Love and marriage.
Upon the launch of Me Actually, I reached out to several friends and followers of mine and the Mister's to find out what in "lifestyle" piqued their interest. Sure, there were many shared passions that were thrown out there: fashion, design, music, film, cooking, etc. , but it was becoming evident that a curiosity into our personal lives existed as well. For a particularly private couple with a very (and I mean very!) tightly-knit circle, this seemed like the biggest challenge of all. With all of that being said, what you see is what you get, and if you are willing to follow us, we are more than willing to share.
The Mister and I met each other 10 years ago as business acquaintances. I was relatively new in the wedding business, { E Events Design} he was well-established, {Jeffrey Stoner Video} and you'd better believe that I had already been very well acquainted with his work. Huge fan. I mean, HUGE! From a very quick introduction at a networking event, I vowed that we would work together, and work together we did on countless beautiful weddings! As time and years passed, a very meaningful friendship had developed. Every time I had a creative concept or marketing idea, he'd be the first I'd run it by. He never laughed, and maybe not always agreed, but ALWAYS listened. Business pow-pows transitioned into an easy and comfortable friendship.
Here we are at a meeting in Denver, CO prior to a wedding fashion showcase that I produced, and managed to convince him to document on video in 2008
Transitioning out of a marriage for me, and a long-term relationship for the Mister, it was this friendship that we relied upon so heavily to be a place of non-judgement and calm during a very tumultuous storm. I was navigating keeping my business thriving, raising my two young daughters and building a new home for us to live, while the Mister moved out of his home to start a new life. Our friendship seemed more like a life-line in that we were constantly confiding and leaning on one another for support. "Buddy" - that's what we called each other, and that's what we definitely were.
Me and the Girlies, as we embarked on our "new normal" life. *Images by Abby Liga | Liga Photography*
As John Lennon once sang, “life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”, and that about sums up our beginnings as a couple. We weren’t planning it and could have never imagined it, but it just happened. Here's the funny part: the girls had known the Mister since they were very little girls, and called him by his proper name, "Mr. Stoner." One evening while over for dinner, he explained to them that they no longer had to go through that formality. They asked what they should call him instead, and he jokingly replied "you can call me Sir". They combined that into "Sir Mister" and it stuck! Hence, "Mister" for me to this day.
I frequently told the Mister that I never needed anything more than the beautiful relationship we seemed to be sharing. I never needed to get married again, and I never wanted to rely on anyone but myself ever again. Likewise, if you ever knew the Mister, then you knew he never wanted to get married either (he really was the George Clooney of the wedding industry!). Here's the lesson on that kids: Never say never.
We were never engaged. We never made an announcement or proclamation of any kind. We eloped. Just. Up. And. Eloped. When I tell you that no one knew, NO ONE knew (except for our photographers who not only served as witnesses for our marriage license, but are our closest and dearest friends to this day!)
Now, I am not suggesting we didn't talk about this; we certainly did. We considered everything imaginable, most especially my daughters. We planned for 3 months to clear our schedules and fly away to get married. The girls thought we were going to NYC for Spring Break and would do a family photo shoot. This helped to explain why I was buying dresses for the three of us!
Post-Ceremony! *Image by Nathan and Jensey Root | Root Photography*
Someday soon, I'll share the details of our sweet elopement in Strawberry Fields, Central Park.
In the meantime, we've been living happily ever after ...!
