In late 2009, I sent Joey a message on Facebook. Though I’d known him for years through some friends of friends, I hadn’t realized that he made really cool art. I loved making art, too and was curious to chat about his style and process.
One quick drink that fateful night turned into five dates over the next month. He moved into my place 4 months later and within 9 months of that meeting, we were married. Things moved quickly by anyone’s standards but I wasn’t worried — I’d learned to trust my intuition and have always lived by the premise that when things feel right in life, you’ve just gotta go for it.
I’ve never been known to be traditional and I wasn’t about to start with our wedding. We had basically no budget and the thought of running up debt for our special day just didn’t feel like a smart start to our life together. Instead, we flew to Vegas in September of 2010 with my BFF Bianca in tow and headed downtown for a quick ceremony in a chapel next to a pawn shop. It was short, sweet and full of lots of laughs. We did things our way and I don’t regret it at all.
A few years after we were married, I was walking through Nordstrom when I spotted a dress on the mannequin with a bold, chartreuse stripe cutting through the middle. It was perfect for a trip I was taking to Palm Springs the next day to shoot promotional photos with Made U Look. I bought it on the spot.
Little did I know at the time that a single dress would end up inspiring our 5th anniversary party invites. Joey and I never had a celebration for our families and skipped taking a honeymoon. We passed on a lot of the more common wedding basics and I love a good excuse to throw a party so 5 years in, we are hosting a backyard gathering in September and inviting all our loved ones.
And, it just happens that I’m really good friends with a letterpress shop in town, Darling Press. Our upcoming party felt like the perfect opportunity to embrace some special touches and design a letterpress piece my family could keep forever. Last week, I brought in my dress and we color matched the chartreuse stripe to the edges for a perfect match.
After our backyard party with our families, Joey and I are flying to Palm Springs to relax and commemorate our 5 years of marriage and it’s the perfect opportunity to bring that aforementioned dress along to once again shoot with Made U Look. This time, I’m even going to have a legit bouquet! 😉
It’s funny how everything works out. I’m glad we went with what we had at the time. Having a limited budget and little time never impacted how we felt about our day or each other. Without all the flash and distractions, it allowed us to focus on what mattered most: our relationship.
Five years in, this all feels right.
Whatever your plans are, always make sure that outside pressures don’t get in the way. Do things exactly the way you want — it’s your special day, after all.
2010 Till Forevs will be continued later this year with photos from our backyard celebration and also, our shoot in Palm Springs. Thanks for reading!
Palm Springs Photos: Made U Look.
Letterpress: Darling Press.
Steff says: 
Misaki Shimizu 
Emily 
