How I did it: I married a friend of 10 years.  We never dated previously because we were always with other people.  After losing touch for a couple years, he contacted me via MySpace out of the blue on a perfect day nearly 3 years ago. We went out a couple days later and have been together ever since.

He wanted to get married right away, but I had not long ago gotten out of a toxic relationship with my son's father and was in no rush.  I told him to wait at least a year before proposing, and he did.  We were engaged one more year before getting married on the beautiful beaches of Negril, Jamaica at Couples Swept Away on June 18, 2010.

It was very small, just as I envisioned.  I originally wanted to get married in Hawaii, but it was not in our budget so Jamaica worked just fine.  We had about 10 loved ones that came to see us get married.  I walked down the aisle with my uncle to meet my husband at the end, and we were married by a Jamaican minister.

Everything was beautiful except of course it was an overwhelmingly hot day, which was expected.  I really wanted the date June 18 though because it was my parents' wedding anniversary, and we were engaged on my husband's parents' anniversary.  So we sweated it out, but luckily it was brief.  Hubby insisted on wearing a tux and he was sweating through it the whole time.  The photographer was dabbing him off frequently.

We honeymooned there the week surrounding our wedding and had a great time eating, relaxing on the beach, snorkeling, and going on a booze cruise to swim through caves.

Two weeks after we returned home, we threw a reception for our loved ones who could not make it.  I wish I would have stuck to the original plan of an outdoor bbq style party, but my husband wanted a more traditional reception and that is what we ended up with.  It's okay though, because the wedding is what mattered to me and it turned out nearly perfect.

Lessons & tips: Everyone is going to have an opinion.  Figure out what you and your significant other want and stick to it.

Resources: Oriental Trading's wedding supplies, Etsy for gifts and my jewelry, Dollar Tree for inexpensive vases used for centerpieces.

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Jan 15, 2011, 08:11PM PST | 0 comments | 2 cheers