Personal Narrative - Our Marriage Essay -- Personal Narrative Writing

Our Marriage Our official journey began on August 2, 1997 in Las Vegas. That was our wedding day and my official entry into married life. Tim and I said, ?I do? in Clark County, Nevada. The clerk declared us 'best friends for life' in a ceremony with just the two of us. That declaration was more profound and welcomed than one any priest could have made. Our wedding cost a total of seventy-two dollars, this included the license and ceremony. I should also include the cost of what I call 'our wedding planner.' His name was Jake and he was a taxi driver, he charged us fifteen dollars and we tipped him fifteen for his extra duties, it was a special day. When we arrived in Las Vegas from Boulder our car started to over heat from the long drive through the hot desert. We decided to park it at the hotel. We hailed a cab and set off to find a place to get married. We had a deadline; our honeymoon was scheduled to begin the next day. The cab driver drove us past several different chapels giving us details about each one. After a brief survey of chapels we asked him to drop us off at the justice of the peace. The chapels just seemed too cheesy and besides, I had no real affection for Elvis. He dropped us off in front of a large, very official looking building to get the license and he directed us across the street to a small brick office wher e the ceremonies are held. I had the distinct feeling that he has provided this service a few times before in his career. I soon found myself waiting in line behind a frail elderly man with a huge smile on his face; he stood next to a young girl, she looked equally happy. The man wore a red velvet jacket and the girl wore a shimmering red dress with spaghetti straps. It was a dress that would... ...ming with life. The smell of the flowers was intense and enlivening. The breeze that was not restricted by car windows, the heat that was not reflected by a rooftop or eradicated by air conditioning, the rain that was not repelled by anything more than my poncho, I was one with all of it. As I biked past, I moo'd as loud as I could at the cows in the fields and felt happy doing it. I even occasionally rode in the van when I was tired. Today I question my fears before I give into them. The questioning usually results in nothing that I can rely on as a concrete reason for forgoing an experience. The way we chose to get married, I had up to the last minute to change my mind. No wedding guests, invitations, seating arrangements, flowers, or caterers. Today seven and a half years later, I can say my marriage is the thing that has brought me the most joy in my life.