O What Happened to Our Wedding? Delays, Deployments, and Some Daydreams

I got married! I thought I’d throw that out there for anyone who hasn’t heard.

It’s been six months, exactly. We were married on November 12th, in my father’s living room. Three people were in attendance besides Myles and me. My father married us with a license obtained online. We ate an Italian wedding cake made by my lovely stepmother.

What can I say? I like to make a big deal out of things.

In all honesty, though, I really did want everyone I love to be there. I would have loved to throw a big party where we’d all eat really tons of food and talk about how happy and adorable Myles and I are. Because, well, we’re very happy and adorable. It would have been an affair for the books, and everyone would leave with fuzzy feelings.

However, the Army laughs in the face of plans and spits upon schedules. If we had waited for an “opportune time” where everyone would be able to make it to the event (including the groom…. mostly the groom), it never would have happened. So we got married in a living room, and decided to have a party later. Reception. Dinner. Cerephony. Whatever you want to call it.

I had my dad take some pictures of us, I whipped up some announcements, and I waited for the army to give us summer leave dates. And I waited. I didn’t want to send the announcements without invites… I mean, heaven forbid someone gets an announcement and thinks I don’t like them enough to have a party. I kept waiting. I waited for six months and all the army gave us was hints of an upcoming deployment.

Note: forgive my awkward hand in this photo. I’m the queen of awkward hands.

So, folks, I’ve decided to send out my announcements sans invitations. After all, the announcements feature me wearing a wedding dress in below-freezing, snowy weather. That’s just not something people are really going to appreciate as it gets warmer. (And you really should appreciate it… it was so cold.) I’ll send them out with hope that, soon, we’ll have some kind of plan. But if duty calls, and my husband has an appointment with Afghanistan that conflicts with wedding parties and the like… we’ll wait for a different month. Different year if we have to. Heck. We can be like that couple in Lark Rise to Candleford that has their wedding party in their 70s.

I also have many late thank you’s to give to the people who have already sent sweet cards and gifts. Many of those from people I’ve never even had the chance to meet yet! (Myles’s family, I’m looking at you.) The love and generosity we’ve received has been astounding and we are beyond grateful.

So, for anyone who wants an announcement, please, please. Send me your address. We have plenty and we love you. We love all of you. Even if I haven’t met you, I probably love you. *virtual hugs*