I am perhaps that unusual woman who did not spend her childhood dreaming of her wedding. When I was little, I thought I’d like a gown as 
wide as the church aisle, all satin and with beads and sparkly doodads. And I’d have ten bridesmaids and a groom in a tux, and the church would be full of friends and family. Wow! Cinderella would have been envious.
Then I grew…and then I stopped growing. A five-foot-two bride doesn’t suit a heavy satin ball gown as wide as church aisles. And while I had a lot of friends, did I really have ten that I wanted to be bridesmaids? Probably not. Plus, we didn’t have a lot of money and weddings, whatever else you can say about them, can cost a lot of money. A friend once said, put the word “wedding” in front of anything and the cost jacks up 200%.
Maybe the thing that changed my mind about weddings most was Jack, the man (boy, at the time) of my dreams. He was practical. And not one for fancy ceremony or big crowds. I came
around to his way of thinking and each year we dated my wedding dreams became more conservative.
Add to that, we decided to get married and set the date for nine days from that decision. Nine days is not enough time for a big shindig. No one was very happy with that timing, but we put aside everyone else’s vision and had the wedding of our dreams, with close friends and family. I already had a dress, bought on sale for $75. We held the service in the chapel where Jack went to school, just after sunset. About 70 people attended. Chunky candles filled the chapel with the scent of magnolia. A neighbor played the organ and later, cake baked by local Mennonites was served along with apple cider 
at Jack’s parents’ house. We went camping for our honeymoon. The whole wedding, pictures and all, cost less than $500. And it couldn’t have been more perfect. For us.
I understand why other people want something totally different—I did myself for years. What I ended up with is a far cry from my little girl imaginings. But we grow and change, right? If we had do-over we’d go to Las Vegas and get married by Elvis. What fun those pictures would be to look back on!
It wasn’t formal or fancy, but I ended up with the wedding of my dreams. More importantly, I got the man and the marriage of my dreams. And he did wear a tux! What could be more perfect than that?
Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.
Dee
Only a Good Man Will Do: Seriously ambitious man seeks woman to encourage his goals, support his (hopeful) position as Headmaster of Westover Academy, and be purer than Caesar’s wife. Good luck with that!
Naval Maneuvers: When a woman requires an earth-shattering crush of pleasure to carry her away, she can’t do better than to call on the US Navy. Sorry, Marines!
LOL….did we get married at the same time?
My dress, bought at Lazarus, was $200. We had 50-70 people at our small wedding, and from the proposal to wedding was two weeks. My sister was my only attendant, and hubby’s Best Man was his best friend.
I also stated if I wanted to do it again, we’d do it with Elvis in Vegas! We’re definitely on the same wave length!
Molly! My twin sister in wedding plans! You bought a Lazarus wedding gown for $200!!!! I’m proud of you, woman! And I tell you, Jack wanted to elope from the very beginning, but I’m an only child so how could I do that? After nine days I was nervous enough to call it all off. Going to Vegas relieves so much pressure!
All I can say is, the two of us? We are brilliant!
It wasn’t a wedding gown; it was a white suit. Bought my shoes at Kenney’s; my pearl earrings at Claire’s matched the buttons on the suit jacket; and wore my grandmother’s double stranded pearl choker. When we went shopping for our wedding bands/engagement rings, I fell in love with the $500 diamond solitaire at Service Merchandise, but since he was currently only making minimum wage, and I was still looking, I could NOT see blowing 1/4 of his Federal Refund on a ring, so I settled for the $200 equivalent at Kohl’s. Was hoping by the 25th anniversary he’d buy me a ‘Past Present Future’ one, but no….still waiting for a ‘good’ ring from him!
Molly, it sounds perfect. And we didn’t buy an engagement ring at all. We did get wedding rings at a wholesale place, but while we had them off on a trucking run, I…lost them. Yes *hanging head*. And we never replaced them. Lots of people have asked why I don’t wear a wedding ring. I tell them the only two people I care about knowing I’m married KNOW I’m married. After seeing some of the manufactured diamonds, I don’t know why people don’t get them for engagement rings. They’re much cheaper and they’ve improved their looks so much. I recently heard an ad that recommended spending three months salary on the engagement ring. Yikes!!
nice post. It is interesting to learn how many girls didn’t dream of weddings as a child or who changed the dream when they became an adult. My wedding wasn’t nine days, but a few months. And in a base chapel.
Ah, a military bride! Thanks for your service–as the service member of family. Both are hard jobs!
It’s wonderful that you had the wedding you wanted. That alone gives fond memories for decades to come.
Funny–you’re the second blogger today to mention going to Vegas to be married by an Elvis impersonator.
There’s a lot to be said for disregarding the strictures of the wedding industry and just going your own way. Sounds like you and your groom had a marvelous time.
We did have a great time, Sadira. And no one was bogged down with debt afterward. But then, from librarian to trucker to self-employed computer consultant to…more, we’ve always kind of gone our own way. It’s made life interesting!
Large or small, it’s important to have the wedding you want instead of what other people think you should have. The more I read these blogs, the more I realize that I’m not the only one who isn’t into large, impersonal celebrations. There’s a lot to be said for small and intimate.
Kate, couldn’t agree more! Thanks for commenting.