My fiance and I met a little over two years ago. We were complete opposites working at a bar together. He was the good looking bartender that every girl was coo-ing over. I couldn’t see any more qualities than his good looks, had doubted that he was the type who could carry a stable relationship and just wasn’t interested. I was the cash-handling girl and often kept to myself. I also didn’t have the time to consider being I was running nearly 75+ hours of work a week at multiple jobs. We never gave each other the time of day being I felt it was an intrusion on our work. I would see him and he would see me regularly and the most we exchanged for more than half a year was plain and simple small talk or hellos. I didn’t even think he was interested. There was one night where I told him I was planning on moving out of state and I was trying to save a little bit of money. He told me I shouldn’t move, and that he’d find me a reason not to. I asked him, “Why shouldn’t I move? Are you going to find me a boyfriend?” He said yea and smiled. He couldn’t stop smiling. So I looked around at all his friends and crossed each of them off my list. No thanks. They were regulars, they were my customers. Eventually I shifted my position from cash handling to bartender. I asked him to train me, which he was willing. Late long stressful nights after work our bartending crew would get together around two a.m. to eat soup and just talk. There he didn’t talk to me either. Yet when we started working together more, we started chatting up a storm. It was oblivious to me that he was interested, so I invited him to take me fishing. Something I was doing on the side, but couldn’t quite get the hang of it. He had told me he had been doing it all his life and that was his only way to de-stress. Well, we started fishing together. His friends would always come. Yet I found it to be oddly entertaining and interesting that I finally found a great guy friend. Instead tables turned and one day we started getting closer. It was salmon season of 2006. I don’t know the day we started dating, because it was never official. We bonded over fishing and shared stories of our families. We were rather similar contrary to what I had assumed. Two salmon seasons later we’re still together. We’re in our mid 20s and are from two very traditional families. His family loves the idea of us getting married, mine hasn’t quite decided yet, but I know they would be very happy for us. I would love to marry this man. He strikes every last nerve in me, but he also accepts that I do the same to him. We have great times together and always go back to our fishing trips. I would love a wedding which reflects our best times. Something by the water, something simple, and very romantic. We live next to lake Michigan, our place. I’m thinking spring 2009 wedding. He’s thinking let’s just rush it and be simple. We’re two very simple people who could probably out-resource everyone else even if we had a few bucks in our pockets. Yet I would like enough time to plan do it up a notch. I think we deserve a white 3-4 tier cake, our families to experience this for the first time and appreciate the love that goes into it. I would love enough time and enough finances to dream up every last wedding detail rather than settle for the culturally acceptable wedding which we have, which is normally a household gathering, a meal, and a lot of family lectures. This would be a great balance. Perhaps one of the best things I could ask for in my life. I’ve done long relationships, years and years worth, but I know he’s the one for me. He’s a good challenge, he’s smart, he’s funny, he’s weird yet practical. I’d love something I can look back and share w/my children one day. I love that his parents and my parents have such strong relationships. We’ve been guided by great examples and this would be the first white wedding either of our big big families would get to see. Knowing how hard my parents have struggled growing up and living in a war-torn country and moving to the states to work restlessly I don’t want to put any of this on them, which I understand wedding finances usually fall on parents. I would love to see our parents just sit back and see that first dance between my parents and his parents who have been together for nearly 40 yrs at most. Neither pair has ever in their lives even held one another for a dance. I’d like to give them that opportunity. Overall, I’d like a wedding my family can remember. I know they already trust we’re able to love each other unconditionally and love by good morals and values. This would be a dream come true and it’s funny, because I don’t have time dream too much.
