Randy and I met in April, dated a week, and he left for a month. When he returned, we spent three weeks together, fell madly in love, and he was gone again. After he returned in July he proposed.
A few days earlier we were window shopping at the mall and he steered me through a jewelry store. I showed him a ring I liked but did not expect anything expensive. We were both pretty poor. His job paid better than mine, but he paid child support for two children.
That evening, we went to one of the classier restaurants in our area and one of our favorites, Steak & Ale. We were regular patrons of their happy hour, but this night he had a reservation for a table, so I knew something was up. After dinner, while we enjoyed our Irish Coffees, he pulled out a ring case, took my hand and asked me to be his bride. I was thrilled and said ‘YES’ and enthusiastically opened the ring box.
My face must have showed my disappointment because he asked me what was wrong. I told him it was a very nice ring and I would be happy with it if it was what he picked out. He said he thought it was the one I picked out, but there was still time to get to the mall before it closed. So, we headed over and exchanged the ring and I actually saved him some money. The sales clerk whispered to me that she tried to tell him it was not the ring I picked out. I still love that ring, even though the diamond is tiny, because of what it represents… a time when our relationship was new and shiny, and we didn’t care about the things we could not afford, because what we had together was all we needed to be happy.
We had to set a wedding date and didn’t see any reason to wait long. Randy was about to leave for work again in August, and September was too soon to plan a wedding. Then, another month away, and November would be perfect for a fall wedding! We picked the first Friday after he would get back from work, so we could have a few weeks for a honeymoon before he left again. The date turned out to be the Friday before Thanksgiving, November 20th, which happens to be Randy’s birthday. Now, we always have a double reason to celebrate that day.
My parents had already sprung for a wedding, so I was determined not to ask them to help with this one. Randy and I agreed to keep to a budget of $1,000 and would get a loan to pay for the wedding. Today the average budget for a wedding is about $30,000 so you may not believe it’s possible to spend less than $1,000, but somehow we managed. Randy’s Mom paid for the cake, and my Mom paid for my bouquet.
This had to be a no frills wedding, so we decided on a cocktail reception at a local restaurant where my best friend was a hostess and got us a deal. The wedding and reception were in the same room and a local judge married us. The theme from the Godfather was playing softly in the background while we said our vows. Randy wore a brown tweed suit with a suede vest and I wore a tea length beige dress with a brown satin sash. My brother and my boss took pictures which have yellowed softly with age. We made a lovely couple and look very happy and in love.
After the reception we partied in the bar with our friends, and then spent the night at my little cottage. The next morning we left for our honeymoon in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. We hiked in the mountains and had picnics, but I really don’t remember much more about the honeymoon. I know we were home by Wednesday to spend Thanksgiving with our families.
As soon as we got back my landlord terminated my lease and we moved to another rental house. Two weeks later Randy was on his way back to the oil rigs in the Middle East, and I spent our first Christmas alone in our new house. That was only the first of many holidays, birthdays and anniversaries we spent apart. But, it didn’t matter; we had our celebrations on our own days, and so began our happy marriage.
