I got married last Saturday, May 2nd.

I didn’t think, after 7 years of dating and 6 1/2 years of living together, that much would change. But I was so unbelievably happy to finally be marrying him that I haven’t stopped smiling since. I have a light, content feeling in my heart (complete with little butterflies in the stomach) and I feel like a silly little girl who just started dating this cute boy. There’s undeniably a new level of closeness, now that we’re married. I haven’t quite adjusted to friends and family teasingly calling me, “Mrs.” but there’s that warm feeling when he slips his newly adorned hand into mine and says, “I want to take a walk with my wife.”

The wedding was absolutely perfect. The day before, not so much (I would never recommend moving the day before your wedding), but the day of was beautiful and nothing else mattered. I cried a lot, I smiled more. I was reminded why I chose this person to be my partner for the rest of my life. There was dancing with groups of friends and family and there were intimate moments with individuals who have been by my side for most of, if not my whole, life. We wrote our own vows and they couldn’t have been more perfect in expressing the mutual respect and adoration we have for each other. We’ve been through a lot together and taking this step felt like a reward for staying so devoted to each other through it all. It truly was a celebration.

My dad probably managed to make me cry the most, when during our father/daughter dance to a song he wrote for me, he said that the most he could ever hope for for any of his children is that they find what Sean and I have in each other.

It reminded me that, as I said in my vows, I know that what we have is not guaranteed. So I am eternally grateful that in a world of 7 billion people, we found each other.

Photo by: Kyna Damewood and Mindi Harkless