Being nostalgic...our engagement & wedding!

A dear friend of mine (I met online @ Just Mommies) who lives in Australia, just announced she is getting married. I am so happy for Miranda as she deserves this so much. Her announcement really brought me back to our wedding preparations & ceremony. I know I probably don't tell Todd quite enough how much he means to me. How much I love him for being who he is & how much I believe in him. He is my Superman.

So, rather than talk about the kids today, I am going to reminisce a bit. I remember very clearly the moment he asked me to marry him. He was very insistent on going to a nice restaurant on his birthday that year. I didn't understand why & told him that I didn't have much money so he offered to pay (what he didn't know was that I was throwing a MASSIVE surprise b-day party the following Saturday). We got all dressed up for the occasion, at his request.

This picture was taken by Jeff right before we left for dinner.


We went to eat at a really cool restaurant that is on top of a hotel & spins around so you get a view of the city. It is really cool! Todd kept asking me through dinner what direction the house was. All the sudden he "lost a contact" & was on the floor searching for it. Me, well...I was turning bright red w/ embarrassment seeing my honey crawling on the floor. I kept telling him to hurry up.

Then it happened. He grabbed my hand, recited a poem he has written & memorized, asking me to marry him. I couldn't believe it! On HIS birthday?!? I remember his last lines...

"If you say yes to this question, this day will no longer be just about me. It will forever be about us."

He was giving up HIS birthday to share it WITH ME! I loved this man & knew in my heart that we would be together forever. I still love & adore him, some days more than others (wink, wink). What followed was a whirl wind planning of a backyard wedding. We wanted to start our lives in our house. With only 3 months to plan, there was no time to waste.

I went dress shopping the next day, hoping to find a pretty but casual gown to get married to my sweetie in. Something that was sexy yet simple. After many dresses, my soon-to-be MIL told me to try this dress both of us had been looking at since we walked in the door. It was the total OPPOSITE of what I was looking for...a completely frilly, girly-girl dress meant for a church. SOOOO NOT A BACKYARD DRESS!

The moment I put it on, the tears started pouring down my cheeks. No longer was I getting married in a simple, sexy dress. Screw it! This was THE DRESS & worth every penny over the budget I was going to spend on it. I called my mom right away & she came to the bridal store. As did I, she began to cry the moment she saw me in it.



This changed the feeling of the backyard wedding & we decided to do an Argentinian/Italian style wine wedding. We put a tent in the back & decorated it to the hilt. Everything was done by family. No one was paid a dime to come to set anything up except for the tent. That is the way WE wanted it. It was about US putting OURSELVES in to the wedding in EVERY aspect from the invitations (that we made by hand) to the wine bottles & labels that we used for center pieces.

An example of our handy work that everyone pitched in to do was the decorating of the tent.



Our wedding was truly a family affair, in every aspect. I even made all the bouquets, boutonnieres, & corsages for the wedding party, parents, & special guests. It was truly a night to remember. I think the best comment from a guest was the following...

"I was thinking 'backyard' wedding. You know...casual BUT this is like a fairytale. I didn't expect it to be so beautiful."

That pretty much describes our relationship as well. It looks casual to outsiders but it is truly a fairytale in love.

The beautiful cake table & our decorations.


The perfect cake! Yes, it says TNA which is our initials combined. YES...we know it stands for something else but this is who we are & our humor!


Me waiting to go down the isle! I wasn't nervous or scared, just anxious! I wanted Todd to see me & I wanted to see Todd.


The handsome groom! I <3 him!


I absolutely LOVE this picture. We both look so happy!


Another beautiful shot of us together.


Having just been announced to all our guests as husband & wife!


My brother, Ian, & my best friend, Stacey.


Us holding our signed certificate of marriage!


My grandmothers, Oma & Mamama.


The inlaws, Donna & Bill clan as well as David & Jeff (Todd's best friends), and Aiden.


All my family!


So, a little history. A little walk down memory lane. We have been through so much in the past 4 years that everything has made us that much stronger. I LOVE YOU TODD!