Looking Back on Valentines

I saw this meme at Sher's place and decided it was the perfect thing to do for Valentines Day: a look back at our wedding. We're a couple of months out from our 15th anniversary. Wow!

1. Where did you and your husband meet? I told the whole story here on our last anniversary, but in short, we ended up as cha–cha partners on a BYU back-up summer ballroom team.

2. How long before you kissed? About 5 or 6 weeks after we started dating, but that would be months after we met. Totally my fault there that it took so long. He was one patient guy.

3. Who kissed who first? He did, but not until he was sure I wouldn’t duck again. (Long story. Like I said, patient guy.)

4. How long from the time you met until you were engaged? About five months. We met in June, danced as partners for two months, started dating in August, and got engaged in December.

5. How did he propose? On my birthday! He was treating me to this totally awesome, romantic evening, which I attributed to my birthday. He was acting a bit nervous, which should have clued me in, but it was my birthday! It was such a surprise (I was expecting it to happen around Valentines Day) that it took me a second to catch my breath before saying yes. In that second, he about passed out, thinking I would say no.

6. Did he pick out the ring or did you? He did. He even brought a female friend of his along and spent ten hours over two days searching for it.

7. Do you still like the ring? I love it! I’ve never been one for rings with lots of swirls and the like. It’s symmetrical, simple, and very, very pretty. Perfect.

8. Where was your wedding and reception? We got married in the Logan Temple. The reception was in the BYU Garden Court.

9. How many bridesmaids did you have, and who was your maid of honor? Four total: My new sister-in-law, my two best friends from high school, and then my little sister was my maid of honor.

10. What color were your bridesmaid dresses? They had black velvet bodices and white tulle skirts, based on the same pattern as my wedding dress. They held deep red roses, so the color combination (if I say so myself) was quite striking.

11. What was your bouquet made of? Red roses, mostly.

12. Who gave you away? Not applicable for a temple wedding.

13. Did you cry during your wedding? No. I was too excited. For a second during the ceremony I remember thinking, “Holy cow. It’s happening. I’M GETTING MARRIED!!!”

14. What style was your dress? My mom, seamstress extraordinaire, made it for me. All silk, sweetheart neckline, hand-pieced lace. I loved how the bodice came to a point overlaying the skirt in front. Simple details like that brought me joy.

15. Was your wedding kiss sweet or sexy? Being as it was in the temple, over the altar, sweet!

16. Who caught your bouquet? I don’t remember.

17. What flavor was your cake? This is the one thing my hubby asked for with the wedding: a chocolate cake. Of course, I had oblige there. (As if I would say no to chocolate . . .)

18. Did you smash the cake onto each other's faces or feed it to each other nicely? We were nice.

19. What was "your song" that you danced to at your wedding? “It Might Be You” by Stephen Bishop (also known as the love theme from Tootsie).

20. What did you serve your guests to eat? Chocolate-dipped strawberries, macaroons, and eclairs. We also served the cake, which looked so stinkin' cool—each layer looked like it had a satin ribbon bow around it, but it was edible.

21. What did your friends do to decorate your car? The typical balloons and soap writing, lots of balloons inside the car. Totally my fault. Halfway through the reception, I remembered that my suitcase was still in my parents’ car. I asked some friends to get it and put it in our car. SO I TOLD THEM WHERE OUR CAR WAS AND HANDED OVER THE KEY. How dumb was THAT?

22. What was your favorite wedding gift? I’m not remembering offhand. I know my husband loved getting toolbox with tools—it was the only gift even remotely for him. My dad’s department at work chipped in for a vacuum, which was very much appreciated.

23. What was the worst wedding gift you got? I don’t remember anything really awful. A few things less useful, but nothing really bad.

24. Where did you go on your honeymoon? To a condo in Midway belonging to a couple who'd served in his mission. We drove the Alpine Loop, went to a movie, had brunch at the Homestead, and just hung out together for a few days. It rocked.

25. Looking back, is there anything you would have changed about your wedding? I would have had the ceremony a little earlier in the day. I wanted to be well-rested, so we put it late morning. But then I was too excited to sleep past 6:00 anyway! Because of the later time, other parts of the afternoon was rushed, what with trying to get back to Provo from Logan in time for the reception.

Happy Valentines Day, Honey! Love you!