Shot Gun Wedding!

There was nothing funny leading up to my wedding. Really, I was 18 and was supposed to be packing to go to Emerson College in Boston, not getting married in El Salvador (where my parents were stationed at the time) to a Guatemalan, who was 23 and my parents had met once before we told them I was pregnant. Not fun, not funny....after much crying and fighting, the parents agreed that I would marry. At City Hall, no celebration. I cried some more. OK, at a Church, no celebration, you can't wear white (my Mother's words) I cried and threw up (the morning sickness was killing me) FINE! In a Church, in a dress, small reception at the house. And so it was. I knew that everyone thought it was a joke, I knew everyone thought I would have a "real" wedding in 5 or more years down the road (with a kid from a previous relationship.) One of my sisters didn't even come! People just didn't think it was happening or maybe thought it was like when I wanted to learn Karate (lasted 2 weeks) or maybe when I wanted to learn piano (last 2 months) they thought I was a kid. Yes, I was 18, but you know what, so was my Mom when she got married and she has been married for 50 years.

So, guess what, it was my only wedding, it was my real wedding, August 31, 1990. My wedding was what I could plan in 3 weeks with $2000, so it wasn't much, but I dream of re-newing our vows with a crazy, fairy tale wedding surrounded by all our friends and family! The actual wedding was pretty funny, as are most events in my life...here are some highlights:

• I was sick as a dog with the flu and was too afraid to take any medicine, because I was preggers.


• By the last fitting the dress barley fit, I had to wear this contraption under it that had wire and spandex, it was so bad I could not sit down. The fact that my unborn child survived those undergarments is a miracle itself!


• My husband was late to Church, it was his sister's fault, they were sharing a ride and she is late to EVERYTHING.
• I had to keep circling around and around in the car waiting for him to arrive and get to the altar before I could get out. My Dad got out of the car and went to find out what was going on. My God Father got in the car. His name is "Guido" and it suits him perfectly. He offered to maim my future husband several times, actually maim was the best case scenario in his eyes. To this day, I don't think he was kidding.
• I cursed him out at the alter and pinched him hard. He was so apologetic.
• There is a rosary that has been in my husbands family for generations, it is placed around the couple to bind you together (some people do a ribbon or rope.) The HUBS has big ears and when my cousin Lisa placed it around us she left one end dangling on the Hubs ear! Everyone laughed (see picture below)


• When the priest asked my husband the I DO part, a pack of street dogs started howling in front of the Church, like a bad movie. Everyone laughed.


• The party was mostly my parents and their friends and they all got wasted, some ended up in the pond in the back yard. I was stone cold sober and had the worst flu ever.


• When we got to the Hotel Room, we ordered hot tea, lemon juice, saline water and cold medicine from room service (HUBS was sick too) We took it and went to bed.


• At 3 am our friends were pounding on the hotel room door (to this day I don't know how they figured out where we were) They are yelling stupid stuff like- What are you doing in there? You getting it on? Needs some condoms...hahaha, guess not!


• At 3:03am, I called Security and said that some crazy people were in the hall, and went back to sleep.

My father walked me down the aisle

The rosary stuck on over sized ear.

In parents backyard after the wedding.




Leaving my parents house for the hotel.



Our 20th wedding anniversary will be on 8/31/2010, I may have a 80's theme re-newal of the vows, very "Wedding Singer", y'all can come fo 'sho!


Thanks for the memories and your wedding carnival, Three Boy- One Mommy!