Knot Tied!

May the merriment begin (or continue)!  Justin and I were married by the justice of the peace in an intimate ceremony on July 19th.  We wanted to begin our lives together before the big move to Hawai'i, so we asked our best man, Kris, and maid of honor, Robin, if they would join us at the courthouse.

The evening started off with a little more excitement than we had planned.  Cera (the Xterra) chose the drive to the courthouse to throw a radiator house.  Luckily we weren't far from the apartment, so we turned around and jumped in Ruby Sue (Robin's ride).  With Justin and I navigating, Robin swiftly motored us through downtown Seattle to make the appointment on time.  There were a couple of tense moments when we were stuck in traffic and not sure we would make it there on time.  No worries, all was well.


The three of us trooped upstairs and checked in.  Kris was stuck in a bit of traffic as well, so he met us a few minutes later.  The judge came and took Justin and I back for some pre-ceremony details.  She went through the basics of the ceremony with us and asked us if we had a preference on inside or outside.  It was sprinkling, so we choose inside - which turned out to be a lovely room with a (normally) beautiful view.

We went back to the reception area and Kris and Robin rejoined us to go upstairs.  I didn't actually know what to except from the ceremony; I honestly thought it would be dry, quick and rather impersonal.  It turns out that doing wedding ceremonies is apparently the highlight of a judge's day, so they try to make it special.  It was lovely with a thoughtful narrative before the vows, another one after and then the kiss followed by the pronouncement.  I can't wait to see the video Kris took so I can really hear what she was saying.  I have to admit that I was a bit on the nervous side - not about marrying Justin but about expressing my feelings publicly.  Good thing we got to practice on the real one so I won't be as nervous in front of all of our friends and family next year!  :)

Afterward, all four of us made a wish with pennies in the wishing pool next to the courthouse.  Seattle's courthouse is very modern, with black marble steps and reflecting pools.  It's a pretty building but certainly doesn't conjure up the typical image of a courthouse building.

Robin, Justin and I headed to Ray's for our celebration dinner.  Kris and Christina had already planned to go camping and wanted to beat the rain and darkness.  We got to show Robin where we would be holding the public ceremony next year as well as taste test the food.  I can never get enough of Ray's food - it's lovely.

It was a wonderful night and I'm so excited to be Mrs. Justin Paul!!  Now on to moving to Hawai'i and a new set of job responsibilities :)

Cheers,
em