Wedding

I proposed to Kaitlin around the middle of August 2018. I was nervous. Thankfully she said yes. I wasn’t surprised; we had discussed marriage. I had asked her dad for permission the previous day so I think she saw it coming. We decided to have the wedding in the Summer of 2019 and started looking for locations immediately.

We looked at a few locations and decided to have the wedding and reception at the Scarab Club in Detroit. It’s an awesome art gallery right behind the DIA.

We have all heard nightmare stories about wedding planning, but I am lucky and Kaitlin is amazing. She handled mostly everything with relatively little stress. It all came together just right as the day approached.

Finally the day had arrived. When we first visited the gallery the exhibit was photos of gross conditions in restaurants taken by a former health inspector. It was interesting but not wedding material. Fortunately the exhibit for our day was more appropriate:

Kaitlin’s day started earlier than mine. She had a lot more preparation to do. She had her hair, makeup, and nails done and arrived at the Scarab Club looking beautiful and started the finishing touches.

I arrived shortly after she did and after I nervously helped set up tables and chairs I too went upstairs to get ready.

When we were both ready I waited in the lounge for Kaitlin so we could get some first look photos. I couldn’t believe my eyes! She was even more stunning than usual. These are some of our favorite photos from the day.

Then it was time for the ceremony. All our guests were seated in the garden, and our amazing officiant Josh was waiting at the altar. We hadn’t rehearsed anything, but even so the ceremony went smoothly. We started the music (La Vie En Rose by Louis Armstrong), I walked out and down to Josh, then Kaitlin’s dad guided her to me.

Josh had a few well chosen words, Kaitlin and I exchanged vows and rings, and then we kissed as husband and wife!

After the ceremony Kaitlin and I signed our marriage certificate and took some time for family photos. When we were done with that we made our entrance to the gallery as husband and wife and we each had a glass of sparkling juice. Then our friend Ang announced our first dance and started the music (Never In My Wildest Dreams by Dan Aurbach) and we started our dance. This was one of the best parts of the day for me. A friend had taught us a few rumba moves to do and we had a blast showing off to everyone. It was very special.

Then Kaitlin danced with her dad and I danced with my mom.

After the special dances we all went upstairs to the lounge for cake. Our cake was a two tier plain cheesecake accompanied by raspberry and fudge swirl cheesecakes. It was amazing. I was tempted to smash a piece in Kait’s face, but I was chicken.

I was very nervous for everything up to this point. It felt like a performance that Kait and I were putting on. We planned and practiced which helped me feel more confident but that feeling never left. After cutting the cake I felt relief that the scripted part of the day was over. The rest of the night was the best party I have ever been to. We danced, talked, laughed, and cried. It was the best day of my life by far.

There are more pictures here. Thanks for reading.