We Remember I Do's

On this day, 22 years ago we were married. As many of you may (or not) know, our actual names are Dorothy & Patrick. (All photos in this post were taken by friends using film camera and later scanned onto a CD.)

Introducing Grenville & Beatrice (Boyds Bears) 

Beatrice and Grenville are the aliases we have used on this blog. Those names were based on these Boyds Bears collectibles. True Love had a place of honor on the table at our reception dinner. Best Friends are what we consider ourselves.

Today, marks our 22nd anniversary and coincidentally it's also shared with a couple we met years ago. When we lived, we traveled to the Blue Ridge Mountains as did Kath and Andrew, visitors from the UK. From a chance meeting in a hotel for breakfast, we've remained in contact, exchanging birthday, holiday and anniversary greetings. We hope to meet again one day to celebrate our mutual anniversary. Those plans will have to wait awhile longer (sigh). 

Dorothy & Patrick sharing their vows, which were written by them

Our wedding ceremony took place in our home state (NJ) at the United Methodist Church, Bridgewater, NJ, and was officiated by the Rev. George Fisher. We opted for a small ceremony attended by immediate family and some close friends. 

Bubbles bring out the child in everyone, young and older

Bubbles are always a big hit with people of all ages. We made sure everyone had a bottle. (as you can see, the church was undergoing some exterior renovations at the time.)

Immediate family members posed with us for memory photos

Afterwards, it was time for some family photos, which become more precious because of the relatives no longer with us. Top left: us and Pat's daughters, Coleen and Shannon. Top right: us with Pat's late aunt Anita, my sister-in-law Anita, my late mother and nieces Julie and Jamie. Bottom left: us with Pat's late aunt Ann. Bottom right with Pat: my brother Tony, Shannon's fiancé Robert, and Pat's Uncle Russ.

Family members who shared our Special Day and sadly have passed

We had our reception in a favorite restaurant in downtown Somerville, NJ, which we learned in recent years, is no longer there. Top photo is us with my mother and her sister Anna. Bottom left is me and cousin Rick, (we shared the same birthday). Bottom right is Pat and aunts Anita and Ann. Sadly, all the family members have passed away since, but, we have our memories.

Friends & family gathered after our wedding & dinner

At the time of our marriage, we each had our own residence. Pat's house was at the NJ shore and my condo was in Somerville, NJ, which is where an after dinner get together was held. Some of us changed into more comfortable attire.

Pat was laughing as I opened his gift —  a mailbox full of various sized penguins. The date on the mailbox (5/16/97) was to recall our first date. 

Why was I gifted with a penguin filled mailbox?

Here's the backstory. We met online and corresponded for several months because of our differing work schedules and distance of about 70 miles before finally meeting in person. Our communication was solely by email (like in the film, You've Got Mail). There were no no phone calls; our correspondence pre-dated text and video messages. This email is now framed and displayed on our bedroom wall. 

Grenville & Beatrice Boyd share bookcase space with our photos

The Grenville & Beatrice Boyds Bears figurines mentioned herein are displayed on a bookcase in our living room and bear (bad pun) these inscriptions on the bottom:

The great secret of successful marriage is to treat all disasters as incidents and none of the incidents as disasters (Harold Nicholson)

There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved (George Sand)

We're going on a short road trip here in New England to celebrate, no long distance or any out-of-country travel for a while. Our adventures will include a museum visit, agricultural fair, covered bridge, lunch with a blogger friend and, of course, an ice cream treat.  Expect to see some of these adventures in a future post(s). 

Some of our 2021 adventures and enjoyment (so far)

Thanks for sharing our Special Memories by reading this post. We do appreciate it.