Ok...here goes!!
1. Where / how did you meet?
I met my husband the summer that I had graduated from High School (1991). He had just finished his freshman year of college. I was working at Mass Army and Navy Store on Boylston Street in Boston and he was working a few doors down at The Bank Of Boston as a summer teller. I didn't even own a car yet...my father worked in Government Center so he'd drive me in, drop me off and pick me up on his way home...every night. So...I'd go into the bank to do my banking or deposits for the store and what have you and my husband thought I was cute. He had mentioned so to one of his fellow tellers who then - on a bet - dared him to ask me out. For a whopping $10. So, my husband, on his way back from the pizza joint next door came into the store and just asked me out to dinner. Now mind you...I was all of 18 and had never really gone on a 'grown up' date. I was fresh out of HS where you just kind of went out in groups or met up at parties. So I was floored. And he was wearing khakis and the traditional private school blue blazer...and red tie. I was in navy blue champion shorts, matching t-shirt, giant puffy white socks and white leather Keds. I was SHOCKED. And I didn't even know his name. LOL. So we had pleasant conversation...exchanged numbers and that was that. When my Dad came to pick me up that night, I told him what happened and the first thing he said was "if he's over 21...you're not going out with him!". HA! So that night when my husband called that was one of the first questions I asked him. Thankfully he was only 19...so that made life easy. =) We went out the next night and saw Terminator 2 and then the night after that we had our first real date to J.C. Hillary's Restaurant in Wayland, MA. And the rest is history!!!
This coming summer will be 17 years.
3. How long after you met did you start dating?
Immediately.
4. How long did you date before you were engaged?
about 4- almost 5 years - we got engaged in the spring of 1995.
5. How long was your engagement?
18 months.
6. How long have you been married?
This past October was 11 years.
7. What is your anniversary?
10/12/96
8. How many people came to your wedding reception?
210
9. What kind of cake did you serve?
It was a standard, tiered vanilla cake with raspberry filling. The top part of the cake was carrot cake. It was decorated beautifully...relatively traditionally with real sunflowers around the base.
10. Where was your wedding?
I wanted something big and traditional and just stunning. So here's where we got married!! These photos seem a little bleak...but they are OLD photos (obviously scanned in) and were taken during the off-season as there is no foliage to speak of. We had gorgeous light and foliage as it was early October.
The Lyman Estate, also known as The Vale, was built in 1793 by wealthy shipping magnate Theodore Lyman. Originally used as a summer home, the Federal-style mansion was designed by renowned Salem architect Samuel McIntire. The Estate remained in the Lyman family until 1952, when the five Lyman heirs donated it to the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, now known as Historic New England. The property is now a National Historic Landmark and is available for rental for weddings and private parties.11. What did you serve for the meal?
The house itself is huge but is broken up into many rooms. So with the number of people we invited we had to have stations set up all throughout the house. We had steak and swordfish skewers with roasted peppers, a pasta station with multiple different kinds of pasta and sauces, a gorgeous salad station, roasted veggies, an entire station with rolls, breads and toasts of different kinds, a good friend of mine made traditional Persian wedding rice (for all 210 guests). I honestly think there was more but for the life of me I cannot remember!! My husband and I didn't get to eat due to the immense number of people there. We just shmoozed all night long. Thankfully the awesome caterers packed us up a whole picnic late night dinner for us to enjoy at the hotel. We had the wedding cake but also a whole room dedicated to chocolate fondue with all kind of fresh and dried fruits for dessert.
12. How many people were in your bridal party?
6 on my side, 4 on my hubby's side. I had 3 of my sorority sisters, my sister in law, my oldest friend from elementary school, and a friend from high school. My husband had 3 friends from college plus my little brother...who was all of 14 at the time...and SO cute.13. Are you still friends with them all?
On my side - yes. On his side...sadly...no. (with the obvious exception of my brother) One of his friends from college married a woman who none of us clicked with (and that's putting it mildly) but despite all of our efforts to bring her into our 'group' she was resistant and it eventually led to a long and drawn out dissolving of the friendship. Kind of the same with one of the other friends...he moved back to upstate NY and we just all lost touch. His friend Mike is a vet on Long Island and while we aren't in touch as often as we'd like we are still friends.
14. Did your spouse cry during the ceremony?
No...it's just not his style.
15. Most special moment of your wedding day?
The entire day was very special. I can't say that any one is 'the' one. It was magical and wonderful and everything that I planned it to be!!
16. Any funny moments?
Nothing of real note. But my half-sister was very cute (she was 4 or 5 at the time) as our flower girl. She didn't quite get the concept of sprinkling the rose petals on the aisle and instead took giant handfuls out of the basket that she had and was throwing them in the laps of guests sitting in the aisle seats. Everyone cracked up.
17. Any big disasters?
Thankfully...no.
18. Where did you go on your honeymoon?
We went on a Caribbean cruise. It was amazing. St. Maarten, Martinique, Barbados, St. Thomas and Antigua.
19. How long were you gone?
One week.
20. If you were to do your wedding over, what would you change?
I don't think I would change anything...back then. But I was 23 and I had an idea of what a wedding should be. My image of what a wedding should be now is different. So if I were planning my wedding today...I would do something more intimate, less fussy and more serene. But don't get me wrong, I loved my wedding.
21. What side of the bed do you sleep on?
If you're in the bed...I'm on the left.
22. What size is your bed?
It's a California King - dark mahogany sleigh bed with chocolate brown leather headboard and footboard. My mattress is from Bloomingdales. I LOVE MY BED. And every night as I lay down I say "i love this bed".
23. Greatest strength as a couple?
Being able to communicate.
24. Greatest challenge as a couple?
Finances.
25. Who literally pays the bills?
NOT ME!!!
26. What is your song?
A good friend of ours wrote a song for us and played it at our wedding. It's called 'Nobody'.
There ain't nobody looks like you.
Your hair and your eyes and the curve of your thighs.
I know every inch like a mile.
I know every crack in your smile,
and every nuance of your style, yeah it's true.
There ain't nobody looks like you.
There ain't nobody has your taste.
Even from under the shroud I could pick you from a crowd.
And just one drop upon my tongue,
like an elixir, keeps me young,
and breeds inside of me a hunger that never never fades.
There ain't nobody has your taste.
Hard lines, steep roads, troubled times, heavy loads.
These are the things that can make your heart cold.
These are the things that can make you feel older
and leave you with nothing left to hold...
but I'll remember,
yeah I'll remember. ...
There ain't nobody smells the same way.
Like flowers from a brook on a crisp autumn day.
A scent from which no righteous hound would ever stray.
It's true, through and through,
that of the many and the few,
there ain't nobody like you. 27. What did you dance your first dance to?
See #26.
28. Describe your wedding dress.
Very much like the dress that Kimberly Williams wore in Father Of The Bride. Except not quite so...fussy. It was very early-mid 90's. No one was wearing strapless or halters or anything like that. I wish strapless had been in...I love strapless wedding gowns.
29. What kind of flowers did you have at your wedding?
Sunflower topiaries with tiger lilies and other fall colored flowers. They were GORGEOUS!!
30. Are your wedding bands engraved?
My husband's ring is engraved with the date. My bands are dotted with small diamonds so there is no room for engraving.Thanks Melissa!! This was SO fun!!
Now - I am going to tag - Nita, Kristyn and Joanne!!! Feel free to play along and if you don't want to that's ok!!!
I hope that everyone is having a creative Friday!!!
XOXOXO
1 comment:
Aww, that was a sweet one. I love the song your friend wrote, that actually made me a little weepy. Someone wrote a song for me when we were in college, but it was nothing like that! Thanks for sharing...
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