Wedding Day

So, this is actually my personal narrative from my english class, but Liz thought it was good, so I'll post it here. -- John

My heart is pounding out of my chest. Everyone is looking at me. I can feel their eyes looking me up and down, judging me. I feel myself start to sweat. My friend touches my shoulder, reassuring me that it will be okay. Not a soul in the room is talking as some music plays in the background. I feel myself start to wonder if this was really happening to me. The man who terrifies me to my very core stands down the aisle, looking at me. I nervously glance around the room half-filled with strangers. I hear the song come on and I know it is about to begin. I take a deep breath as I look up and see my bride appear at the top of the stairs, dressed all in white, and I feel a flood of emotion wash over me. I think back over how it all began.

I remember the day I asked Liz to marry me. We had gone ring shopping, and she was able to customize the ring to exactly how she wanted it to be. We were paying what little money we could afford now and then, and finally I was able to get enough to take the ring out of layaway. It wasn’t anything overly romantic. She knew it was going to happen at some point. She was so excited as I pulled the ring out of my pocket and gave it to her. We embraced, and I knew that I had a long few months ahead as we planned for our wedding.

She was stunning in her wedding gown of white as she walked down the stairs. I couldn’t take my eyes off the angel before me. She met her father at the bottom of the stairway, and he escorted her down the aisle. I stood there, mesmerized by her eyes, bright as emeralds. She looked back into mine, as we exchanged unspoken words of love. The bishop began the ceremony, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying. The world around me dissolved into nothingness. It was just me and her in the world. There were tears rolling down both of our cheeks as we smiled. We said our “I Do”s and we embraced in a passionate, loving kiss. I didn’t ever want to let her go. I wanted to stay in the moment forever.

We were engaged in June, and shortly after we told our families. Reactions were mixed at first, but we planned to have our wedding in October. Her parents had come to Utah for their annual 4th of July family reunion, and we all went out looking for a reception hall to hold the ceremony. Liz began to prepare the list of music she wanted to have play. She was such a wreck those few months leading up to the wedding. She had so much to do, and felt like there wasn’t enough time. I just stood back and kept my mouth shut until she asked for my help, knowing she had been thinking about this day since she was a little girl.

The ceremony was finally over, and our families shuffled out of the hall. We gathered together and went through the motions of getting pictures taken. I was married to the love of my life. The pictures were just a blur in the background as I just couldn’t stop looking at my beautiful bride. It was the best day of my life. I had done it. I was married.

We had asked our family for lists of people they wanted us to send invitations to. We met with the wedding planner several times, hammering out the small details about font style, wording, and insert paper. I just kept a smile on my face, and answered what I thought about the style. We had ended up with a list of almost 400 invitations to send out. My fiancée and I were in for a lot of work ahead of us. We formed an assembly line. Liz would hand-write out each address, and I would stuff the envelope, making sure to check the list to see if people got a ceremony invite, or just the reception invite. I got creative with an art brush, dipping it into the water and using it to seal the envelope. I would slap a stamp on the front, and it would go in the pile ready to be sent out. I got it down to a science, and the more we did, the faster we went. It took us several days, but we had done it. Another piece of the puzzle in place for our big day.

The reception was here, as people filled into the hall. I stood next to my gorgeous wife, as we greeted the long line of people that went down the hall, out the door, and even outside the hall at times. Some people I knew and recognized, others I was meeting for the first time. I was completely oblivious to the fact that I hadn’t had anything to eat in the last 7 hours. We went through the motions, smiling, shaking hands, hugging, and thanking everyone for coming to see us.

The last few weeks leading up to our wedding were hectic. Liz was busy finding each and every song she wanted to play, and timing the wedding down to the nanosecond. I was working on finding tuxedos, shoe rentals, and trying to get a luncheon set up for family to gather before the wedding. We were both stressed out, and losing sleep, but that is part of the magic of planning for a wedding.

Finally the party began. We cut the cake and fed it to each other, despite my nephews wanting me to just smear it all over my bride’s face. We danced to some music, and just had a good time. It was getting late and the party was winding down. Little bottles of bubbles were passed out to the guests, and they cheered us on as we left the wedding hall. It still hadn’t struck me how big it was that I was married. I knew I loved Liz, and I was going to be spending the rest of my life with her. I was exhausted and hungry as we drove up to Park City for our honeymoon. We held hands, and talked about it all, and our future. It was the perfect day. I wish I could relive it over and over.

I look back at our wedding at it makes me smile. It brings joy to my soul. I look forward to our lives together, and am thrilled to have children. I can’t wait until we have our own house, and I get settled into a job I love. We will grow old together and make many wonderful memories, but I know that our wedding day will always have a special place in my heart.