Growing up, I never dreamed of my ideal
wedding. In reality, prior to Martin
proposing, I used to have the same recurring wedding nightmare: It was my wedding day and either I had
forgotten about the big day or it was a surprise (as in surprise party). Either
way, I wasn’t prepared… I was still
pale, flabby and not ready to get photographed.
Sometimes the dream included horrible bridesmaids dresses that were
purple and from the 80s and sometimes Martin leaves me at the party to go hang
out with his friends. The one thing that
is constant, I was anxious and ill-prepared.
So, when it is all said and done, I find it
ironic that the girl who never dreamed of her wedding, ended up having three.
Posed with two options: get married while
Martin’s current visa was still valid and “guarantee” the process of a green
card or wait until his visa ran out to apply for the fiancé visa with no
telling when it would come through (making planning a wedding nearly impossible),
we chose the former. And so, this past
Friday (November 30, 2012), Martin and I got married at city hall. It would be the first of three weddings.
It was a simple civil ceremony with our
immediate family present (no one else was invited or informed) but the occasion
was absolute beautiful. We said our “I
Do’s” (or at least I said “I Do”, Martin said “Yes, I will”) in the rotunda in
front of a gorgeous Christmas tree, with our families there to support us. Martin wore his new suit and I wore a simple
white dress with a bouquet of flowers from my dad (the always thoughtful man
who wanted to make the day perfect). And,
after a few photos, we took a limo (also compliments of the family) back to
North Beach and Original Joes for dinner.
Tucked away in a private dining room, we were able to celebrate the
nuptials over champagne, wine, and a classic San Francisco Italian dinner. As my brother put it ”the evening was perfect
and that much more special because we actually got to hang out and celebrate
our love as a family without the obligations of 100 other guests.”
Martin and I spent the night at the
Washington Square Inn, a cute B&B I pass everyday on my way to work. And we headed down to Moss Beach that Saturday
for a “honeymoon” at Seal Cove Inn. With the first one absolutely perfect, I am
excited for the next event “the Big Show” in June!
