A Wedding to Remember

October 15, 2011. A day that will live in infamy. The day some dorky little movie nerd found his soul mate and married the love of his life.

So, it's a bit dramatic, but hey, I'm a writer! I can't just write "I got hitched, yee haw," they'd take away my license or something. For the past 8 months, I've referred to my significant other on this blog as "my future wife," "fiancee," or "my love," but now, it's official, she's my wife, she's Mrs. Hopp. Yeah, pretty sweet, right? In case you weren't there, let me tell you what happened.

What? Yeah, I guess she now owns the rights to TheHopp.NET too. No, she isn't taking over, but talking about perks, eh? Ok, back to it....

So, it started with me arriving at my parents house. Most of the guests had already arrived, and my family and friends were already coming up and hugging me, wishing me the happiest of times. Little did they know that would be coming as soon as she said "I Do." I wasn't allowed to see the bride (see A Wedding to Remember: Bad Juju), but she was there, which was a relief. Without looking, I shouted that I loved her, and I heard her say that she loved me. Neither of us could see the other, but we both could feel the others tension...and love.

With last minute things coming together, the next thing I know, I was walking my sobbing mother down the isle, the music was playing, my mother was crying, and I think there were some other people there. I can't be sure. I heard a lot of pictures being taken, as I took my place under the arch as the wedding party descended on me. They all looked amazing, as the people that mean the most to my wife and I came and joined me in anticipation of my bride. Then, it happened: The Star Wars theme played. What were you expecting? See, I had asked the DJ if he could do that, ya know, just a snippet. No one seemed keen on the idea, so I dropped it, asking the DJ to do the normal thing. Well, my incredible wife changed it back on me, and yes, the award for greatest bride is already in the mail.

Finally, after I finished laughing, I saw her. And my mouth, for once, stopped working. I truly wanted to say something poignant, or meaningful, ya know to show how blown away I was, but all I could come up with was "wow." My mouth hung open like a Venus Fly Trap, awaiting flies, as this amazingly beautiful woman came walking to me. I had never seen something so angelic, so beautiful, and so awe-inspiring. I started shaking, feeling the full force of the situation hitting me like a ton of bricks, so I let out another "wow." Yeah, eloquent, right?

So, there we stood, holding each other's hands as we cited our vows. No, I didn't use the word "obey," but she did tell me she reserved the right to cut me if need be. We spoke our words, we poured our sand together, and exchanged rings. I said "I do," knowing that my life would change for the better right now. She said "I do" too, and I finally took my first breath of the day. It was over. We were married! Just like that, the dream, from childhood to adulthood just happened. I think I let out another "wow." Someone got me some champagne, as we took pictures, ate an amazing dinner, and partied the night away. All of it was perfect. The centerpieces were beautiful, almost everyone that meant something to me was there, in support of us, and we had so much fun, doing the wedding thing, throwing garter belts and bouquets.

I tried to soak up the wonderful, wonderful evening. I don't think I got it all, and as I look through pictures, I get a huge smile, remembering the amazing day I had. It ended with a trip to a hotel on the beach, as we partied even more with some friends, still in shock over the piece of jewelry on my finger. "So this is what it feels like to be married" I whispered to her as we went to bed. Now, the honeymoon!

A Wedding to Remember Part XVI - Iiiittttss heeerreee

Today is the one year anniversary of the love of my life and I becoming an official couple. It's also the day we plan on becoming officially husband and wife. So, as you can imagine, it's a pretty big day.

It started with the rehearsal dinner last night. My future wife was terrified, as we went through the motions, as everyone else around us seemed happy and care-free, we were nervous as could be. There's something about practicing the long walk that gets your mind set for the big event. So, as I took those steps, I thought back to January, when I proposed, or last October when I told her I wanted to be her boyfriend, or the first time we talked about marriage, or when she moved in with me. There was a lot that happened, but nothing could prepare me for what was about to happen. I was about to vow to be with her forever. Did you hear that? "For...EVER."

Make no mistake, it's scary. It has nothing to do with doubt, but have you ever bought a house or a car? It's a scary process, and very nerve-wracking to say the least. Well, imagine that, but with a way, way, way longer loan, and all your closest friends and family there. Oh, and the car could say no. Yeah, starting to understand, aren't we? To make it worse, there's no warranty, it's just you and the car, and maintenance is way more than every 30,000 miles. Even more so, you can't possibly live without the car. Yeah, so you get the idea, it's pretty big. Not to mention, everyone has thought about buying the car for as long as they could remember, and you've spent 8 months planning the signing of the contract for the car...ok, enough of the car metaphor, you get the point, right?

When I was younger, the idea of marriage was a cool one. I thought it was something that eventually would come, and it would be cool, and all would be well. As I got older, that thought started to fade, and it was back there with the dream of becoming a rockstar or an astronaut, ya know, way back, further than that dream of you at school in your underwear. So, as my hopes had faded about marriage, I began thinking of it as something that would just not happen to me. So, as I rehearsed the walking of isles, I realized not only was I wrong, but that dream I had when I was younger was of right now, and "cool" just doesn't describe it.

So, we rehearsed our thing and went to dinner. We had the whole bridal party, friends and family a like, and we celebrated and ate and drank and everything just kinda slowed down, became a little out of focus and became more like a movie than real life. It was perfect.

So, here I am, with tables set, the DJ ready, and finally, the centerpieces are done. We've come a long way from that fiesty Cuban I first met, playing video games. The girl I was terrified to kiss is putting on a white dress, thinking about being with ME forever, looking more beautiful than I thought was possible in my wildest dreams. Sure, the entire nation of Cuba is running through my house, but it's because they want our day to be perfect, so, with so much love, how can it not, right?

My brother-in-law and best man is on his way over, just in case I need a bit of help with the tux, the food is done, and I'm off to meet my bride. It's a good day! Today, I do feel like a rockstar, and I feel like I'm in outer space. When that woman walks down the isle, it'll be official; my wildest dreams will have come true.

A Wedding to Remember Part XV: Bachelorette Blowout

Or Cuban Hangover.

With two weeks left before the big day, it was time for my future brides bachelorette party. Her maid of honor had sent out the invites and planned something big; something drunk; and something very debauchery-ey. Fortunately, she was smart enough to also plan on a hotel.

So, here I am, having a weekend to myself as my future wife goes and parties hard on the streets of Ybor. Yes, I've seen The Hangover, and yes, I've seen all those bachelor party movies where all kinds of wild shenanigans go down, wild sex happens, and dreams are crushed. I'm not worried!

My fiancee had gone and gotten wigs, she told me so this way I couldn't tell who was doing what if the sacred rule was broken and pictures were shared, but I still was hoping for one thing; that she would have a good time and enjoy a staple of the marriage experience. We both agreed that it's not celebrating you're last night of being single, because we have been in a relationship and not single for nearly a year now. But, it was a way to celebrate our upcoming marriage with the girls or guys in our lives.

So, that afternoon came, as she packed her bags, in anticipation of penis-shaped straws, wigs and craziness. She hugged me and kissed me and told me she would miss me and I told her to not even think about me, to have a great time and live it up. In retrospect, it's good to know she does listen to me on occasion.

It started off good, with Facebook pics, and texts talking about her having a drink and dinner, and fun pics of girls, wigs and condoms. Then, the pics stopped, and I was left with my imagination and an X-box controller. Now, I trust my future wife beyond all reason, and at no point did I ever think she would be anything but true to herself and me. I knew, though, she would punish that liver of hers. I was right. So, I went to bed around midnight, hoping my fiancee was living it up, and not being able to wait to see her the next day so I could hear all about her night of fun. I had gotten really used to sleeping with her, and having the bed to myself was nice, but a bit too quiet for my liking. Then, it happened.

Phone calls at 4 am usually only involve one thing; a call for help. Very little good can come out of a 4 am phone call, so when that phone rings, your body automatically gets in hospital retrieval mode. So, I picked up the phone when I saw the caller I.D. with my fiancee's name to hear a very slurred "helllloooo." My first question was if she was alright, to which she replied "uh huh." So, my body began to calm down, as I tried to figure out the need for a 4 am wake up call. I asked where she was, and she replied with a long, slurred "leaving shfor the shotellll." I asked where her maid of honor was, and she said she was paying the bill and they would head to the hotel. At this point, I was relieved, as it was pretty obvious she had a good time, or atleast copious amounts of alcohol. "So, did you have a good time" I finally asked. I get another "uh huh, but I want to go hooommee." Back to panic I go. "What's the matter, my love?" As I hear silence, some booty music and finally a slurred response of "nothing, I just missssss you." So, I finally relaxed again, because the call was a simple drunk dial. She was thinking about me on her bachelorette party, that's pretty amazing. I told her that's what she had a hotel for, and to call me when she got there, so I knew she was alright. She said "shokay," and that was that.

4:30 - I had gone back to sleep, and was once again woken to the sound of my phone. Of course your body still thinks something is wrong, as I tried to reassure myself it was just a check in call. It was my fiancee telling me she was at the hotel, but she was pissed I wasn't there too. I told her that I was at home, and it was a 40 minute drive to her, which means there was no way I could get to her even if I needed to. There were a few slurred obscenities, with her saying that I better come and get her before she cut me. That's when her maid of honor picked up saying she was fine, they had fun, and she was busy praying to the porcelain gods, and that they were going to bed now. I told her that she was thinking about me on her bachelorette party, so that's a good sign, and she she agreed, and I thanked her for taking care of the love of my life.

After another 10 calls, with drunk obscenities, asking for me to pick her up, and the maid of honor apologizing for letting her have the phone, I get one more call. It started off with a commotion, the sound of an elbow dropping and my drunk fiancee whispering "I'm just gonna tell him goodnight, gosh!" I then get a quiet, un-fiesty cuban tell me that she loves me and misses me and that she was going to bed, and the quiet, calm, sweet demeaner calmed me down, and made me happy. Then, there was silence, the silence before the storm. I get a text from the maid of honor saying she was so sorry...that's not a good sign. Then, it happened; Cuban-laced, drunk obscenities about how I left her and how she was going to kill me, and some other stuff I didn't really understand, before the sounds of amateur-style wrestling and the maid of honor saying "I'm taking away her phone, she loves you, good night." It's these things that I love about my wife, I never know what to expect, and she always keeps life interesting.

The next morning, I woke, had my coffee with a small smile, knowing that I was faring way better than my better half was before getting a text saying "I'm so sorry about last night. I hope you don't hate me." I smiled, because in the end, it was entertaining, and it was the reason I wanted to marry her, because she is never boring (and she's really hot, but that's not important right now). I was also happy that it was pretty obvious she had a good time, despite the sad looking, hungover Cuban that came through the door.

In the end, she had a great time, it was another huge step in the marriage process, and she was safe. I told you I had nothing to worry about! And, here, you were doubting me!