Our First Wedding Since Our Wedding

This past weekend, Bridget and I had the pleasure of attending a wedding in Breckenridge, Colorado. Bridget's childhood friend, Rebecca, and Bryan -- now known as the Applegates -- got hitched and, as you can see from the photo above, it was gorgeous. Like, absurdly gorgeous.

It was also the first wedding Bridget and I attended since we were married in March and, to my surprise, it was a whole different experience.

Every wedding is different, you say. Well, of course. Some are big. Some are small. Some are lame. Some are fun. (This one was.) Some are on the beach. Some are in a church. Right. Weddings are different. But this one was different because we had been through the experience. This time, it was sort of like having a backstage pass. Bridget and I could celebrate -- and sympathize -- like we never had before.

Three examples:
1. We saw Bryan right before the big moment. He was slowly sipping on a beer and trying to avoid seeing his soon-to-be bride. "You nervous?" Bridget asked. "Yeah, a little," he said. "Can you tell?" We could because he neglected to breathe as he spoke. Immediately, my mind went back to the moment before I saw Bridget when I was somewhere in between vomiting, passing out, and crying. I knew exactly how Bryan felt.

2. It briefly started raining during the outdoor ceremony. Now, obviously, no one likes rain during an outdoor wedding, but Bridget and I were the first ones to notice. We stared nervously at each other. "What if the sky opens up?" "Should we go get umbrellas?" "Do you think there's going to be a mudslide?" It sprinkled for a total of 30 seconds, but if you've been through a wedding, you know how important the weather is that day -- and how much you obsess over it.

3. They had trouble with their gift bags, too. The next day, while Bridget and I hiked a trail (pictured to the right) above Breckenridge (which, by the way, is the greatest town ever created), Becca called to say thank you. They chatted about pictures, eyelashes, and all sorts of girl things. And then they chatted about how the hotels made some mistakes with the gift bags. Bridget pointed out that we had the same issue and, immediately, my mind when back to that day when you were so concerned about every ... little ... detail ... going ... exactly ... the ... right ... way. Sure, it doesn't matter in the long run, but when a guest comes all that way and doesn't get their bottle of water, you're angry.

The wedding went off without a hitch -- as most do -- and beer, wine, and sighs of relief flowed freely into the night. But for a night, we were taken back to the amazing highs and the tiny lows. We have two more weddings this fall (congrats Kate and Kate, and Tim and Amanda) and we look forward to attending both. Along with attending, we'll be loudly celebrating and quietly commiserating, too.

To those couples and anyone else getting married this year, good luck with the damn gift bags.