Image Slider

Here's Why We Didn't Have a Wedding

Thursday, March 16, 2017


I've shared this story before but decided I wanted to take this time to go into more detail to explain exactly what happened. When Leo and I announced that we were officially husband and wife it left a lot of our friends scratching their heads. Everyone was asking, "Did we miss something?" or "Did I not get an invite?" When the truth was, no one missed anything.

Leo and I didn't have a wedding.

We filed for a marriage license, found a notary, and got married under a dusty ass gazebo just miles away from Riverfront Park here in Charleston.

Was it what we initially wanted? No. Do we have any regrets? Absolutely not.

Prior to getting married we were engaged. We were planning for a fancy wedding. Silver and teal were going to be our wedding colors. We were scoping out reception halls, had a guest list in mind, and I had a Pinterest board filled with ideas on the perfect wedding day hairstyle. I knew I wanted a mermaid wedding dress with an A cut line, and I even had images of the perfect veil.

Everything was in the works, but then I found out I was pregnant with Liam. 

There's just something about seeing a positive pregnancy test. It makes you rethink life. It makes you think about priorities, what's needed, and how you'll be able to provide for this unborn child. At the time I was in starting a new job, and it just didn't seem right. Planning for a fancy wedding didn't rank as high as we initially felt about it. 
 
Yes, we're that couple that got married because I was pregnant. 

In fact, we chose to save our pennies to use as a down payment on our first home. It's a decision I'm not sure I would have made had I not gotten pregnant. Having a wedding is what nearly every little girl dreams of. Therefore, making the decision that we didn't want to have one went against everything we were taught. We probably would have gone forward with having a wedding, living in our little apartment, and playing catch up because of all the money we spent on a fancy wedding. 

And this is no shade to those who have had weddings. Weddings are absolutely beautiful. I'm hopeful that maybe one day we'll do a vow renewal wedding. It just wasn't in the cards for us and we're happy. 

A wedding doesn't make the couple. The dress, the bridesmaids, the groomsmen, the fun reception doesn't define how successful the marriage will be. 

We didn't have a wedding and we have no regrets.