Photography by Chelsea Rochelle
This is a story of MY forever & always. As I sit down to write this, there is so much running through my mind and so many things that I want to share with you all. Hopefully I can piece it all together in a concise well written post. This really could be a chapter book, because after all, the past 10 years of our marriage has been much like a beautifully written chapter book…a book that you just don’t want to put down.
But this is simply OUR love story…a story that I find to be incredibly special. Certainly no more special than any one else’s love story but so special to me, to US.
I also can’t write this story without sharing that this is also a story of great loss and heartache.
Our first chapter should start before we said “I do”…back to when we first met. I was on vacation with a few girlfriends and he was there for a friend’s bachelor celebratory weekend. Then HE was there, that night…that night that my life changed. That night that fate and destiny brought us together and that night that we knew after talking into the wee hours of the morning that there was something very special there. Our deep love for one another began that weekend…
Fast forward to 2006 when we celebrated one of the most important most special days of our lives. The day was October 21st and it was a day that will forever be engrained in our minds and our hearts. On this day, we promised before God and before our closest family and friends to love each other forever and always, through sickness & health, through the good times and the bad times, and that is exactly what we have done for the past 10 years. And along the way, we have welcomed our children (and 3 puppies) into our family and boy have our hearts loved deeper than we could have ever imagined.
This year we celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary, such a milestone yet such a short chapter in the story that we are writing together. We’ve grown so much in 10 years time and our love for one another and our love for our little family has deepened beyond comprehension and beyond measure.
For our 10 year wedding anniversary, we recommitted to one another by renewing our vows in a very intimate ceremony…it was just the two of us and our children. It was perfect. My heart just explodes thinking about it. It was such a special time for us and we wanted Reins & Addison to be right beside us, watching their Mommy & Daddy “get married again” (so they would say).
Peter did not know that I had planned a “surprise” vow renewal…when he arrived, he thought he was meeting me for our “anniversary dinner” but little did he know, we were there waiting for him, waiting to “get married again”. He and I had previously talked about renewing our vows for our 10 year wedding anniversary but we never followed through with planning anything. It was important to me to plan this surprise for us. Peter was so surprised and so joyful…I”ll never forget the smile on his face when he walked through the barn doors and saw us standing there. Reins & Addison were also so excited to be a part of our “wedding”…they felt so special.
Although this was such a joyous occasion for us, it was also filled with great sadness. Just a few days before we renewed our vows, a very dear friend suddenly passed away. We were mourning the loss of our friend and trying to make sense of everything all the while celebrating 10 years of marriage. I went back and forth about not moving forward with this surprise but then I realized that life is short and that we may never get that time back. It was hard but we also realized at that time, more than ever, it was a tough reminder to count our blessings and to take advantage of opportunities to do what we were doing because life is not guaranteed. We prayed and we cried during our renewal…what a blessing it was to be able to stand in front of God and recommit ourselves all the while thinking of our friends who wouldn’t have the opportunity to do the same one day.
We are both so grateful to have had the opportunity to renew our vows in the presence of our children. We certainly hold each other even more tight now and we count our blessings each and every day.
As Peter’s wife and as Reins’ and Addison’s Mommy, I feel so blessed and beyond lucky to call them mine. We have many chapters ahead of us and we will continue to have our fair share of ups downs but one thing will always remain constant…our love for one another and our love for our family. We will continue to write our story as Husband and Wife and as Daddy and Mommy.
HE is my forever & always. THEY are my forever & always.
A HEART FELT THANK YOU TO…
Homestead Manor for providing their beautiful space to us…arms wide up with such a warm welcome. For working so closely with me to pull off this surprise and for the delightful staff that assisted us before and after our renewal.
Eliza J Dresses for providing me with such a beautiful lace dress, which was so perfect for this occasion.
Shane & Company for providing my stunning “something blue” sapphire & diamond ring as well as providing handsome cuff links for Peter. We are so grateful that you were a part of our vow renewal.
Madison Dennis for making me feel so beautiful…she did an amazing job on my makeup and I felt like a bride again.
Deidre DeFelice for always working her magic on my hair and making sure that my vision came to life.
Meeshs Bakery Franklin for the beautiful and incredibly delicious cake. We may just have to order a cake for every wedding anniversary now.
Ruffled Feather Events for taking my vision and creating such beautiful bouquets and boutonnieres.
Scott Baker, our friend, for officiating our vow renewal and adding such beautiful personal touches.
And last but certainly not least…
Chelsea Rochelle for being a part of our special day and for capturing it so beautifully…we will forever cherish the images from this day.
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These picture are so gorgeous and your words are so inspiring! Cheers to 10 and many more!
http://stopdropandvogue.com/
Thanks so much Taylor!
I loved reading this so much! Mine and Shane's 10 year anniversary is in a few weeks and we have been going back and forth for a while about renewing our vows. This is so sweet, and I'm also so sorry for the loss. I know that was such a tough week, but I'm so glad you continued with the vow renewal because you have to cherish these moment while they're here.
Awe, happy early 10th to you and Shane! And yes, we absolutely have to cherish the time that we have.
BREATHTAKING pictures AND love story! Such a gorgeous family.
Thanks so much Carly!
I just adore this post– Happy 10 year Anniversary!! You have a beautiful family and your surprise vow renewal is such a sweet gesture. I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend. Sending lots of prayers your way.
xo,
Michele | http://www.classicandgray.com
Thanks so much Michele, I appreciate your very sweet and kind words. xo
These photos are GORG!!! Congrats on 10 years!! That is amazing!! XO
So glad you think so, thanks so much Ruthie!
Oh my gosh these are such great photos!! You look absolutely gorgeous!!! Happy 10 year anniversary!
xo Kelsey | http://www.chasingcinderellablog.com
Thank you very much Kelsey!
CRYING! This was absolutely beautiful to read, I loved hearing about your story and can't believe you have hit such a milestone in your relationship and such an amazing way to celebrate. Also these photos are gorgeous, you have such a gorgeous family. Happy Anniversary and Happy Holidays!
http://www.livelaughlinda.com
Awe, thanks so much Linda. I truly appreciate you taking a moment to read this post. Hope you had a beautiful holiday!
This post though!!! Oh my gosh girl, this is literally the sweetest, most heart-warming post! I love that you surprised your husband to renew your vows. What a sweet and special day for your little family! All of these photos are stunning and I love all of the details. Happy anniversary!
xo Ashley
Thank you so much Ashley! I so appreciate you taking the time to read it and your kind words are making me smile. xoxo
Congrats on 10 years, Brooke! You and your husband are setting such a beautiful example for your children : )
xx
Brooke
http://www.brookedujour.com
Thank you so much Brooke! Hope you had a blessed Christmas! xo
Oh my gosh! Such a sweet post. Thank you for sharing this with us. It looks like it was a beautiful, intimate ceremony!
Greta | http://www.gretahollar.com
Thanks Greta, it was. 😉
Sooooo sweet!!!! I love this!!!!
Mel | http://www.thegossipdarling.com
So glad, thank you Mel!
So sorry to hear about your friend!! So terrible. I'm happy you still decided to do this though because life really is too short. These pictures are gorgeous!
Such a wonderful time that your kids will forever remember!
What a beautiful family! Congratulations on 10 years and best wishes for many more years and lots of love and happiness
This place is a very nice place for a wedding and worth looking into. While I didn't have my own wedding here, I've seen the New York wedding venues in all their decked out glory. On a smaller scale, we had our prom there. This truly is a beautiful building with fabulous views.