“Do you understand what that means?” I slowly took in my bare feet on the two-hundred year old hardwood floor and the stranger studying my face intently next to me. My face was hot, my mind racing. I cleared my throat, took a deep breath and came back to reality grinning like an idiot in love. The stranger was our wedding photographer, Perry Jurick; her inquiry, “would you like to have a first look photo?” Sent me flying back to the first week I met my soon to be husband.

 Just One Look the infamous Doris Day song, was used on a well-publicized Pepsi add in the winter of 2015/2016. This tough guy who had been through 3 deployments and had seen more than many humans can even fathom called in an absolute panicone cold Tuesday morning. His deep, captivating voice was laced with disgust. “Listen” was all he said, “I need you to just listen to me, I’m serious.”

 I’ll eliminate all of the expletives he actually used (I’m certain your imagination can take over)…... “This Pepsi add just came on, I’ve seen it 100 times, it’s on auto play on ESPN. Today, after the short amount of time we’ve spent together THIS ad had me all choked up and teary. It’s BS. You’ve pulled the pin on my heart, since day one at Panera. I just thought you should know; let’s never mention this again.”

So I didn’t. Hence the reason Perry’s question sucked me through the porthole in time. I can tell you the exact spot I was standing the first time I spoke to this man, and exactly where I was standing the day his feelings were revealed. I’ve been utterly enthralled by this rough and tumble Irishman since minute one.

Perry and I were meeting to work on a very special photo shoot, in part for Mike, that I had sworn to secrecy, I’m not a great secret keep so I, of course, in the end let the cat out of the bag. Perry’s amazing photography skills and the beauty of Partington Spring House left me feeling like the proverbial blushing bride!

The notion that all I needed was love and bare feet in the Springwater have dissipated.  I’ve found during the course of our planning, that I wanted our wedding to be small, very, very small and special. With an emphasis on special…..the 13 piece band we’ve booked, yes, that’s right. 13 people, complete with brass. Feel free to laugh, includes a former co-worker of mine from a job that shaped my life in a big way. Ohio Brass & Electric, with their eclectic style, larger than life personalities and array of music was a CLEAR winner in the pool of bands we had interviewed.

Chow plan? Buffet style, classic pasta, salad, bread….keep things simple? HA!!!!!! In this new life, I have admitted that simple is one thing I am not. It seems as if everyone else was fully aware, I was the LAST person to find out. Our food will be provided by world-renowned Chef, Brett Crowe. Brett is currently the Chef at L in Cincinnati, located in the Great American Ballpark Building. Parisian-style cuisine is his specialty, and he will infuse plenty of Parisian-style into our wedding meal. J’aime Paris!  

Our short list of completed planning includes…. an eclectic venue with an abundance of history, a world-class photographer scored via luck from the universe, a distinguished chef, a marvelous band to pull it all together…oh and most importantly….. the goblets have all been secured. I'll be walking down the aisle to the infamous Doris Day song, I couldn't imagine it any other way. All is right in my little corner of the world.  6 days and counting……