Wedding Day!

(Still written in November)

Miles & I got married on Monday, October 27, 2008. We'd originally picked a spot in Tilden Park, along a Jewel Lake trail. It was this pretty little, long, narrow wooden-deck walkway that led through a tangle of bushes and greenery. We went there once during summertime, and it was charming and we loved it but it wasn't suitable for the wedding we were planning for next April. But all of the sudden, we were now planning an intimate 10-person wedding and the spot was perfect. We re-visited the spot with my mom a week before, and we were all underwhelmed. It wasn't green anymore, and the brush had been cut around the walkway. It just wasn't as pretty as before. We found another underwhelming spot next to Jewel Lake. And we left that day feeling a little disappointed, but still alright with our choice.

We re-re-visited the park on Sunday before the wedding with both my mom and dad. Miles and I weren't too impressed with the Botanic Garden one time before. But Miles had the brilliant idea of checking the Garden that Sunday, and we found multiple perfect spots! We must have completely missed that left side of the Garden before. We settled on a grove of bare aspens, and picked a couple of backups. But then we learned that we needed a permit for a Garden wedding, and I was scared we wouldn't be able to do it so last-minute.

The next morning, I called first thing in the morning and finally reached a helpful lady who told us she couldn't get a hold of the park planner to get a permit, but said we should go ahead and do the wedding wherever we wanted anyways!

We all met in Tilden Park at 2 pm. Our wedding party was: my mom, my dad, my brother, his GF, Miles' dad, Miles' brother, his wife, their two awesome kids (ages 5 and almost 3), and grandmother. A total of 12 people, including the bride and groom! We had the people we loved the most, and I was so thrilled! The only outsider was the photographer I hired last minute based on 27 five-star reviews on Yelp. Once she showed up, we all headed to our spot in the Garden. Other than a lone gardener, we didn't see a single soul the whole time. It was perfect! It was a cloudy day, which was kind of a bummer since we'd just had 2 straight weeks of gorgeous weather... but I wasn't going to let a little thing like that bring me down!

Since our wedding was so last-minute without time to plan, we were stoked to learn that in California any person can pay a fee and become a one-time marriage deputy commissioner. It was great! We didn't have to waste time looking for a last-minute officiant AND we got to have one of our loved ones marry us! The Alameda County Clerk-Recorder's office was kind enough to squeeze us in. But we had no choice of the exact time/date in a 2-day window, so out of all our loved ones my brother had the most flexible schedule, and so he happily went to get deputized.

So back to the wedding... Miles, my brother and I got in position for the ceremony. Stella looked so adorable in her little blue dress, and she threw rose petals on the ground by our feet. I gave my vows first. I was crying before I even began, and I completely blanked on the rough notes I'd written down, so I just spoke to Miles from my heart (which is what we planned on anyhow, rather than writing scripted vows). Then came Miles' vows (which were wonderful), and about two sentences in I suddenly noticed the sun beaming down on us for the first time all day! You know how people talk about "peak experiences"? That was the #1 peak experience of my life. Miles was telling me how much he loved me, we were surrounded by our beloved families, and the sun was emerging to shine down on our love. It sounds so dorky saying it like that, but that was the best single moment of my life. :)

Then all in a tearful rush, my brother was telling us we were married, Miles and I had our first married kiss, and everyone was snapping photos... but all I felt was my wonderful HUSBAND's forehead pressed against mine & all I could see were his proud eyes looking back at mine with love. It was T H E B E S T ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Then took a ton of photos around the Botanic Garden. That was fun. I can't wait to see the photos! After photos, we went to the big meadow right next to the Garden, spread some blankets, and had a picnic! It was the most super-duper wonderful bestest day ever. I wouldn't have changed a thing!

And here we are, the newly married couple!