Our Armenian Wedding Day

Something I haven't shared much about on this here blog is the fact that we had two weddings. Yep, two. Not really by choice, it just kind of...happened. As I've mentioned, Arsen is Armenian, and his family is very, very proud of their Armenian heritage. They moved here when he was only six years old, so obviously they want to keep their culture alive. And I am all for that, because the more I learn, the more fascinated I am. But it did make for some complicated wedding planning.

Originally we were planning on having one big wedding where we could try to capture the Armenian side of things as well as do all of the fun "American-ized" things I wanted to do. We talked about guest lists, venues, the menu, vodka (a more important aspect than you would imagine), officiants, etc. Everything was kind of up in the air, but we knew there would be A LOT of compromising. To be brutally honest, the last thing a bride really wants on her wedding day is to have to compromise every aspect, but I knew this was important, so I was trying to be understanding.

After what felt like years of looking at venues, we finally found one. It had been my first choice, but we thought it was too small. I ended up deciding that it was exactly what I wanted, so we would just cut the guest list (sorry anyone who didn't get invited, now you know why!). I knew it was super important for Arsen's family that their priest do the ceremony, so that was always the plan. However, after we booked the venue, we found out that he couldn't perform the ceremony unless it took place in a church. Which our venue was not. Sigh.

So basically because of that, and the fact that it is Armenian custom to invite not only your friends, but their children, and their children, and their cousins...we decided two weddings was the only way it would work.

As a stressed-to-the max bride, planning TWO weddings was my ultimate nightmare. Thankfully, thankfully, Arsen's mom and sister planned every single detail of the Armenian wedding. They even bought me a second wedding dress since I wanted the first time Arsen saw me in my actual wedding dress to be at my wedding.

The Armenian wedding took place two weeks before our wedding. I had a lot of friends and family show concern over the Armenian wedding being first, the fact that we wouldn't know which was our true anniversary, and the fact that we would be "married" before our actual wedding. I did have a few reservations, but when it came down to it, none of it mattered. And none of it has been an issue. We consider the American wedding to be our wedding day, September 17th is our anniversary, and we weren't legally married until that day. But September 3rd will always be a very special day to us, and I know to his family as well.

They got to see their baby boy married in the Armenian church, to a girl who had just been baptized in the very same church a week before. (You can't be married in the Armenian church if you've never been baptized, which I hadn't, so we had a ceremony for that as well.) I know in their dreams of this day they never in a million years imagined that he would be marrying a little blonde American woman, but they have come to terms with it and embraced me wholeheartedly.

It was a beautiful ceremony, and the reception was one of the most fun nights of my life. Let me tell you, Armenian people like to party. There were bottles of wine and vodka on every table, more food than you could ever imagine, and a million toasts to our future. There was also dancing....oh my goodness, the dancing. Armenian women dance in a very specific way, and they kept throwing me in the middle and dancing around me in a circle, and I was trying to do this dance that was so awkward and foreign to me...but after a few glasses of champagne I had it down!

My parents and their dates and my uncles who came had so much fun, and will still occasionally bring it up. Arsen's mom said someone told her it was the happiest wedding they had ever been to. She said "Everyone said " Everybody's so happy!". Which was true. We all danced the night away and celebrated the love that Arsen and I have for each other, and these two families that couldn't be more different merging together and becoming a crazy mix of amazing.

Looking back, I'm so incredibly glad that things turned out the way they did. I got the dream wedding I always wanted, and Arsen's family got the wedding of their dreams as well. Arsen's brother was married in Russia after they had moved here, so no one got to go to that one, and his sister and her husband got married in a ceremony at the court house. So this was the blow out wedding they had been waiting for.

It was an amazing day, and it will be such a wonderful thing to share with our children someday. Growing up in a multicultural family will be such a blessing for them I believe. And I'm sure they will love seeing a video of their mom dancing around like a silly white lady in the middle of a bunch of wild and crazy Armenians :)

A Weekend Trip to the OK

Our weekend was a good one, full of friends and family and loooots of driving.

We got to spend a few hours on Friday afternoon with my dad, just chatting and looking at old photos. There were some hilarious ones of of my cousins as children (I'm much younger than all of my cousins on Dad's side, so by the time I was around they were all grown), my parents with bad 80s hair and clothing, and my grandparents hanging out at the dance hall my dad used to own before I came around and ruined all the fun ;) I wish I would have taken some of them so I could share the hilarity with you.

 Addie and Papaw Just Chillin'

I also took a few photos of his baby horses while we were there. My great picture taking expedition was hindered by an unreal amount of disgusting grasshoppers. I hate all bugs, but anything that jumps is at the top of my list. Crickets make me want to cry, and grasshoppers are almost as bad. They were sticking to our car, jumping everywhere, and there were just so many of them. I made Arsen take Addie and I took off running and screaming into the house when we got there so they wouldn't touch me. So needless to say, I took the photos that I did get from a safe distance on his porch.

We then went to my moms for the evening. She's recovering from her gallbladder surgery, so we really just sat around and talked for the most part. Her medicine made her a little drowsy, so we called it an early night. Nothing too exciting, but I'm so glad I got to see her!

Saturday morning we got up bright and early to head for Tulsa. We met up with my friends Nick and Alicia, who just had a baby on St. Patrick's Day and are now living in Indiana. Alicia and I were roommates our freshman year at UCO, and Nick lived on our hall, which is how they met. That year there were four of us girls (Alicia and I and our friends Amanda and Andrea) that were pretty much inseparable. We all met our first day at UCO, and I think coming to school as a freshman not knowing anyone you naturally form a close bond with those around you. I moved to California about two years later, so I unfortunately drifted away from them a bit. I still keep in touch with Alicia pretty frequently, but I hadn't seen any of them in about three years. It was so much fun to catch up and reminisce about our time in college together, and to meet precious little Lizzy! Miss those girls.

Saturday night was spent with my best friend Rachel and her sister Lyndsey. We had a yummy sushi dinner and then went to a nearby bar to have a few drinks. It's hilarious how well Arsen gets along with these girls that I've known almost my entire life...you would think he's known them just as long. In all honesty all they do is make fun of each other, but that's how Arsen shows his affection. But not to me, because I start taking it seriously and then it's not so fun ;)

After our four hour drive home on Sunday we were ready to relax. So that's exactly what we did. Picked up some In N Out, watched TV, and went to bed before 10 pm. For an old married couple that's just about the perfect evening.

Now we're preparing for my dad to come visit this weekend for Father's Day. He never comes to Texas, even though he's only 2 hours away, so I'm super excited! We're planning a cook out and Arsen's parents will probably be joining us, so it should be a pretty good time. I foresee lots of vodka shots and toasts to our future babies in our near future...

Shake It Out

Happy Friday!!!! I'm SO excited the week is coming to an end, and even more excited than usual because we're heading to Oklahoma to see family and friends.

My mom had gallbladder surgery earlier this week, and I felt horrible that I couldn't be there with her. Luckily, her husband was a nurse before he retired, so I felt like she was in pretty good hands. I sent her a little care package in the mail since I couldn't be there, and she loved it. She even took this pic and put it on Facebook to brag about what a wonderful daughter she has (no arguments here).

 

So this afternoon we are heading to see my dad for a few hours, then off to my mom's to spend the night. My dad told me to bring my camera because he has a few new baby horses he wants pictures of. So *hopefully* I will remember and I will have some adorable pictures to share next week! 

After spending the night at mom's tonight, we'll be getting up bright and early to head to Tulsa to see friends. The main reason we're going is to see my friend Alicia, who was my roommate my freshman year at the University of Central Oklahoma (I went there for like 3 semester). She lives near Indianapolis now with her husband Nick so we never get to see them. She had a little one just a few months ago, and this will be their first trip bringing the baby back home to meet everyone. I've seen pictures and baby Lizzy is just precious, so I'm sure this won't be helping the awful case of baby fever I've been dealing with recently.

Saturday night we'll be staying at my best friend Rachel's for the evening. I'm guessing there will be dinner and drinks involved, and plenty of playtime for Addie and Rachel's dog Izzy. They are both insane, so it's always entertaining. And then it's back to Texas Sunday morning! 

Weekends really aren't long enough. How are we supposed to visit 3 different towns and numerous people in just two days? Unreal.

So now I'll leave you with one of my current favorites. I love Florence and the Machine, and this song has been on repeat for a week or two now. The reason I love music so much is because it always makes me feel something so intense and can change my mood in an instant. The best songs always give me chills. This one does it to me almost every time. Hope you enjoy it as well! Have a fabulous weekend!!!