Here we are, almost two months after the wedding and we've settled back into life in Singapore as a husband and a wife. Which, truthfully, feels pretty much like life before except now when we see people out, we introduce each other as "wife" and "husband" and typically the one of us being referred to looks around bewildered for a moment. And, Christian has accepted that married life means a lifetime of hitting his head on the kitchen cabinets that no matter how clean and organized I really am, I always forget to close. And I've realized that I can look forward to a life of picking up the popcorn kernels that don't make their way into Christian's mouth during a post-dinner popcorn session (which occur at a shockingly high rate for a man with such a svelte figure) so Phoebe won't choke on them. But in addition to marriage meaning true acceptance of each other's idiosyncrasies it also means that we've each not only gained a new family, but we've become one. We're Christian, Sarah, and Phoebe and we're the Conway's.
Nothing spells wedding more than the realization of how your life and family will change when you say "I do". It feels amazing to know that this California girl has a whole other league of people in the Northeastern U.S. that are not only pulling for us, but for me. A new set of parents, a brother, a couple of sister's and countless aunts and uncles and cousins. For those of you who know me, you know this has been a lifelong dream. Coming from a somewhat small family who'd have holiday dinners that never consisted of having to add an extra leaf to the table, I'm thrilled by the idea of big family dinners and a kid's table (for Christian). Not that I don't love my tiny family. These folks are my people. Being able to watch my family grow into a new generation with the addition of my beloved niece, nephews, and soon-to-be-born niece has been amazing. Age has given me clarity about who each and every one of them are and where I fit in and I feel nothing short of blessed to have such stellar people in my corner.
So for us, this wedding wasn't just an event to have people share in our love, it became a moment in time to celebrate who we both are, where we came from, and who we want to be together. This couldn't happen without including a nod to our past and getting everyone involved and this proved to be the easiest task. The realization that our loved ones didn't feel compelled to help, but grateful to was nothing short of astounding for a person who likes to do it all herself. You mean you WANT to talk to me about floral arrangements? You WANT to collect over 100 vintage hankies for me? You're WILLING to go through all your old photo's to track down wedding pictures of every single couple in your family since, well, forever?
The two weeks I spent in San Francisco prior to the wedding were an exhausting and exhilarating whirlwind of errands, ribbon tying, hand-stamping, and the search for the perfect pair of wedding shoes. My troops and I moved between last minute runs to the craft store, dress fittings, phone calls with vendors, late night table assignment do-overs, and bleary-eyed sessions of laughter, tears, and something I'll coin "laughter-tears". I can't count how many times I wondered why I was putting myself through all of this (but I'm so glad I did). I'll never forget the three days I spent with my mom where I demanded we hit every Kate Spade store in the greater Northern California area to find the exact pair of heels I wanted (no, NEEDED) for the wedding. The fits I had over finding the EXACT color, shape, and width of ribbon for the girl's bouquets. The days I insisted we devote to finding the perfect font for the welcome packets so it would match our invitations. The hours long search for the perfect baby photo that yielded a walk down memory lane with a 2am review of my baby book. The thing I will never forget aside from all the aforementioned lunacy I put my mom through, was her smile through every insane moment of it.
We spent the evening before our wedding at a beautiful spot under the stars in one of our favorite places on earth. We heard our nearest and dearest share stories of our lives together and we feasted on the local food we had missed so much during our time in Asia. I got to watch my pregnant sister playing barrel of monkeys with my six year old niece and spend time with my childhood friend who had travelled from China to be there with us. I got to meet all the fantastic people who knew Christian before I did. I watched my parents and siblings mingle with my new parents and siblings. And I got to walk around in all of this hand in hand with a person I know will be by my side for the rest of my life. Life. Is. Splendid.
Wedding day started early with a hair and make-up-a-thon like I've never seen. By 9am all of my besties were seated at different make-shift stations getting primped and prodded for my big day. I felt unusually calm. I had spent the last 9 months of our engagement worried not about how I was going to plan this thing from Singapore but how I would manage to get through it all without bawling and sweating my way through the ceremony. I can't get through an entire episode of that "move that bus!" show without nearing total breakdown. Follow that up with a show about abused dogs and I'm not leaving the house 'til I get all the sadness out. There was no way I was going to wake up on my wedding day and be able to hold it together. But, here I was, taking it all in like a pro.
When we got to the venue and saw all the work that was going into making my vision for the day a reality, excitement hit and left the door cracked open for a little nervousness to sneak in. By the time my sister and mom got me into that beautiful white gown, all I could think of was seeing Christian. I'll never forget being led to the vine covered archway to enjoy our last moment together before we were to be married. He was standing with his back to me and when he turned around with tears in his eyes, it was all I could do to blink away my own. This was it. This was our beginning, and it was just the first of so many moments that I will never forget.
Walking down the aisle on the arm of my dad, seeing Christian's mom's face full of joy at the end of the aisle, looking beyond her to see my husband and alongside him our favorite people. Sharing our first moment together as husband and wife with Christian's dad. All of the incredible toasts delivered with love by the people we love. Our first dance, however awkward and bumbling. Dancing in the arms of my beloved pops. Seeing my friends twirl my niece around and around the dance floor, knowing this would be a moment she'd remember when she was old. Walking barefoot but still in our wedding clothes to our rental home at the end of the night. Waking up with my husband, exhausted but still giddy, at 5am the next morning and recounting all the glorious moments from the days before.
It would take at least 100 more paragraphs to truly convey the gratitude we feel in our hearts toward the people that helped make our day the heartfelt event that it was but I will say this: Our wedding - this supposed celebration of OUR love - turned out to be a celebration of all the love that had been shown to us in our lifetime. The honor and pride and gratitude we feel are emotions that we are so thankful to have been given and ones that we will never forget. So, thank you to all of our family and friends, and not just the ones that were there to celebrate with us, but to everyone who has touched our lives. We feel truly blessed.
Photographer's photos are here! View the gallery here. (password is: moore)
http://christianandsarahgethitched.shutterfly.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9369398@N04/sets/72157627157126156/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10064690@N00/sets/72157627302722024/
