Darren had no idea that I was planning this, and I wanted to make it more special than a typical dinner night in, so I did a little research before putting everything together.
First, I had to come up with a main dish that was new and interesting, and not too difficult to make. So, after browsing my "Yum." board on Pinterest, I decided to try my hand at this manicotti recipe: http://www.skinnymom.com/2012/11/23/skinny-manicotti/?_szp=211214
I didn't quite keep it as skinny as she did, though, because I knew Darren would probably want some meat in his pasta, so I added Italian meatballs (chopped up into small pieces) into the spinach mix (how else was I going to get Darren to eat spinach?!). I also wanted to incorporate a few St. Louis-y items into the meal, since we were celebrating not only a year of marriage but also a year of living together in the Lou, so I bought and used some pasta sauce from a famous local Italian neighborhood, The Hill.
I picked out a bottle of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon) to pair with our pasta dinner, and decided to take a leap of faith on a new winery, Concannon. To be completely honest, I chose this because it was inexpensive and had our last name within the title. I was utterly surprised to find it quite delicious, so if you're looking to try something new, I recommend it!
Since we're still in April, my favorite flower (and staple at our wedding), the hydrangea, is in full bloom. I decided to put together a bouquet of the green and blue blooms to put on our table to help tie in some of the decorations of our wedding with our little celebration.
And, of course there's dessert. I know we had cheesecake on our actual anniversary two weeks ago, but you can't just watch your wedding video (and see you stuff each other's faces with cake), without having something sweet to celebrate with. So, I decided to finally check out one of St. Louis' favorite cupcake bars, Jilly's cupcakes. I picked out a cupcake for each of us (a Reese's themed one for Darren and a caramel turtle one for me), so that when the time came in the video, we would have something to smoosh into our noses.
I also prepared a salad and some bread to go along with the main course, trying to round out the meal.
I rearranged some of the furniture in our living room and scooted the table up towards the TV, so we could enjoy watching the video while we ate our delicious dinner. It was fun to take the time to set the table and light the candles for just the two of us to enjoy, instead of saving those things for just when guests come over. It was also neat to think about all of the kind and thoughtful wedding gifts I used while I prepared and served the meal; I still remember who got us what items and enjoyed thinking of the joy it would bring each person to know how I was using the gift they picked out for us.
When Darren got home from work, he was greeted with a warm meal and a planned romantic evening, neither of which happen very often. I sat him down and pressed play, and immediately we were taken back to the day we became husband and wife.
I think both of us took a lot from being able to listen to our minister, Joey's, lesson during our ceremony. Sometimes it's nice to be reminded of what marriage means, what we promised each other, and how we knew it wasn't going to be easy. It was also great to hear our audience singing "God is Love" and experience that all over again. And when Joey announced that Darren could now kiss his bride, I got a great big smooch!
When we got to our first dance, Darren and I remembered what we were laughing and whispering about to each other, and he even stood me up and twirled me around a couple of times in our living room!
Over the course of the video, we saw some friends who we haven't since that day -- and it was so lovely to see their love and support again. We also commented on how many couples who were at our wedding are now married themselves, some of those weddings we were able to attend and some we weren't, but we really enjoyed seeing them interact with each other before they were even husband and wife.
When it came time for the cake cutting, we got our cupcakes ready and successfully smooshed them into each other's faces (even more so than we did on our actual wedding day!). I realized that, even a year later, I'm still terrible at aiming for Darren's mouth while I am distracted by cake in mine.
Cake faces!
Overall, it was a lovely experience. I encourage each of you who has a wedding video to start a tradition of watching it together. Not only does it help you remind each other of how it felt that day, but also appreciate how far you have come since them. Don't get me wrong, I loved Darren on April 14, 2012, but the love I had for him then is nowhere near as strong or complex as the love I have for him now. I have learned to treasure him for his quirks and strengths I didn't even realize he had, and I have also learned to be patient and understanding in difficulties I didn't know we'd face.
Marriage is a treasure, and I am so glad we took the time to celebrate with a nice little dinner at home.
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