Here’s to the first twenty-five

by chuckofish

Yes, folks, this week my DH and I celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. A quarter of a century ago, on the 22nd of July, we gathered a few people together in sunny (and uncharacteristically hot) Titchfield, UK (home of my intended) and tied the not.

See the happy couple…

…so much younger, thinner, and care-free. Sigh. My sister kindly allowed me to wear the beautiful dress that my mother made for her wedding. It meant a lot to me that I could fit into it to wear it.

the flower girl doesn’t look too thrilled, but then she had just sat through a long C of E service

My wonderful aunt Donna, brother, and dual personality, together with her OM and (then only) two adorable children, flew all the way to England for the occasion.  They were incredibly helpful and supportive, not to mention lots of fun.

It was a beautiful wedding and (despite the bad photo reproduction here) the colors were gorgeous!

the original is in focus and belongs in a bridal magazine

My soeur was a perfect matron of honor!

also belongs in a magazine

We had a grand time, albeit since it was a wedding, inevitable crises caused extra stress. My soon to be step-father-in-law’s father passed away just a day or so before the wedding and my sis lived in fear of chickenpox. My niece, the lovely flower girl, still bore the scars from a recent attack and the incubation period predicted that her little brother would come down with the disease just in time for the flight home.

Does this child look like he’s coming down with chickenpox?

But it all worked out in the end. After all, incipient chickenpox looks a lot like mosquito bites, right?

How long ago and far away it was —  but a great day to remember. Happy (almost) Anniversary, my DH. And here’s to the next quarter century!