Chapter 32: 'Behind The Scenes' of Our Wedding [+video]

--> Garter falling down at the altar, the "scare" of 1/2 of our guests possibly not getting into our reception, DIY centerpieces for under $5, chickening out when it came to reciting my personal vows, planning a "destination wedding" in only 4 months, taking a ballroom dance lesson, our church being under construction.... For chapter 32, here are 32 FACTS you may not have known about our wedding!

My husband & I just celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary last week on Sunday, July 7th :) We spent the weekend at Disney World & relived our special day by watching our 10min Extended Same-Day-Edit video highlight [posted below], which is like a movie trailer of our wedding day! After 1yr of marriage, you know something I noticed? You know you're still a newlywed when you find yourself always referring to your spouse as your "husband [or wife]" & pretty much stop using their first name when talking about them =P Any way, our wedding anniversary made me think about how much goes into planning a wedding & just how much "behind the scenes" things your guests probably didn't know! I tried to organize my 32 facts in "order" as best I could, so enjoy reading! Some things might shock you! :P

EXTENDED Same-Day-Edit Wedding Video Highlight

Video credit: Major Diamond Productions

1. Preparing for our "First Dance"!

We decided to take a ballroom dance lesson so we wouldn't be awkwardly slow dancing just in the center of the dance floor because we wanted to use the whole dance floor. We would've loved to take more than one dance lesson because we enjoy that sort of thing. We're the odd balls in our families because we don't follow/enjoy sports as much as everyone else does. We're the kind of couple that would rather do something active like take dance lessons, go camping, scuba diving, rock climbing, or snowboarding etc... than sit & watch a game of football/baseball/basketball/soccer/hockey etc... [don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good game, but only once in a while]. Taking more dance lessons was a luxury we didn't have, being a long distance relationship couple. Although we learned a lot from our lesson & practiced whenever we could the week leading up to our wedding, our first dance still ended up looking a little awkward at times because of my nervous groom. Hehe! However, he made it up to me when we had the dance floor all to ourselves while aboard a Hornblower Cruise in San Francisco [a gift from his auntie & uncle]. The DJ gave us a special shout out for our honeymoon. The dance was perfect, I didn't get stepped on even once [lol], & I ended up crying afterwards because I was so emotional. It was a beautiful experience & our honeymoon deserves a blog post of it's own because there's so much to say!

2. Our Catholic Engaged Encounter!

As part of a requirement to getting married in the Catholic church, we had to attend a weekend retreat with a group of other engaged couples. It was an amazing experience! There were a lot of fun & deep activities. We learned more about each other, grew closer in faith, listened to great lectures from married couples, & wrote a special prayer for each other. I won't say too much about the Catholic Engaged Encounter because I don't want to ruin some of the surprises for others who may be attending one of these weekend retreats in the future, but I WILL say that it was definitely a wonderful experience. I recommend every engaged couple go to this weekend retreat [you don't need to be Catholic, either!] or something like it! We found out they have Catholic Marriage Encounter weekend retreats too & we plan to go to one for one of our milestone anniversaries someday :)

3. Pre-Wedding Party!

When my husband flew to CA for leave Feb. 2012 so we could take care of wedding things [engagement photos, ballroom dance lesson, catholic engaged encounter, etc..] we decided to have an engagement/pre-wedding party for some friends of ours in Southern California who we knew wouldn't be able to attend our actual wedding in Northern California. We had a lot of fun & one of our favorite gifts was a watercolor painting a friend made of us using one of our pictures from my husband's homecoming in November 2011 :)

4. Our PG-13 Bachelorette & Bachelor Parties!

My husband & I weren't interested in the "typical" gentlemen's club & male stripper type of party for ourselves. Good thing our families & friends respected our wishes! My husband had a fun night on the town sightseeing in San Francisco, while I enjoyed a fun scavenger hunt night in Hollywood & received a great surprise with getting to watch my 1st Cirque Du Soleil [Iris] show!

5. Wedding planning on a budget!

My husband & I wanted to be able to pay for our wedding ourselves without the help of our families, but that just meant that we were on a strict budget. We didn't want to start off our married life together flooded in debt. However, this meant that there were a lot of sacrifices to be made because we couldn't afford to get everything we wanted [such as centerpieces, vintage decorations, disposable cameras at the tables for guests to take pictures, a little mailbox for "marriage advice", reception venue, & other little details]... but after spending 5 years apart [& 2yrs of them engaged], we weren't about to wait any longer to get married just so we could afford luxury things! We just wanted to get married already & start our lives together! At that point we didn't care too much about all of the little details anymore.

6. Time is money! 

Since I was planning a NorCal wedding from SoCal, it was considered a destination wedding & I had only 4 months to plan it [without a professional wedding planner]! In order to secure our venues & wedding date, we had to put down deposits even before my husband's leave was approved. Needless to say, I was super stressed! We didn't even meet any of our vendors until a week before the wedding [at the earliest] to the day of our wedding.

7. 150+ guests isn't a lot!? Not for us!

My husband & I both come from big families. I alone am #6 out of 17 grandchildren on my dad's side & 1 out of 13 grandchildren on my mom's side. We didn't want to exclude any of our family & friends because we wanted to be surrounded by all our loved ones on our special day. The majority of my relatives live in Hawaii so a lot of them weren't able to make it & quite a few of my friends couldn't make it either [which makes me happy we had that pre-wedding party!]. A lot of my husband's family & friends couldn't make it as well. We would've loved to have them all there, but it ended up being a blessing in disguise, because I don't know how we would've been able to afford that many guests! =X It's crazy to think that those who attended our wedding didn't even amount to half of our family & friends! Because so many people couldn't make it [including my grandpa on my dad's side because he got really sick a few weeks before my wedding], it made having our videographer's 'same-day-edit' & 'extended same-day-edit' video highlight of our wedding posted online even more important & special to us. We were still able to share our special day with those who weren't able to attend our wedding & we had been told that it meant a lot to them to be able to watch those videos.

8. Where to have the reception?!

Our reception wasn't held at the venue we originally wanted, but we have no regrets about it! Our wedding date was available at the 1st venue we wanted, but if we booked it, we would not have been able to afford the photographer & videographer that we wanted. The 1st venue we wanted was a full service venue & would've costed the same price even though we weren't having our ceremony there. Every couple has different priorities for their wedding. Some people spend more money for the perfect dress, the perfect venue, the perfect decorations, etc... For us, it was more important to have the perfect people to capture our special day. They capture the memories for you to re-watch & look at for years to come. That was something we weren't willing to sacrifice & after seeing the final products of our photographs & wedding DVD, I'm so happy with the choices we made :) The venue we booked was 3X cheaper than the one we originally planned to book, so it allowed us to be able to afford more things that we wanted!

9. Say Cheese!

I had such a difficult time finding a photographer because I had a very particular style I wanted. Our photographer [Onelove Photography] was originally booked when I first inquired because I contacted them 3 months before our wedding & they usually get booked 8-14 months in advance. Popular! However, they ended up contacting me again a few days after my initial inquiry & I discovered they were able to accommodate me after all! We really lucked out!

10. Hollywood worthy videographers!

After seeing our videographers [Major Diamond Productions] work on my cousin/MC's wedding the year before, I KNEW I wanted to book them for my own wedding! They've received "The Knot Best of Weddings" award 3yrs in a row [for wedding site theknot.com], so they are a big catch! When I contacted them, they already had 6 other couples inquiring for our same date, but I got lucky & locked them in!

11. We need music!

Finding a DJ is difficult because you don't really find many reviews on them. How do you review a DJ when every bride & groom has different taste in music? Luckily my cousin [who was also our MC] had a friend who was a DJ! We booked him 2 weeks before our wedding & didn't meet up with him until about 1 week before our wedding. Talk about cutting it close! He did an AMAZING job. He played music that appealed to both older & younger generations. Our guests of all ages were on the dance floor & it was so nice to see everyone having fun :) He even played oldies music that we requested, such as "Chances Are" by Johnny Mathis!

12. Hair & Make-Up Please!

Talking about 'cutting it close', if you think the last minute vendor stories I wrote about so far are bad enough, get this... I didn't hire a hair & make-up artist until the day before my wedding! Luckily my sister/MOH's friend put me in contact with the person she used for her wedding a few years ago!

13. Bring on the flowers!

Our florist was a friend of my family who I've known since I was a kid. He did an amazing job! He also worked privately with my husband because my husband wanted to put together a secret boutique for me. Years ago my husband researched a bunch of flower & colors & picked them out based on their meanings. He wanted to create this special bouquet for me. Unfortunately, not all of the flowers he wanted to use were in season, but my surprise bouquet was still so special & beautiful!

14. "Did you know that the church is under construction?"

The church is really beautiful underneath all
of this tarp, I promise! ;P

WHAT?!!! That's a question that my friend asked me when he drove by the church my husband & I were to be married in. I asked him if he could text me a picture of what the church looked like, & low & behold! There was a HUGE black tarp over the church with scaffolding everywhere. I found this out about a week before our wedding. Needless to say, I was pretty shocked! I had no idea the church was undergoing outside construction! That was a big let down because I wanted to take nice pictures in front of our church, but it wasn't that big of a deal. We weren't going to let that ruin our special day. After calling the church we were assured that the inside was still beautiful & what mattered most was getting married to the love of my life in our hometown & the church we both went to. We knew we'd still be in God's presence no matter what the church looked like on the outside. We ended up joking about it later: "We should tell guests that if they get lost on the way to the ceremony, they should just look for the big building with the big black tarp over it & they'll be sure to find the church!" :P Lol! 

15. My Memorial Bracelet for Cpl. Jerry Owen Emerine!

I have a leather memorial bracelet that I bought when I was 19—just before my 20th birthday. This soldier was from my hometown & died at the age of 19 in the Vietnam war. There are many memorial bracelets I could've chose, but I decided to wear his name because he was from my hometown & [at the time of purchase] I was the age that he died at. I felt that in a way, by me purchasing the bracelet before my 20th birthday [since he didn't make it to his 20th birthday], I'd be able to bring him along & live the sort of life he didn't get the chance to. A lot of people told me that the bracelet wasn't really nice 'wedding jewelry' but I refused to take it off. It's very important to me. Freedom isn't free. I wear it as a reminder to live a full & happy life for all of the fallen whose lives were cut short. The bracelet is my way of honoring them. Our videographers explained my story in their blog [click here]. 

16. Something old & something borrowed!

For my 'something old' I wore my vintage WWII Navy locket that holds a black & white picture of me & my husband when he came home from deployment in November 2011. I wore my mom's pearl earrings as my 'something borrowed' :)

17. Our church ceremony!

We had a traditional Catholic & Filipino wedding. My husband picked all of the readings for the ceremony & that was really special to me. We got married at the church that we both grew up in. My husband was baptized there & we both had our 1st communion there :)

18. Keeping it traditional!

As much as we wanted to kiss each other on the morning of our wedding day, we decided to wait to see each other until our ceremony. Because of this decision, the video clip [time frame 03:14—03:32] of my husband staring at me & smiling as I walked down the aisle is very special to me. The pictures we took at our elementary school happened after our ceremony & before heading to our reception.

19. Chickening out with my vows!

My husband & I wrote personal vows that we wanted to share with each other on our wedding day at our ceremony. However, when the time came to share them, I chickened out! I was too emotional to do it. Part of me regrets not reading them at our ceremony, but I love the way were shared them with each other later. After our honeymoon we went on an annual camping trip with my family/relatives at Big Sur. Before my husband had to leave for his flight back to Florida, we read our vows to each other privately. It was a beautiful moment we shared with just the two of us & it left me even more anxious to see him in a few days when I would follow him & move to Florida!

20. My garter fell at the altar!

While walking back from lighting our unity candle, I noticed one of my garters slowly started falling down my leg until I was dragging it with my heel! :P I couldn't stop laughing & I think I still managed to look like I was walking normally! Once we made it back to the front of the altar, I whispered, "my garter fell!" to my sister/MOH, while stifling giggles. She responded with, "do you want me to get it?!" After I nodded yes, in a very quick & sly motion, I lifted up my dress & she grabbed the garter from my heel & held it bunched up in her hand—hidden by her bouquet. Lol. SAVED BY THE MAID OF HONOR! Haha :D Thanks sister!
[NOTE TO BRIDES: Don't place your garter too low on your thigh! It may very well fall down like mine did!]

21. Custom garters!

Speaking of my garter falling down.... I purchased my custom garters [my 'something blue'] from Creative Garters on Facebook. She was one of the first people/fellow small business owners to befriend me when I started my jewelry business, With love, Darlene. in October 2011 to help save up for our wedding. The garters material is the Navy digital camouflage uniform [NWU's]. 

22. 3 promise rings!

Our promise rings

My promise ring

My husband & I exchanged promise rings while attending the Navy Day Ball in 2009. The engraving on the inside of his ring said, "UNTIL WE SAY I DO...". Aside from the diamond promise ring I received from him, I ended up getting a promise ring for myself after we got engaged. I followed a personal program through 'The Silver Ring Thing' [CLICK HERE to learn more], which is centered around the idea that "True Love Waits". I gave the ring to my husband on our wedding day right before we exchanged vows & wedding rings. [Note: To read more about this, click here for my old blog post 'Chapter 19: 7 Ways I've Changed [PDA, faith, style, & more...]']

23. Reception scare!

There was a possibility that 1/2 of our guests wouldn't make it into the reception! Our reception was held in the Delta Breeze ballroom at the Travis Air Force Base—Fairfield, CA, which means extra security measures are required to get on base if you aren't military. RSVPing to our wedding was a little complicated. Not only did guests have to confirm they were attending & choose a meal, but they ALSO had to send us an e-mail with their FULL name as listed on their photo I.D. & their DOB for all guests ages 12 & older. When we met with the on-base coordinator 4 days before our wedding, we were told by the gate guards that we should've submitted our guest list the day BEFORE since 3 business days are needed for guest lists to clear & holidays [July 4th] don't count...  My stomach almost fell out of my butt during this commotion! It wasn't our fault the meeting wasn't scheduled earlier =/ Luckily the coordinator pulled some strings with the gate guards & they accepted our list—with conditions. They may not have time to clear the entire list =X Also, what about the people who DIDN'T RSVP correctly in the first place?! Well, luckily Robert's cousin worked on base & one of my best gal friends is a Marine wife! Here was the plan... they had to RUSH to the base right after our church ceremony & wait at the gate to help some of our guests get through for our reception. Everyone made it through thanks to them & we are FOREVER grateful for what they did for us & so blessed to have them!

24. Dancing Feet!

My auntie & uncle performed a special romantic dance number for us at our reception! We hope to be able to dance as good as them someday!

25. A surprise song for my groom!

I wrote & sang a song for my husband during our reception. One of my best gal friends accompanied me on guitar & we had only practiced the song ONCE. She came over to my apartment, I sang the song to her, she listened, figured out the chords, recorded me singing the full song, then e-mailed me the guitar instrumental for me to practice to. We didn't even practice before the wedding because there was no time or way to do it w/o ruining the surprise. However, my friend is a pro & everything turned out perfect come "showtime" ;)  The way we planned the surprise was really funny! My cousin was our MC & we decided to bring two chairs to the center of the dance floor & say there was something special planned for the BOTH of us. He improvised the entire thing. He said something like, "there's a special guest that's going to sing something for you guys [act's like he's looking in the hallway]... is she back there? Is she ready?...." My husband was looking in the hallway trying to figure out who it was! That was when I slowly stood up, he introduced ME as the singer & then I grabbed the mic :) My husband was confused thinking the special guest was my best gal friend Shanica because she's a singer too. My husband said to me later, "I didn't know who your cousin was talking about! I was like, Shanica was sitting right there with her guitar?! Who is in the hallway?". Lol. I'm glad the surprise worked out :)

Darlene's Surprise Song For Robert

Video credit: Major Diamond Productions

26. DIY centerpieces under $5!

This isn't a very good photo because it's
from the side angle, but you get the picture!

I found the perfect centerpieces, but when I discovered that it cost over $30 to rent [not even own], it was no longer an option for me. Thank God for the Dollar Tree, a crafty mom, & a resourceful older sister/Maid of Honor & her boyfriend! :) My mom & I drove to at least 5 different Dollar Tree stores to get enough of the supplies we needed. I really loved the look of manzanita trees [I love trees & birds] but they were so expensive to buy. After sharing this dilemma with my family, my eldest sister & her boyfriend told me that they could cut off some manzanita tree branches from a place they knew of in San Diego where they lived! I was beaming with excitement! They brought the branches to my parents house, we picked off the leaves, & then we hung them to dry in the backyard. My mom, sister, & her bf are HEROS in my eyes! Also, my family & my husband's family were awesome for decorating our reception for us the morning of our wedding & still making it to our ceremony in time!

27. 'Paradise Falls' inspired by the Disney movie UP!

Unfortunately, this little detail of our wedding was lost on our guests. We took an UP! inspired/balloon engagement photo so we wanted to incorporate that into our wedding. You had to have seen the movie to understand the connection of the jar w/money inside of it & someone forgot to pick up the balloons that were supposed to be attached to the jar :P I also didn't have time to make the label that I wanted to make, so my mom made this little card that ended up covering the jar so that you couldn't really see it. Lol. Thanks anyway, mom!

28. The Perfect Match!

I've been collecting matchboxes ever since I was a kid because I always thought they were cool. When I heard of the pun, 'the perfect match', I thought it was... well... perfect! My mom & I made these all by ourselves as favors for our guests & the backside reads, "Thank you for sharing our special day with us!"

29. Our Alternative Guestbook!

Not everyone signed it yet when this picture was taken,
 but you get the idea!

I love this because it matched our wedding invitations & fit in perfectly with our birds/trees theme! I also love it because it's not your typical 'guestbook' that sits on a shelf or in a drawer, because this is something you can frame & use as home decor! Too bad not everyone read the directions of only writing their name INSIDE of the leaves :P

30. Let them eat cake!

We use the Mr & Mrs bird toppers as
part of our home decor :) We stuck them
inside of the white birdcage we used as a
wedding gifts/card holder on our wedding day.

Our wedding cake was made by my husband's auntie & uncle! They gave it to us as a gift & designed it based on our wedding invitations. We picked one of the flavors of the tiers & the other 2 were a surprise! We got to try the yummy red velvet cake, but we were running around so much during our reception that we never got to fully enjoy all of the cake & the different flavors! We heard rave reviews of it though :)

31. Photobooth Fun!

My husband & I only got to use the photobooth together once, but we'll cherish this photostrip & we're so glad that our family & friends got to take a lot of pictures in it! The scrapbook we received from the company [NorCal Photobooths] at the end of the night with our family/friends' duplicate photostrips & messages, is a wonderful keepsake! We later received a CD with all of the photostrips & individual photos!

32. Wardrobe change!

Time frame 9:37—9:47

One of my old childhood friends

I changed into a second dress just minutes before we left for our honeymoon because I forgot that I wanted to change into it at the reception! Robert also forgot his change of clothes in one of his groomsmen's car, so he had to improvise. We don't have any professional pictures of this because our photographers had already left, but you can see a clip of our outfits while we were walking to our car [Time frame 9:37—9:47] in our video posted above.

* * * * * * * 

After reminiscing about everything I went through with wedding planning, sometimes I don't know how I did it! I certainly couldn't have done it without the help of my family & husband! There are a lot of things I wish I would have done differently had I had the time & more money, but I still love the way it all turned out in then end & there's always the Renewal of Vows that we plan to do in the future! :)

Chapter 31: "2013 Creative Pay It Forward" [& the power of kind words/gestures]

I've said this before & I'll say it again... If you have something nice to say about someone, always tell them. Don't hold it in. Never hold back a compliment or kind word. It could make their day & may mean a great deal to someone. With that said, this is what had me crying happy tears on a Wednesday afternoon:

"...but one undeniable stepping stone in her journey through life was meeting a wonderful spirit named Darlene. I think your husband would understand and agree that you possess the innate, magical quality to encounter people and leave an impression of joy and love on their heart.  We haven't had a conversation in years, but that didn't stop me from being encouraged by what you offer this world: hope, persistence, endurance, appreciation for the good things in life, grace for the bad, and sincerity that restores anyone's faith in humanity...."

That was just part of a letter I received in the mail today [you can read the full letter below] from an old friend I haven't really spoken to in years... I have a pretty good memory, but sometimes it's good to be forgetful... Why? Well you see, my husband & I forgot to check the mail last week before we left for Disney World. It wasn't until today that we went to pick it up & received an anniversary card/gift from my parents [thanks mom & dad!] & to my surprise, a letter from that old friend I was talking about. I was pleasantly surprised [& confused] to receive a letter from Christine. It wasn't until I turned over the envelope & read "Cheers to Creative 2013—Pay it Forward!" that the light bulb clicked! Earlier this year she re-posted a status update that was trending & anyone who wanted a surprise [letter, book, gift, anything...] had to leave a comment & then copy/paste the status update on their Facebook offering the same thing to their friends. The rules said to do it for 5 people, but I chose to do it for 12 people as a way to guarantee I would be doing a random act of kindness at least once a month. I remembered the people I was doing the "2013 Creative Pay It Forward" for, but for some reason I completely forgot that someone else was doing one for me! How I could have forgotten? I have no clue, but I'm glad I did, because this was such a nice surprise!

As I read the letter out loud to my husband, I started getting really emotional. It wasn't long before her words touched my heart & had me crying so much that I had to take a break from reading the letter because I was just too overwhelmed by all of the kind things she had to say. As if the letter wasn't enough of a gift already, she also included 2 movie tickets for me & my husband! She even looked up the nearest AMC movie theaters to us. How thoughtful is she?! So sweet! :)

I love that "snail mail" sticker! SO CUTE!

Receiving this letter & gift from Christine only furthered my belief in the saying that, "God put's people into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime." & each of those people serve a purpose in your life. They help shape & mold you in ways that you probably don't even realize. Every good & bad experience you have helps build character. I'm so grateful for all of the people I've crossed paths with in my life so far & I look forward to coming across all of the other interesting people I haven't met yet!

Getting this letter reminded me of a Facebook post I wrote this past March while working at my [now old] job. I ended it with a question that I still wonder about to this day. Here was my old Facebook post:

"...Since I started working at my job I've had 4 strangers ask if I am/was a dancer because they could tell by the way I walk/present myself. Now today I got asked if I am/was a model. When I said yes, she replied with, "I knew it! My sister said you should be a model & I said that you probably already are or were". It's definitely always nice to hear that I carry myself well, because sometimes I don't feel like I do. I'm also going to start BELIEVING my husband when he says he loves how graceful I am & the way I walk/move, instead of replying with, "You're just saying that because I'm your wife". Why is it that we accept compliments from strangers more willingly than compliments from friends & family?"

What do you think? Does anyone have any answers? Leave a comment below if you do!

Chapter 30: This is why I WRITE [& take photographs/videos] & this is why I SHARE

Corfu, Greece—Summer 2011

I write to remember.

I share to motivate. To encourage. To inspire. To love.

Ever since I was a little girl, I've always enjoyed 'documenting' moments. I'd write in a journal, take photos, or record myself talking about my day in one of those mini tape recorders that actually required tape [not the digital ones]. I would label the tapes 'Darlene's World'. I know... not very unique, but you get the point. My sister's would joke, "you look like an Asian tourist!" during family events/vacations when I'd whip out all my gadgets & gizmos of plenty! iPhone, Polaroid, Flip camcorder, DSLR camera... I have at least 2 on me at all times. I've always been a sentimental person.

Social media is used in different ways. Some people vent [which is perfectly fine, but only to an extent]. Some people share their happiness. Then some people harshly judge those who seem to mostly post about happy things. I've heard this quite a few times, but I've never understood it. Why hate on happy? The response I always hear is, "it just seems so fake. Their life can't be that perfect!" All I have to say to these kind of people is.... Don't we already know that no one's life is perfect? Don't we already know that life throws everyone obstacles? Don't we already know that everyone is faced with their own hardships & battles at different points in their life? After knowing all this... why hate on happy?

Maybe it's just me, but I'd much rather read posts about happy things going on in my friends lives instead of post about friends constantly complaining about something [or someone]. No one likes a Debbie Downer! I love being spiritually & emotionally moved by other people, stories, quotes, photographs, music, and art of all forms—which is why I want to help emit those same feelings in others.

I'm a hopeless romantic & I've always been one, but there's more to why I share me & my husband's love stories...... Ever since we started dating in 2007, we faced many obstacles being in a long distance relationship & then also being a military couple. We still had the problems normal couples deal with when dating as well, but somehow we managed to come out on top of it all. We've been told many times by friends that our relationship inspired them. Hearing this always means so much to us, because we're so glad that we can help others in some way. People would often say, "I don't know how you guys do it!" A few girl friends would tell me that they were worried their relationship wouldn't survive long distance once their boyfriend moved away for college or joined the military, but my relationship helped them have the strength they needed to have faith in their own relationship. Seeing how strong we were helped them believe that they could be strong too & that long distance relationships CAN work, because my husband & I were living proof of it.

Most people know by now that we were in a LDR for 5 years before getting married & moving in together. It wasn't easy, but we did it. Why? How? Because I earnestly believe that true love does in fact prevail.

In other words:

"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails."

—1 Corinthians 13:4–8a

In closing... please continue to share the love! Continue to share your happy stories about your marriage, relationship, family, friends, promotion at work, weight loss, etc... Share them all because I ♥ love, I love reading happy things, & because you never know who you could be inspiring ♥

Corfu, Greece—Summer 2011

Chapter 29: An Anniversary Celebration in Napa, CA [+video]

Last year my husband surprised me with a trip to good ole Napa, CA to go wine tasting in celebration of our 5 year dating anniversary [just 6 days before our wedding]! It was our very 1st time going wine tasting together & our very 1st time celebrating our anniversary together—which made it an even more special day for us. We're not much of drinkers ourselves, but it was still a good experience. Too bad we hated most of what we tasted :P It didn't bother us too much, though. We still enjoyed ourselves! I put together this short [a little over] 1 minute video of footage from the day :)

First we stopped by a cute little restaurant to grab some breakfast on the way to Napa. Afterwards we had to find a Target so I could buy more film for my polaroid camera [yes, I still use a polaroid camera & I'm not ashamed of it! I got my first one when I was 11. I've had 4 polaroid cameras/devices in my lifetime & that's not counting my husband's original polaroid camera too!]. Much to our surprise, we saw someone we knew at the store! Bianca! We went to school with her & I hadn't seen her since my family & I moved away after Middle School. It was nice catching up with her :)

Before we started our wine tasting adventure, we stopped by this really cute but small shopping place. My husband kept looking over at this older man who was playing guitar & singing, trying to figure out why he looked so familiar. Then it dawned on him that he was one of his teachers back in High School! We went over to say hello to him & exchanged a few pleasantries. He even wished us a happy anniversary & early congratulations for our wedding :)

Finally, we were on our way to find our first vineyard to stop at for wine tasting! Like I said earlier, we didn't really like many of the wines we tasted & we visited a handful of places. We still purchased 2 wine glasses from one place though. After posting about our anniversary on Facebook, one of my friends suggested that we check out the Castello di Amorosa Castle & Winery in Calistoga, & we took her suggestion! We actually really enjoyed one of the desert wines we tasted! So, of course, we had to buy it! The woman at the register even threw in a free bar of chocolate for us in celebration of our anniversary & wedding. Those Napa folks sure are friendly! It was so beautiful inside. It even had it's own little church where I lit a candle in memory of my grandma who passed away in 2009 ♥

Photo credit: http://www.castellodiamorosa.com/assets/images/slider6.jpg

After our wonderful Napa adventure, we headed to our hometown & had dinner downtown [where we had our first date]. It was the perfect end to a perfect day ♥