Another Hallowversary!

Two years ago today I married the most incredible man a girl could ever ask for. I was lucky enough to meet Vince just a few months after moving to Charleston. His sister and my sister lived in the same neighborhood and quickly became close friends. It was during his first nephews 1st birthday that we were introduced, however sparks did not fly during that hand shake. After about a year and half of both of us hearing from a few siblings that we should date, we eventually went on a date. However this was no ordinary date and when I say not ordinary I really mean, my mother was there! :) After a fun night playing trivia with our siblings and my mom, we went our separate ways but soon the emails and texting would emerge. And after what seemed like a whirlwind of flirtation and getting to know each other through late night phone calls, we were engaged, married and moving to New Orleans to start a new life together.

I remember our wedding day like it was yesterday. We chose Halloween because 1. We decided to have a short (VERY short engagement) and 2. All the venues we tried for were booked for every Saturday night for months.....so we opted to get married on a Sunday which happened to be Halloween! Lucky for me, Vince will never forget :) We were married outside on a terrace between two large barrels of wine at the Culinary Institute of America Greystone--in St. Helena, CA. Our wedding was not very traditional because we chose to make our reception a masquerade theme. All of our guests brought and wore masks during dinner. We didn't have dancing, just a long family style elegant dinner with large candelabras down the table. The decor was very dramatic with silk black and silver linens topped with burgundy flower arrangements. The room was the perfect ambiance for this type of reception. The room was lined with large barrels and very dark. The one thing we didn't have that most receptions do is dancing! Instead, we watched an amazing video that my dad created for Vince and I as well as a surprise game of Jeopardy to see how well we really knew each other. Most people were curious as to how well we knew each other being that we had only dated for 5 months and engaged for 2...and to their surprise we nailed it!
Now, most brides that I've ever witnessed are usually frantic, nervous, and a basket case on their big day, not me. On our wedding day, I remember sitting in my parents hotel room lounging around with a towel on my head and my father asking me "shouldn't you be freaking out right about now?" My response "about what?" I was lucky enough to have my sister-in-law Laura in charge of my makeup and my best friend Tianna creating my perfect wedding hair. Having them at my finger tips was the best! Even the morning of the wedding when we sent my dress to be cleaned, we found that it had come apart in certain places, yet I never even freaked once. I was just so ready to walk down the aisle and marry this man that not the hair, makeup, nor dress was going to stop me. And marry him I did.

I had no idea what my life would be like as a married woman and having been married for two years now, I wouldn't want my life any other way. Vince has brought so much life and adventure to my life, I couldn't ask for a better man. He's like a fine wine, just keeps getting better and better as the years go on. So today I cheers to you Vincent, my loving soul mate. I love you and thank God every night for putting you in my life.