Quarterly Report

It has been nearly three months now since Mr. Aardvark and I said our vows. I thought I would take this chance to share my thoughts on marriage, from the other side. After all, when the candles are burned down, the flowers wilted, the cake eaten, and the dances danced, what is left of the wedding, as a lasting souvenir, is a marriage. 

In the weeks following the wedding, there was a huge sense of relief. We had planned and executed a pretty awesome event. I did not have the post wedding blues that some people talk about.  I did have a few twinges of "someday, when I get married..." thoughts that I had to shake off.  That was a bit strange and bittersweet. But slowly I began to get a feel for my new roll, Wife.


While I had been enthusiastically awaiting the title of wife, it came with a weight I was not expecting, not a bad weight, but a weight like a nice necklace or well made jacket. I felt a new responsibility to my husband and my marriage. That responsibility, honestly scared the bejeezus out of me. This was compounded by the fact that some of the best, strongest, people I know had stood where I stood and were unable to make marriages work. I shared my fears with Mr. Aardvark. He didn't offer any answers or solutions, but somehow, the fear seemed to ebb away. I think it was the realization that this weight and responsibility was not mine to carry alone. Marriage, is a job for two.  Knowing he had my back, and I had his, and we were both standing guard over our marriage, first and foremost, is a realization that I keep having. Having a partner who understands that our marriage is precious,  is an invaluable gift. 


I am sure there will be much more to figure out as the road unfolds before us. Right now, the biggest thing I have learned, is that marriage is about balance. Each day is a fresh opportunity to strike that balance. Meaning, a day can be horrible, but that does not mean anything for the next day, or the day after. We are constantly given the opportunity to re-set. While this is wonderful, it also means we cannot set auto pilot. With a marriage being made of two people constantly growing and changing, it is their responsibility to remain vigilant that they stay on the same path.  

(Sorry for the corny "path" reference but I adore this photo)  Photo by MichaelTerri Studios

Of course, there will be help along the way from outside forces. I cannot believe it was 297 days ago, that I made my first official post as a Blogger Bee. Lord knows I was an avid reader/ board stalker long before that! The Hive offered me perspective, encouragement and support as I planned my wedding from 400 miles away. With family and friends spread near and far (and busy with their own lives) you offered me a sounding board, a brainstorm team, and a place to vent. Without all of you, I would have been lost, my bridesmaids would have been overwhelmed with e-mails about veil options, shoes and flower alternatives, and my wedding would not have been what it was. From the bottom of my heart, really and truly, thank you. Thank you so much, for everything! Your sweet comments, and clever suggestions helped me keep it together when the planning got hectic or the craft list too tall. Again, thank you.


There were times when the planning was so stressful, I couldn't wait to just be married and done with it. While part of me is so happy not to have to worry about favors or flowers or any of that for a change, I will truly miss this part. In fact, I have been putting off writing this just because I wanted to hang on as an "active blogger" for a while longer.... But I realized, If I waited too long, it would just make it that much harder. Hive, you are an oasis in an internet full of spam, pop ups and useless babble. For that, thank you.

As I navigate the first months of marriage, I am still figuring it out. In fact, if I ever stop trying to figure it out, I think I will be doing it wrong. To all of you still planning, I wish you the best! I hope that everything comes together as you imagine. Know that things will go awry. Maybe you will face-plant coming out of the church, maybe you will get beer spilled on you, maybe your shoe will go flying during your first dance! All of that (or whatever that is at your wedding) will add color to the story of the beginning of the rest of your life. I hope, even if nothing goes perfectly, you are able to look back and smile, but more importantly, most importantly,  I hope you carry the weight of your marriage with ease, and with a partner who knows how precious it is.

For the Love of Love: Dance the Night Away

After the vows were said, pictures taken, dinner served, cake cut (and eaten), and assorted accessories tossed, there was only one thing left to do. Party.

The picture above is one of my favorites, and the very last one in our wedding album. I was SO happy about how much dancing went on. I must admit, I was a little nervous because our dance space was not very big. However, I think this worked in our favor because it didn't take too many people for the dance floor to look "packed".

Our DJ, Guy Voss, was recommended by both our photographer and a co-worker of my mom's who recently got married. He did a great job or reading the crowd and keeping us on the floor, while also hitting just about every song on the "must play" list.

Not sure what song either the picture above or below was taken during, but clearly it was one we could jam to.

I spent pretty much the whole night on the dance floor. Every once in awhile Mr. Aardvark would go take a break and chat up some of his less dancey friends, but then he would be back, to boogie down with his bride.

In this shot, you can see the fabric scrap curtain that we made at the last minute. I figured it would tie in our colors and prevent curious passerby's from seeing our amazing dance skills (skillz?).

We were not the only people bustin' moves. There were several surprise dance floor stars, including MOH MD's Mom. I think, judging by the picture below, she even surprised herself!

The Bridesmoms made an appearance in the middle of a dance off. (Half of which is pictured here)

Of course Papa Aardvark was cutting a rug all night. This picture of him dancing with Bridesmaid sis is one of my all time favorites.

A wedding dance would not be complete without some sort of line dance. I don't really know which one this was but as you can see, there was a bit of confusion.

And that was when the photographers left. But the night was far from over. We danced and danced for a few more hours. Around 10:30, the baked potato bar opened up and flocks of hungry (possibly drunk) dancing fools filled their bowls with bacon and cheese and potato-y goodness. Sadly I was still full from cake and dinner so I did not partake, but it was a big hit.

We danced a few more, and then it was time to call it a night. Everyone was hugging us, toasting us, and thanking us for the great time. We were beside ourselves thanking them for coming, celebrating and bringing gifts (which by some amazing act, had been loaded into my parent's car.) There were a handful of guests who had really enjoyed themselves who were talking about heading out to a bar. From what I heard, they never made it to the bar because their designated people just took them back to the hotel (good choice).

Amid the never ending good-byes, and milling about, at some point Mr. Aardvark decided we should make our escape (thank goodness or we would still be standing there hugging and chatting with great aunts and first cousins!). With one last big, "GOODNIGHT EVERYONE! THANKS! SEE YOU IN THE MORNING!" we slipped out the front door into the night.

We walked hand in hand back to the hotel. Oddly, despite the fact that everyone had booked rooms at the same hotel, we didn't see anyone on the way back.  It was cool, and clear and for the first time all day, quiet. Walking the dark streets of my home town hand in hand with my husband was totally surreal and magical. It was a perfect end to a perfect day, and a perfect beginning to the rest of our lives.

All photos by Michael Terri Studios Unless otherwise noted.

Miss a recap? Don't fret! Here they are!

1.) For the Love of Love: Practice Makes Perfect

2.) For the Love of Love: DIY Flowers]

4.) For the Love of Love: Dudes Become Gentlemen

5.) For the Love of Love: The Girls get Fancy

6.) For the Love of Love: Final Moments as A Miss

7.) For the Love of Love: Before God & Everybody

8.) For the Love of Love: "Formals"

9.) For the Love of Love: A Stroll in the Park

10.) For the Love of Love: The Switcheroo

11.) For the Love of Love: Time to Party

12.) For the Love of Love: Cheers!

13.) For the Love of Love: Something Sweet

14.) For the Love of Love: May I Have This Dance?
15.) For the Love of Love: Tosses After All
16.) For the Love of Love: Surprise Photo Booth

For the Love of Love: Surprise Photo Booth

Like most brides with an internet connection, I had toyed with the idea of a photo booth. I loved the goofy and cute pictures that other people had gotten with them. Sadly, I lacked the time and budget to find one I loved. 

Happily, once our photographers had gotten most of the key moments shot, and some dancing pictures, they went off to the back of the restaurant and set up... A PHOTO BOOTH! They may have mentioned that they would do this, time permitting, but I had just forgotten about it. A great case of a poor memory leading to a pleasant surprise. Another pleasant surprise was the backdrop. Apparently Arcadia has a really cool freight elevator  that just happened to be in the perfect spot to set up a photo booth. SCORE!

Mr. Aardvark thinks these pictures look like movie promo shots. And I have to say I agree, but I'm not sure what the movie would be about(.... A rockin' wedding reception?). Without further delay, my faves from the photo booth:

It's a good thing he is smiling in this picture, because he was not expecting me to jump on him!

I am not sure why we are making these faces... but this is a fave for sure (with Mama and (the other) Grandma Aardvark)

It was this picture that made me realize two things 1) My friends are very strong and 2) I have a crooked "thumbs up".

The picture below is another of my favorites. It's the "Christmas Eve Crew." Made up of MOH MD, her brother, and the "kids" of another family friend. The six of us grew up together, mostly because our parents are BFFs but also because, as we turned into our own people, we all turned into people that were fun to be around. Now a days, we don't see each other very much, living all over the place as we do, however, we still make a point to get together every Christmas Eve as our parents have since we can remember. 


We joked when we first saw this picture, You can tell who "married into the group" (Mr. Aardvark on the far right and the gentleman on the far left) because they are smiling normally and did not bring their beverage to the photo booth. Everyone else is doing something weird and we wouldn't have it any other way!

Are you having/did you have a photo booth?

All photos by Michael Terri Studios Unless otherwise noted.

Miss a recap? Don't fret! Here they are!

1.) For the Love of Love: Practice Makes Perfect

2.) For the Love of Love: DIY Flowers]

4.) For the Love of Love: Dudes Become Gentlemen

5.) For the Love of Love: The Girls get Fancy

6.) For the Love of Love: Final Moments as A Miss

7.) For the Love of Love: Before God & Everybody

8.) For the Love of Love: "Formals"

9.) For the Love of Love: A Stroll in the Park

10.) For the Love of Love: The Switcheroo

11.) For the Love of Love: Time to Party

12.) For the Love of Love: Cheers!

13.) For the Love of Love: Something Sweet

14.) For the Love of Love: May I Have This Dance?
15.) For the Love of Love: Tosses After All