Sixteen years ago, I woke up all nervous and excited, much like many of you brides-to-be will on your own wedding day. I was starting a new stage of my life…..I became someone’s wife and partner in life. Today is my husband and mine’s 16th wedding anniversary. How did it all go by so fast? Where did those years go?
My husband and I were talking about it all last night. As he said, “16 years, 3 kids, a house, 2 cats, 2 cars, and an undisclosed number of fish” (okay, for the record dear, I counted this morning…we currently have 7 fish left in the aquarium….we’ve experienced a bit of attrition lately….LOL). We are still together and still making it through life.
I can speak with confidence and experience, marriage is not easy. A marriage needs constant tending and work to be successful. For better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health…..yes, in 16 years, we’ve experienced them all and somehow have survived. I think with the challenges that life has given us, we’ve faced them together, head-on and have overcome them. Each challenge in life seems to bring us closer together and makes our marriage stronger. We’ve learned just how precious life can be.
I think the two biggest things that have made our marriage work is communication and treating each other as equal partners. It is so important to communicate with your spouse, even when you might not like what’s being said. You need to talk not only about all the good parts but also what is bothering you. Don’t hide those things from each other because they will only breed resentment. Second, remember that you are equal partners in life. You both deserve to have dreams and, as partners, you will need to find ways to mesh those dreams into something that works for you and your family.
Our marriage is far from perfect. Honestly, I don’t believe the “perfect marriage” really exists out there simply because life isn’t perfect. Most of our days are not a Hollywood romance but more practical and systematic…..get kids dressed and off to school/daycare, take care of client needs, figure out how to stretch that grocery bill (3 boys eat a lot of food 
, pick up kids, make dinner, clean house, get kiddos to bed, do laundry, go to sleep. It’s not the glamorous life but it is our life and I wouldn’t change a thing (okay, maybe if my husband could pick-up his socks off the bedroom floor….LOL). But seriously, there isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t say to each other “I love you!” Each and every phone conversation we have, we always end it with that sentiment, and we mean it! My husband even says it to me if he is calling me with other people in the room (like his clients, friends, family members). Those three words really mean the world to me and they never become old or dull.
Of course, the wedding coordinator in me LOVES to pick apart my own wedding day and think about what I would do different. The groom remains the same but the design changes, mainly out with the old trends, in with the new. I would have real flowers on my cake instead of buttercream ones….digital photography in a photojournalistic style versus film and posed….tangerine and lime instead of peach and silver…..oh, and “practical” bridemaids dresses that my maids could wear again (LOL….do those REALLY exist). My bouquet would be hand-tied versus a tear drop and the flowers would be colorful instead of white. But honestly, I wouldn’t change the happy mood of the day or how much fun we had. Sixteen years later, people still tell us what a great time they had at our wedding.
Remember that life is a journey and marriage is an adventure. I couldn’t possibly imagine going this journey alone, without my husband. Having been a bride and now a wedding consultant, I know just how much emphasis is put on that one all important special day. But as you are planning that day do keep this in mind……your wedding day is the day that starts off something even greater, your marriage
So happy anniversary dear! I love you and am so glad that we said, “I do” all those years ago.
Tags: An Impressive Event, anniversary, bridal consultant, bride, brides, bridesmaid dress, California, marriage, Sacramento, wedding, wedding pictures, wedding planner, wedding planners, wedding planning, weddings, Woodland
