Twenty-Five Years!

I don't know how 25 years have passed already, but it seems to be true!

My sweet Gregory and I have been married since March 16, 1996.

When we were planning our wedding, Greg was living in Arizona already and I was still living in Minnesota.  One week before our wedding, he sent me roses to celebrate that the special day was near.

(These are all photos taken of printed photos because we don't have digital photos of most of these!)

 We had a very small ceremony with only about 20 people involved.

My friend Nicole, whom I've known since I was a child, was my Maid Of Honor.

Greg's Best Man was his high school friend, Jer.

Our dresses were gorgeous from the front AND the back and we worn elbow-length gloves (mine went missing after the ceremony!)

My aunties Cindy and Deb helped us decorate the small auditorium

(Cindy, Deb, my Mom):

Cindy, Deb, my Mom:

Deb also helped Nicole and me navigate some hair challenges.

My brother, Mark, lit the candles and was the usher.

My parents' friends Rosemary and Dan were our musicians and they were wonderful.

My Dad walked me down the aisle to the bridal march from "The Sound Of Music" and Greg and I walked back up the aisle to Beethoven's 9th Symphony, the Ode To Joy.

Greg was just as excited as I was, and it warmed my Christie heart.

Here we are with my parents, brother, and paternal Grandmother:

And with my maternal Grandmother:

Our wedding ceremony was on the 16th of March, and while we wanted that to be very small, we did want to honor and include the many people who had been important in our lives, so the next day we had a big celebration at my parents' house. 

My friend Peter waiting to chat with me at the reception while my friend Heather was offering congratulations via phone.

I'm an introvert, and two days of lots of people was tiring, but it was a huge blessing to see so many people who cared about us, and I was filled with joy.

At one point the tights and shoes had to go, and I borrowed a pair of slipper socks from my Mom.  

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Happy anniversary to the best husband, my best friend, and the absolute best teammate I can imagine.  You are a blessing and I'm grateful every day that we get to live this adventure together.

1996:

2021: