Chapter 1: Welcome
We would like to begin our ceremony by welcoming you all to
our big night.
On New Year’s Eve of 2006, Andy brought me out to a cliff
overlooking the ocean on the island of Maui.
He asked me to marry him as the sun set, and we’ve been planning this
evening every since. Our wedding is a combination
of smiles, tears, sweat, laughs, sleepless nights, and a lot of dollar signs,
so if you don’t have any fun, make sure you don’t tell us.
Our relationship has been a wonderfully crazy journey. In June of 2005, we moved in together in a
new city without any idea what we were doing.
Neither one of us had lived with a partner before, neither one of us had
a strong support network in our new city, and we definitely had no idea how
much we would have to rely on one another for love and support through a
difficult transition. We didn’t even have furniture for the first month save
for a bed, a TV, and paper plates, but we had each other, and that is what
mattered.
3 years, 1 house, 1 joint checking account, 1 Chewbacca,
50,000 fights about nothing, 4-5 serious fights, 2 pieces of melted siding, 1
car accident, 1 broken wrist, 1 flooded basement, 20 camping trips, 11
adventures around the country, 1 engagement, and after countless memories and
lessons learned since, here we are.
In a way, we like to think of our reception as a way of
saying “thank you” for being such a big part of our lives. You all have taught us lessons in our lives
apart and together, and for that we cherish you and thank you. Let our celebration be our gift back for that
knowledge that has shaped the people we have become.
