One Year Down, A Lifetime to Go

On your wedding day, everything could go smoothly.

Or, you could end up setting up the chairs because the vendor decided to drop them off without actually removing them from the pallet (and your hair is already done and veil placed).

You could change the ceremony location at the last minute.

You could get so many calls to your cell phone regarding how the centerpieces (which you changed two days earlier because the vases you needed for your DIY project were out of stock and you had adjust accordingly) need to be set up on the tables that you just throw up your hands, head to the reception venue, and do it yourself instead of relaxing in your room with a latte, excited about your future.

The stems on your bouquet may not be trimmed enough, and you may end up with a green stain on your white dress in a very awkward place. Right before the ceremony.

(Luckily your wonderful maid of honor, in her infinite wisdom and awesomeness, has watched The Wedding Planner more than once, and has an emergency kit complete with thread and a needle in her purse — and your dress is ruched so she can easily sew a flap of fabric over the offending mark.)

It could feel like everything is falling apart. You may swear (a lot). But there is one person at the end of the aisle that makes it all worthwhile.

We married one year ago today in a small ceremony by the San Diego Bay.

None of that other stuff mattered. Not the stained dress, not the changed ceremony location, not the centerpieces, not the anxiety of wedding planning. All that mattered was that in the end, we were married.

And that at the end, there were cupcakes.

With little hand-painted (by me!) people on top.

All photos in this post by R.J. DeRama — friend and talented photographer extraordinaire! Thanks to our friends and family who made our wedding so special.