Happy Anniversery

Today is my wife and I’s fourth wedding anniversary. We got married on a riverboat on the Mississippi in New Orleans. A month prior we had moved to Louisiana from Peoria, Illinois, so that I could attend grad school. We bought our first house in Madisonville, across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans, so we decided have the wedding in Louisiana, rather than in California or Colorado, where our families where. Also a riverboat wedding in New Orleans just sounded like fun.

The one downside to having the wedding in Louisiana is that all of our friends and family had to travel from several states away to attend. However because our friends and family are so spread out, no matter where we had the wedding a large percentage would be traveling from several states away it seemed to be the most fair just make everyone travel. Besides a trip to New Orleans is not exactly a hardship. Though the required travel kept the wedding on the small side, a surprising number of people did make the trek. The nice was that all the people that we truly cared about made the trip.

From what I can remember Bourbon Street was a hell of a place to have a bachelor party. I have never had random strangers buy drinks like that before. My wife reports a similar experience at her bachelorette party which was also held on Bourbon Street. Bourbon Street really is perfect for these sorts of events

For our wedding we charted the John James Audubon, which normally ferries tourists from the aquarium upriver to the zoo. The ceremony started with the ship tied up in front of the aquarium, the ceremony was preformed by the ship’s captain. Interestingly I was watching show on the history channel about the Mississippi River a few years later, and the Captain that married us was interviewed, which was cool. Once the ceremony was done, the ship went on couple hour cruised down the Mississippi while we had reception on board.

An outdoor ceremony on the first day of summer in New Orleans, showed our total ignorance of the climate that we were moving into. The heat and humidity were wicked, however I was so amped up for wedding that I didn’t notice despite wearing a tuxedo, however I think our guest were grateful for the brief nature of our ceremony, after which everyone retreated below deck for the reception. As the ship departed for the reception cruise one of New Orleans wandering jazzmen played an impromptu serenade on the wharf.

An outdoor ceremony on the first day of summer in New Orleans, showed our total ignorance of the climate that we were moving into. The heat and humidity were wicked, however I was so amped up for wedding that I didn’t notice despite wearing a tuxedo, however I think our guest were grateful for the brief nature of our ceremony, after which everyone retreated below deck for the reception. As the ship departed for the reception cruise one of New Orleans wandering jazzmen played an impromptu serenade on the wharf.

The reception was blur of congratulations. One thing that do remember is how tasty the cake was. Usually wedding cakes tend to rather vile tasting, but this one good. People went back for second and thirds, to point when I went back for seconds the cake was gone. I also remember how good the jazz band we had for the reception was. It seemed like the cruise/reception was over in a heartbeat, though I can’t complain at all about what followed that night.

I have now been married for years, without question they have been the best four years of my life. I am still deeply in love with my wife, without question marrying her was the best thing that I have ever done. To me this is what made that day so magic