Hello, fabulous!
It was my #besthusbandever, aka Speed, who kept pushing for a vow renewal—he’s had this dream for years of seeing me as a bride, walking down the aisle in a beautiful white dress. Last year in October, we finally did it. Although a month late, here’s a look back to our amazing day, pro tips included. Plus we have to share our 8 million photos with SOMEONE. We hope you love it as much as we did! 💖
P.S. This one’s a bit too long for email, so be sure to open it in the app or your web browser to catch all the details!
Why Now?
Back in 2003, we were in the middle of a military move, driving across the country with barely two nickels to rub together, and thought, "You know what? Let’s make this trip REALLY memorable." So, we rolled into Las Vegas with nothing but a couple of suitcases, a dream, and our first Pomeranian baby, Cisco, riding shotgun.
Already engaged, we figured, “Why not get married here and knock out the base housing paperwork while we’re at it?” Makes total sense, right!?
We woke up early, got our marriage license in hand, and decided on the most romantic option: the drive-thru window at "A Special Memory Wedding Chapel." Because who has time to get out of the car when you’ve got a road trip to finish? Cisco even served as our witness in the backseat.
We handed over $50, said “I do,” and sped off to California like we were checking off a grocery list. In less than 24 hours, we went from engaged to married—and it was the wildest, quickest wedding you’ve ever heard of!
To be fair, we DID plan for a big wedding a year later, but—surprise! Max was on the way, and that plan quickly turned into “we’ll do it later.” Of course, “later” turned into years of military moves, raising a baby, helping out family, buying homes, and managing life. You know, all those little distractions that make time fly. Totally understandable, but...
Then my brother passed away last year and everything changed. It hit us like a ton of bricks: life doesn’t wait. That realization was both heart-wrenching and eye-opening. I’d always imagined my two brothers by my side, walking me down the aisle, but we’d let too much time pass, and that once-in-a-lifetime moment was gone.
That’s when we knew—no more waiting. We’d already had a trip to Santorini, Greece in the works, so we hired a wedding planner, threw our wallet at her, and somehow pulled off the most epic, gorgeous day of our lives in just under two months. The views were unreal, the day was pure magic, and every little detail came together perfectly. It was everything we’d dreamed of and more!
