Linda Ly

Written by Linda Ly

Post-ceremony bliss

I want to take a moment and admit something here, something that I didn’t believe could be true until I was married.

As last mentioned in the story of Will’s proposal, I didn’t consider myself the marrying kind. I was never one to dream about my wedding day, I never tore out magazine pages of my dream wedding dresses or imagined life as a Mrs. when I was a wee one.

Quite simply, I felt commitment was more (most) important, and the deep commitment that Will and I shared outweighed anything a piece of paper could say about us. We were husband and wife before the State of California ever said we were husband and wife.

Come as you are

Tequila cup favors

Tabletop decor

Newlyweds

First dance together

Funnest/funniest toast of the night

My best friend toasting

Will with his mother

When we decided to get married — after enjoying a long engagement where I could barely bring myself to utter the word “fiancé” because it sounded so foreign — I didn’t think anything would change. We’d known each other for 10 years… been dating for half that… already living together and raising animals and playing farm.

Our DJ rocks

Dance party

Dance party

Dance party

Dance party

Kid 'n Play

Dance party

Dance party

But you know what? After we were married, something did change. I can’t quite put my finger on it. It felt like something suddenly opened up in my heart… I didn’t think it was possible to love someone even more, and I especially didn’t think I’d feel so complete. The future feels a little different, and in a really amazing way. It’s not a matter of sealing the deal with another ring on my finger, or even being a wife (and now, I can barely utter the word “wife” even though “husband” is starting to roll off the tongue more easily).

It’s just… bliss.

Photo booth madness

Photo booth madness

Photo booth madness

Photo booth madness

Photo booth madness

Photo booth madness

Photo booth madness

Photo booth madness

Photo booth madness

Photo booth madness

Lighting the sky lanterns

Lighting the sky lanterns

Releasing the sky lanterns

Our own personal constellation

Linda Ly

I'm a plant lover, passionate road-tripper, and cookbook author whose expert advice and bestselling books have been featured in Time, Outside, HGTV, and Food & Wine. The National Parks Cookbook is my latest book. Garden Betty is where I write about modern homesteading, farm-to-table cooking, and outdoor adventuring—all that encompass a life well-lived outdoors. After all, the secret to a good life is... Read more »

28 Comments

  2. What a beautiful celebration of love. Your friends knocking over the photo booth is priceless. (And so cool that you eschewed the seating assignments!)

    We weren’t that into the “fiance(e)” thing or the ring thing and never read bridal mags leading up to our wedding. But then when we said our vows and danced our first dance in front of our favorite people, we were bowled over (and humbled and overjoyed) by the enormity of it all.

    So much beauty in this post. Best wishes to you both!

    Reply

  3. I’m so touched right now I’m actually crying. Those pictures were equal measures beautiful, moving, and hilarious. I’m still not sure how my wedding is going to turn out. I’m currently in the midst of a long engagement, been with my fiance (yeah, weird word, boyfriend was easier) for almost 11 years, and we both already feel like we’re married, we know we’re going to spend the rest of our lives together. Soon kids and a house will enter the picture and we just need to seal the legal deal of marriage soon, but the anxiety of not only planning, but figuring out WHAT to plan is starting to get to me. All I know I want from a wedding is something fun and happy and relaxed. We’re not religious at all, we don’t have time honored marriage traditions in our families, and we have a limited budget. I gotta say, I’m really digging the idea of a getaway New Years Eve wedding. Oh, and the snowboarding and surfing all in one day plan, that was awesome. You know you’re totally awesome, right? 🙂

    Reply

    1. Thank you for the kind and thoughtful words, Xochi. 🙂

      We were like you when we first started wedding planning. A Mexico wedding was perfect because we were able to do so much on a very limited budget, everything from the food and drinks to the DJ and venue. We were so, so, so lucky to find the place that we did, for so many reasons.

      We had no dress code and no seating plan, probably two of the best decisions we could’ve made! People were relaxed (they could dress how they were most comfortable, and were free to roam the reception and socialize since we went with a buffet), and we were relaxed (no juggling around name cards trying to seat the “right” people together, and no food serving schedule). If you have a smaller and more casual wedding like this, I highly recommend it.

      Also, with a vacation-type wedding, people are just happier. My favorite part of the whole weekend was just getting to spend time with every single guest that was there. I’ve been to countless weddings where you maybe only get a few minutes with the bride and groom because they’re so busy trying to squeeze everything into one day; but if you have multiple days to bond with your family and friends, it’s less stressful.

      Good luck with whatever you do… Just be you. Serve only food you actually like (not what the venue says you should serve), change the format of the ceremony if it suits your beliefs better, skip the bouquet if you prefer a lei, etc. And perhaps most importantly, remember that at the end of the day/month/year, people will only remember the moments, not the decor. If you simply follow your heart, wedding planning will be a very fun and enjoyable process!

      Reply

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