How a Guy and a Gal Had a Wedding

They Met

The year was 1996.  The month was August.  It was a time when “the interweb” was not overly populated.  AOL chat rooms were popular, and people typed away and got to know one another.  There was a local chat room for the area.  A local gal decided to throw a party with a friend.  They invited the people from that chat room.  If I can remember correctly, eighty-seven people attended.  One of those people was the guy.

The gal and the guy met one another, as well as many other people.  A group of those people got along well and decided to meet and enjoy supper together one night the following week.  When the evening came, the guy and the gal were the only two who arrived at that dinner.

The rest, as they say, is history!

History of Us

Okay, okay, we will not stop there.  After all, entire books are written about historical events, so why not a post on our little blog to share our own history?

When the guy and the gal met, there was an instant attraction.  However, the guy was not exactly what you would call available.  He sort of had a lady friend who was out of state.  Thus, the guy and the gal became and remained good friends.  They spent time together, enjoyed one another’s company, and eventually became roommates.  Yes, roommates.  It was a two bedroom and two bathroom apartment.

As time went on, it became apparent that the guy’s lady friend was not going to turn out to be the other half of his future.  He may have known that for a while.  Then, one day, it hit the guy like a slap the the forehead.  The guy had had the right gal right in front of him for a while, and she was wonderful to him.  He realized that he had loved her since the night that they were the only two to meet for that dinner.  Oh, and guess what.  She was pretty keen on him, too!

Once they got together, it was as though the guy and the gal had always been together.  Their whirlwind relationship progressed quickly.

The Mock Wedding

On February 22nd, about six months after that dinner which no one else attended, they had an engagement party in the form of a mock wedding.  A dress, flowers, “minister,” and all were there.  What a romantic event that was for the couple.

The truth be told, they would have gotten married for real by that time, but the gal had a house in New York that she wanted to sell.  The gal did not want to get married until she had her financial obligations taken care of, and, frankly, the guy was okay with that.

The gal’s house was sold on January 5th.  Yay!

A Trip to the Mountains

As they did things spontaneously, one weekend the guy and the gal decided to go to the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.  While they were there, they talked about it and agreed that the mountains could be a romantic place for a wedding.  Plus, the area was not too far away from home for guests who would want to attend.  Saturday morning, they went looking at chapels in the area to get some ideas.

There was one particular chapel that the guy and the gal could not find, so they phoned the place and left a message on an answering machine.  They went to another chapel, which looked just like a little church building.  Technically, I suppose that it was.  Was it closed?  If I remembered correctly, the couple looked through the windows of that place.  There were several chapels in the area where the guy and the gal were looking.

After wandering for a bit, the couple thought that they might have found the chapel that they could not find earlier.  The cellular telephone rang.  The gal answered it.  As the gal’s hand was turning the door know, a woman on the other end of the call said that she was returning their call from the Chapel in the Village.  The gal opened the door and said, “I think that I am looking at you.”

Chapel in the Village

Once they finally found the Chapel in the Village, the guy and gal liked it.  They confirmed that the person who would be marrying them was actually a pastor.  Plus, and there was an old-timey photo place in the same building, and they allowed us to dress in costumes for our ceremony.  How fun is that?

Figuring that people would need to plan months in advance, the couple asked the woman when was the next opening.  She flipped through the pages and was looking at her calendar.  After a few moments, she said, “Eleven o’clock.”  Huh?!

“What time is it now?” the couple asked.

Looking at her watch, the woman responded, “About ten to eleven.”

The guy and the gal looked at one another.  “Do you want to?”

“I don’t know.  Do you want to?”

“Sure!”

“Okay!”

The Wedding

The guy and the gal chose their old-timey outfits.  The guy settled on a cowboy — complete with a hat, trench coat, and gun holster.  The gal dressed as a Southern belle.  If you know the gal, then you know that there was a hat on her head, too.

They made their way up the stairs to the chapel.  Did I mention that the guy was on crutches and wearing a cast-boot through all of this?  That is love and dedication.

The ceremony.  July 19th, 1997.

Completely in love and happily married, the couple was on track for a life together full of adventure and many stories to come.

Clearly, the couple is us.  Since we are renewing our vows in three days, this seems like a good time to reminisce with you, our readers.  Hopefully you have enjoyed our story.  Are you married?  If so, how long have you been married?  Do you have an anecdote or story that you would like to share with us.