My Virtual Wedding

I got married last weekend… in a virtual wedding. Since we are all tired of bad news all the time, I thought I’d share my good news. Everyone needs a reason to smile these days…

As dictated by today’s pandemic rules, there were a mere 10 people in attendance. We belong to a large church with sophisticated technology options. Consequently, we were able to have our nuptials live-streamed. Family and friends were able to “tune in.” Our pastor’s message was awesome, so not having a live audience didn’t impact his ability to impart words of wisdom. But still… a virtual wedding is a far cry from taking vows with friends and family looking on.

This was my second marriage, and also a second for Alan. We had planned on around 100 people in attendance. Many thwarted couples have opted to reschedule for this fall or even next year. Initially, we moved our date to June 6th. When it became apparent that June was not going to be far enough out, we set our sights for August 22nd. However, we soon realized the impact that not being legally married would have on our plans.

The Name Change Challenge

In two weeks, we will be moving to Colorado. We will need new driver’s licenses. As I write this, we are pulling our new-to-us 5th wheel to Arizona. We need to register the “fiver” in our married names. Yesterday, we signed a voluminous amount of documents that activated a newly formed trust in our married names. We needed to retitle all of our assets in our married names and place them in the new trust. We finally realized a virtual wedding was our best option.

As of now, we are hoping for a “renewal of vows” ceremony on our August date. Most of our family and friends thought that would be I Do, Take Two. But in reality, it will be You and Me, Take Three!

Aruba Nuptials

Alan and I have been together for over 2 years. We knew within the first week that it would be forever. However, at the time, l had some legal constraints on getting remarried. Undeterred, we were unofficially married on January 27, 2019, on a beach in Aruba. That was a covenant between us and God.

We had already done the private and intimate wedding vow thing. We were disappointed that friends and family could not witness our legal vows. One thing is for sure… no one can doubt our commitment to each other!

Some might say that we should just have our reception at a later date. But I want the photographer to whom I have already paid a deposit to document our special day. I want my daughter and my best friend to sing the two songs we chose that so describe our relationship. I want to leave the altar and see the smiles on the faces of my friends and family.

Sixty-five years and no goodbye…

As frustrating for us as this has been, I really feel worse for the younger, first-time brides. Even more so, I feel sorry for families not able to have funerals for their loved ones. Recently, our pastor spoke about a couple that had been married for 65 years. He was in a nursing home, even prior to COVID-19 times. She would visit him and wave through the window. The last time she saw him alert, he blew her kisses. He died, and she was unable to be with him. That is a far greater tragedy than my altered wedding plans. As Alan and I embark upon our married lives, we can’t imagine how difficult that must have been for that couple.

Ten days before we were married, Alan retired. We have many, many exciting plans for our future. In the summer, we will be riding in the Rocky Mountains, and I will blog about our adventures. We will spend winters riding in Arizona and hopefully avoiding snakes. I will blog about our adventures! This fall, we have about 6 weeks of horse camp reservations made for watching the leaves turn colors in the Ozarks and national forests of the Midwest. I will tell you my favorite trails and facilities!

Our horses haven’t been ridden much this past few weeks as we have had so much to do. They are getting shoes put on next week, in preparation for the rocky Rockies. Are you starting to get out and enjoy this spring weather? Are parks in your area opening up?

Stay safe, and hang in there!