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Our Lives Were There
September 3rd, 2009 | Dean Arrindell
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Our three-day weekend of wedding events is over, but I'm still flying high. It began with our rehearsal dinner last Thursday that had about 40 people, grew to our wedding and lunch of about 55 people on Friday, and was topped-off with our reception (which quickly turned into a full-on party!) of 130 on Saturday night. I didn't realize how fantastic the weekend would be. We had all our friends and family in one place and everyone had a kick-ass time all weekend long.
At our reception, the people that we've known throughout our lives – Holly and mine – were there. Not just the family and family friends who raised us from birth, but also childhood friends, school mates, work colleagues, and good friends we’ve met through our lives. Everytime I would look at a relative or friend, particularly one I hadn't seen in a while, I would see a part of my life. Just about everyone in that room represented a part of Holly's past or my past.
There were a couple of other beautiful things about seeing old friends. The first was to see my friends from my old job or my friends from college. I hadn't seen many of them in a while, and some of them hadn't seen each other in a long time. It was great to see old relationships renewed, new people (partners, friends of friends) brought into those circles and then see those circles grow.
The other amazing thing about the weekend was that our family and friends got to know each other and form relationships as well. Some of Holly's family members had met a few of mine, but most of our friends and family hadn't met one another. Holly's family from England and my family from North Carolina, Holly's friends from Connecticut and my friends from New Jersey, and everyone else from all over mingled, laughed, got to know each other and even danced on Saturday night. (And when I say danced, I mean danced. We cut a rug at the reception!)
The weekend was more than just the union of Holly and me. We became a unit, but so did our friends and family. They are the foundation of who we are as people. We've shared memories and experiences with them. To see our two foundations mix and integrate so smoothly was wonderful. It was the truly union of our lives.
So, what about Holly and me? I was asked several times on Saturday how it feels to be married. My answer is the same now as it was then: There's really no difference since Holly and I have been living together for almost three years. I am happy we got married, but I don't know if we're going to feel any immediate changes. If there's something new, it's that our family and friends bonded over a joyous event, got to know each other, began their own relationships and had a great time doing it.
Related Topics: family, Friends, Getting Married
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Dean Arrindell | 2 Comments »
Our Lives Were There
(via Facebook, MySpace, Digg, email and more)
September 10th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
Three days meeting family and friends and it was wonderful. You may not outwardly feel any different but, you are now committed to each other body, mind and spirit until the end of time.
Continue to grow independently of each other to maintain the freshness that made you one. Do not define your love by commercialized standards; instead make love the anchor between two unyielding pillars of strength. LOVE!!!!!
October 1st, 2009 at 8:32 am
Great piece! And, it was an honor to be part of such a truly wonderful weekend. The friendship, the fun and the memories will certainly last a lifetime.