June 2023 Brides: How Will You Spend Your First Anniversary?

For anyone who does not remember: my husband of 38 years and I had the Catholic church wedding we didn't get to have in June of 1985. We had a small sweet church wedding but as I am Roman Catholic and divorced, I could not get married in the Catholic Church until I obtained a church annulment, which finally happened. So, on June 4, 2023, we had our "convalidation" ceremony, at our church's usual 10AM Sunday Mass. Our son was the Best Man and his children, then 12 and 9 brought up the Offertory gifts. My Matron of Honor was my dearest friend who is also our music/choir director and church organist. The simple, traditional wedding ceremony, complete with vows and our original wedding rings, took place during the Mass. The choir sang music that my friend and I selected together. Her husband took all the photos. After the Mass, the MOH and her husband hosted a lovely wedding dinner for us at a nearby favorite elegant Italian restaurant, and included champagne and the same kind of wedding cake, topped with our original Precious Moments figurine. Hubby and I, MOH and her husband, our son, his kids and the priest attended the dinner. Then hubby and I finally had the honeymoon we never got to have. We were supposed to go on a Mississippi steamboat trip the following April, but by then I was 7 months pregnant and we bought our house. The steamboat is no longer in operation so we stayed at a steamboat themed hotel in PA Dutch country where we have visited many times. Everything about the day was absolutely perfect, including, luckily, the weather!

It's almost 1 year later. We plan to spend our "legal" wedding anniversary, Saturday, June 1 dining at the same restaurant where we had our wedding dinner. June 4 is a Tuesday and our son, and his kids who spend summers with us, will be arriving from SC. My hope is that we celebrate the day with another dinner out as a family. Hubby and I hope to spend a couple of days once again at the same hotel in PA but we have to see about his work schedule which lately has been crazy.

I hope you June 2023 brides had a wonderful first year as newlyweds, and are looking back on many happy memories and great photos! Feel free to share some photos looking back on your wedding or on your newlywed year! Best of luck!!