Friday, August 22, 2014

Three Months Later...Plus, Our Wedding Video.



It's not quite three months yet (on Sunday, it will be), but what a true adventure it has been! I have been wanting to share my wedding video on the blog, but wanted to write something along with it first.

For some reason, for me, marriage has been hard to write about.
It's funny, because being newly married is half the reason I started this blog. I think I'm still wrapping my head around all that has happened in the past three months, and I'm not sure that I actually have the words for it yet, but I'm going to try. Before I start though, here is the amazing video recap of our day!


Let me start by suggesting videography if you have a wedding coming up. The pictures that we have are wonderful, and there are a lot of them, and they would easily be enough. Yet, there is something so beautiful about seeing the actual moments happening in real time. Our videographer, Alex of Catedralography, really did an amazing job capturing the true feelings and emotions of our day. We are so so happy that we have this little video to look back on (and watch constantly)!

Now, for some real marriage talk:

Three months ago today, I really didn't know what to think. I was so excited, so ready to end our one year plus engagement and start our life together. We didn't live together before we were married. In fact, during our engagement, we lived about a half an hour away from each other. So, let's just say I was so ready to actually get to see Nick every day, and spend each day together.

In the days, or weeks, before you get married, I think there is this shock factor. At least, for me there was. I had a whole year to prepare for this day, so mentally, I would think I would have been prepared. In those few days before the wedding, every person who asked me if I was ready was probably confused by the blank stare on my face. But it wasn't because I was afraid, or didn't want to marry the most wonderful man on the planet. It was more so because, (1) I was exhausted, and (2) I felt so much excitement and happiness, yet I had no idea what to actually expect once the day came and went.

There is nothing you can do to be fully prepared for marriage. We read books, we went to counseling, but there is no test run here. You don't get to practice being married before you actually do it. You just have to jump in and make it work- the practice comes after you say I do, after there's no turning back. That's the beauty of it.

And if you're in this thing with your best friend, then it is so much fun learning to make it work together. Okay, I guess it's not always fun. It isn't easy by any means. I've cried, I've screamed, I've had two-year-old tantrums. But all of that, it is so worth it when it means that, in the process, you are learning to love one another better.


And to answer the question that we continually get: "How's the newlywed life?"

1. It is truly an adventure- I think every newlywed couple can say that their new marriage is an adventure in some way. For us, we moved five hours away from our home about two months after being married. So, in the first two months, we sucked all the good out of Pittsburgh, PA and time with family and best friends. Now, we're learning to be just us in a brand new town, much farther than I've ever been from family. Just less than three weeks into that journey, we've grown so much closer than I could've imagined we would. A lot of people can say that they told me so with that one.

2. It has taught me so much- about my selfishness, about God's grace, about what loving someone really looks like.

3. It has brought me closer to God- When you're newly married, you have to pray more. Or at least, you probably should. I've realized so much that I can't do this on my own- I can't love a person the right way on my own. I need God to teach me, because I totally fail when I'm not relying on him.

4. Just as it has taught me about my selfishness, it has made me less selfish- I am able to see my selfishness in a new light and actually work on making it go away. Also, the more I learn to love Nick, the less selfish I seem to act. And that's not just within my relationship with Nick, that's in every relationship. I have a desire to serve Nick more each day, and I have a desire to serve others more as well. It's this practice of daily putting someone else before yourself because you care about them so much, that you just see no other way. No wonder moms are so awesome at serving others- I can't imagine how unselfish being married AND having kids would make you.

5. And the answer I usually give- It is so much fun! I love spending each day with my best friend. We're always laughing at each other and enjoying exploring new places. And I'm thinking this isn't just because we are still in the honeymoon phase. I think you're supposed to have fun together each day- even 10, 25, 40, 50 years down the road. My parents and grandparents do, and it has been a great example for me.



So there you have it. I'm sure I could say so much more, but it's really hard to wrap my head around how much love has grown in three months and try to put it in to words. I really have married such an amazing man, and I couldn't be happier.

In three months we've enjoyed an extended honeymoon, grown so much closer to family and friends, moved away from them all, and now are spending time in a brand new place learning to love each other better and love our new home. It's been an adventure, but I know the adventure has just begun, and I am just doing my best to love every minute of it!


With all of that said, Nick and I still know way less about marriage than most married couples, so we love hearing marriage advice...please feel free to share!

post signature

P.S: Keep following along by email, or on bloglovin!