5 years.

night we got engaged :)

honeymoon!

our first married trip after our honeymoon. a camping trip to Virginia. have I ever told you how we almost froze to death? i should someday.

soon after our engagement

baaaaabies! early college i think?

Five years ago, we made a forever commitment to one another. We shared these vows in front of our family and dearest friends.

"I, Claire, take you, Chris, to be my husband; to have and to hold  from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer,  in sickness and in health, to love and cherish always."

I will be faithful to you and honest with you;
I will respect, trust, help and care for you;
I will share my life with you;
I will forgive you as we have been forgiven;
And I will try with you to better understand ourselves, the world, and God;
Through the best and the worst of what is to come as long as we both shall live."

I am so glad we made these promises. Have our five years of marriage been perfect? No. But they have been amazing. We have shared countless adventures. We have shared countless laughs. We created a little life and have worked on raising her together.

We have also shared tears, hard decisions, rough patches and miscommunications. I haven't always forgiven as I've been forgiven, but have instead held onto wrongdoings (actual or perceived) longer than I should. I have had unrealistic expectations. 

I haven't looked at our vows in a really long time, but it makes me happy to read them and know we're working at it. We are faithful to each other. We are honest with each other. Sometimes it takes some coaxing from Chris to get me to talk about what's tossing about in my brain, but we do it. We share our life. My favorite things to do and my favorite memories are with him. Through the good and easy times and the harder times, I love him.

Happy Anniversary, my dear, dear husband. I love you.

Steppin' Out: Wedding Style!

Yesterday was the wedding of some of our good friends. It was a perfect fall day and the bride and groom were beaming with joy. The ceremony took place in one of the most beautiful venues I've ever seen. We had a great time getting dressed up and having a baby-free day. It was also amazing to have my mom in town for the weekend.

 

Dress: Macy's // Tights: Target // Earrings: Macy's // Shoes: Filene's (from my BFF's 21st Bday. Oldies!)

 

ps. Thanks for all your advice on this post. I chose #2 :) Except I was in the comfy ones by the reception. I'm weak when it comes to heels.

4

Four years ago I married the man of my dreams, my best friend, my life partner and now, my parenting partner. I am a better person because of him. More confident, more laid back, quicker to laugh and more likely to be spontaneous. Chris is a hard worker and provider for our family. He loves our daughter selflessly and tirelessly. He loves me patiently and passionately. Watching him be a father has been one of the greatest joys in our marriage. Watching her adore his dad has been one of the greatest joys of being a mom. When I see the two of them together, I know that I picked the perfect man for me to live my life alongside.

And, because I'm not sure I've ever shared any before, here are some wedding pictures from our perfect, but simple day.

   

         

 

 

 

   

If those weren't enough, hop over to my flickr for the rest :)

Wedding Wonder

i am pretty solidly in the mommy phase of life, but not too long ago (4 years ago this week!) i was pretty solidly in the wedding planning phase of life. for the months years leading up to my wedding i poured over wedding magazines, wedding blogs and websites. i was obsessed. funnily enough, i rarely give it a thought anymore. but, this week, i stumbled onto oncewed.com and found this lovely new line of bridal gown and bridesmaids dresses, Ivy and Aster.

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The best part about this line? Their cute story. Two best friends. Who hasn't at least once dreamed of doing something wedding related (planning, dress designing, etc) with her best friend?

...And while we're on the topic, thanks to E Tells Tales for leading me to this beautiful wedding shop. How lovely are their dresses?

I'm not a short wedding dress kind of person, but this is stunning. 

So, that was a fun lapse into wedding world. How about you? Do you have a favorite wedding website or blog or shop?