Yesterday, the husband and I celebrated three years of wedded bliss. I’m not even being sarcastic when I say the words wedded bliss. (So far) life with the husband has been simply amazing. Of course, our marriage is not perfect. Whose is? We fight, we cry (okay, I’m the crier), we roll our eyes, but we also laugh and joke and love each other.
Thinking back to three years ago, I’m struck with how my passion for all things local started on our wedding day. I was adamant that every food item be from a local vendor. I wasn’t concerned about the food being grown and/or raised locally (I hadn’t progressed that far yet) but I wanted everything to be from the places the-husband-to-be and I loved to go. At the time we lived in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and I wanted to support MY community.

My apartment is on the right, but can you see the view of Plymouth Harbor? Oh, how I miss that view.
So with a simple backyard barbecue in mind, I set out to plan the menu, using the restaurants and coffee shops we visited on a regular basis for inspiration. Our friend Jimmie (Dr. James A. Hebda now, smartypants) grilled chicken for everyone with his own special marinade. The side dishes came from our absolute favorite restaurant in Plymouth–Water Street Cafe. Their chicken salad is amazing, especially if eaten with a side of pasta salad. I ordered the bread, sun-dried tomato/garlic and rosemary/olive, from Blue Blinds Bakery, which boasts cozy fires and yummy mate tea.
And the best part of the whole day (besides the saying I do thing) was dessert, of course! Not only did we serve cupcakes from a local bakery, but we also had a sundae bar with ice cream and toppings from a local dairy farm, Peaceful Meadows. We shared our first kiss at Peaceful Meadows on a rainy evening (go ahead, say it, you know you want to: awwwwwww). The sundae bar was delivered during dinner, so when the two delivery people showed up in their bright pink Peaceful Meadows shirts loaded down with ice cream, everyone cheered.
Looking back makes me realize how far we’ve come. We’ve grown as people and as a couple since our marriage began. Now, we live in a new place with more local places to discover. We also eat better! Overall, the husband and I are healthier, happier individuals because of the life we chose to live together.
Now before I get all sappy and introspective, I will only say one more thing: Husband, I’m blessed to have known you when you were in kindergarten and I was in sixth grade (I’m such a cougar), and even more blessed to have met you again for the first time four years ago. Nothing has been the same since, and I like it that way.
(Okay, I’m going to be a bit gratuitous with myself and share a few of my favorite wedding photos. Enjoy.)
I love how legitimately concerned your faces look in the pinky swearing pic. Congrats you two!
We have a whole series of shots where we are discussing the proper way to feed someone a cupcake and then the pinky swear. It was a big deal!
Awww, Ra, those are my favorite pics of your wedding too. What a great post!
Thanks, Mom!
I love the pinky swear photos! You’re a beautiful couple. I hope you had a wonderful anniversary!
Thanks, Frankie! It was very important that I didn’t get cake shoved in my face. 🙂
Happy anniversary, Rache!! My GOSH you two are a gorgeous couple. I LOVE that you got all the food locally – I’m sure that made it even more special and intimate. Are those birds on the shutters in the background? It looks so cool!
Thanks, Jules! Those birds were carved by my sister-in-law’s father. We got married in his backyard and that’s his shed! Such a beautiful spot.