Reflections on One Year of Marriage

Last Friday, I turned off my iPhone and disabled the wireless on my iPad for two whole days as the hubby and I retreated - with the top tier of our wedding cake defrosting en route! - to a fabulous spa in the Poconos to celebrate our first wedding anniversary.

Don't you wish you were here... (we wish we still were too!)

We considered the weekend to be the honeymoon we never had, as our trip to Australia last December - or "National Lampoon's Honeymoon" as we like to call it - was plagued by swarming flies, ticket-happy highway patrolmen, and remarkably dense fog. Not all at once, but still.

Our spa escape, however, was dreamy. Restful, relaxing, rejuvenating. We kayaked, swam, attempted Tai Chi and Chi Gong. I detoxed in the eucalyptus-scented sauna. We read books and the Sunday New York Times. We ate healthy, organic food and drank fabulous wine.

Never got a shot like this at my wedding so I fudged it one year later!

But if I'm honest, celebrating our first year of marriage was bittersweet for me. Because I will never get to be a bride again. I'll never get to wear another wedding dress, choose another wedding color palette (not that I would ever stray from orange!), design invitations and favors. Being a bride was the most fun I have ever had in my life. And all the thought and effort my hubby and I put into our day paid off. Our wedding was beautiful, personal, full of love, and lots of fun. It was our day, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

And now, it's over. Way over. Over a year over! As tough as that was for me to accept, reminiscing about our wedding day over a bottle of Australian Riesling last weekend made me realize that things are just as they should be: I am ridiculously happily married to the man of my dreams. And I am embarking upon a thrilling new career - a career where I can help other brides achieve a wedding day on which they'll look back as fondly as I do on mine.

I think a part of me will always long to go back to my wedding day - even if just for a moment. A magical moment back in my dress and strappy sandals, fingers wrapped around my bouquet. Feeling the warmth of the Rhode Island September sunshine on my cheeks and shoulders, surrounded by all the people I love most, staring into the beaming face of my soul mate, who became my husband.

A wedding is as once-in-a-lifetime as life gets (or so we hope). I'll never be a bride again, but I hope I will never lose the sense of magic I felt on my wedding day.

Oh, and the cake? Miracle of miracles, once it defrosted it tasted - we swear - just as good as it did at our wedding!

We can't believe we ate the whole thing... one year later.
Photo on the right by Snap!

Hallelujah, glory be to red velvet!

Cheers to Year Two,