5th Anniversary – Love In Pictures

Tara and I have been together for almost 10 years (in May), but today is our 5th (legal) wedding anniversary! I throw the legal in there because we were legally married in February at a town hall in MA with just our best friends and Tara’s parents there (mine live in Vegas). We then later had a ceremony and reception on July 18th of the same year. It’s funny because some people recognize our legal date, while some recognize the “party date”. Even the two of us have trouble sometimes.

 

These were temporary matching wedding bands. We later got our permanent ones that we wear today.

 

At our July ceremony/reception, we invited our closest friends and family to share the day with us. One of Tara’s best friends wrote and performed the ceremony for us, we both danced with our dads and then our moms did a reading. We just had it at a small local hall, did all the decorating ourselves and tried to keep it as simple (and in budget) as possible.

Our “guestbook” was a personal photo, professionally matted and framed, that we had everyone sign on the matte to hang in our home.

 

 

Each of our table settings was a beach that means something to either of us, or both of us.

 

 

We found these great seashell trees at Christmas Tree Shop and I think we cleared out the shelves and bought them all and had just enough for all of our tables!

 

 

For favors, we gave everyone a chocolate covered oreo, bubbles and a costumed rubber duck (matched to the person if possible).

 

 

Each table was covered in a simple paper tablecloth and we put crayons on each one so that everyone could doodle and leave us messages.

 

 

We also added pictures of those that couldn’t be with us for our special day as well as passed out disposable cameras to get those always amusing candid shots from our friends and family…and boy, did we get some good ones!

 

My great-grandparents, Tara’s best friend Shannon and her grandmother and grandfather.

 

Instead of a typical wedding cake, we opted to do something very “Rhode Island-ish” and ordered Allie’s Donut cakes! They make the most amazing old-fashioned donuts and these did not disappoint. We had these 3 custom ordered to cut and then just ordered basic round donut cakes to feed everyone.

 

 

We found this amazing glass jar and decided, instead of lighting two candles to one, we’d fill this jar with two colored waters (our favorite colors – purple and blue – using food coloring). We then found those awesome ceramic jars and decided that is what we would keep the water in until we poured it together. We had a minor malfunction when we realized the ceramic jars definitely weren’t meant to hold liquids, but it was all good and we survived thanks to some quick thinking and clear nail polish.

 

 

Lastly, here are some of my favorite pics from that day with family and friends. It will definitely never be forgotten.

 

One of our besties, Dan – of the infamous “Julie and Dan”

One of Tara’s oldest friends, and our ceremony master

Our niece and flower girl

Friends – those that stood with us

My Papa having a ball with the bubbles

My parents and grandparents (Mom’s side)

Still my all-time favorite picture from that day

 

 

 

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