I’m getting married this coming Saturday to the love of my life, Gretchen. We’ve been together for awhile now and have been living together since August 2011. We met online on a blogging site in 2004. We’re a really good fit and we’re both very excited about this.

We’re having a very small ceremony and reception. We’re inviting 22 people, almost all of whom are having to travel from out of town and out of state. The person coming the furthest is coming from Seattle. We feel very honored to be sharing this time with our close friends and family. Some people from our church have inquired about coming. We feel badly, but we didn’t invite the church members. We want a small ceremony and the reception is expensive and we can’t afford to have too many people at the reception.

We’re getting married at the Episcopal church we’ve been attending since last May. We’ve really come to love that church and the people there. It’s very warm and inclusive. The ceremony will be simple. Gretchen’s best friend will be her matron of honor. My father will be my best man.

After the ceremony, we’ll all travel to the Mayor’s Mansion Inn for the reception. We’ve got the place for three hours. It’s a lovely old three story B&B built during the 1800s and it’s really exquisite. We’re having an Italian buffet and our cake will be in one of the parlors. I’ve put together a wedding mix on my iPod, which they’re going to pipe through their allegedly great sound system. I’ve got it starting with stuff from Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, a little Mozart, and ending up with some KC & the Sunshine Band, Bee Gees, Queen, Journey, Tears For Fears, before finishing up with Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.” We’re having enough champagne for a toast and bottles of Pinot Grigio, Merlot, and some Reisling, my personal favorite. We’re hoping our friends and family members mix well since no one will really know each other. We’re also staying there that night, so that’s convenient.

Sunday, we’re returning home. We thought it would be nice to have a Scott & Gretchen visitation day for our out of state guests, just so they could see and talk to us for longer than they would at the wedding. They’re coming a long way. This will give them a chance to see our house and we can all chat for awhile.

On Monday, we leave for the beach at Gulf Shores, AL. I’ve been there before, and truthfully it’s not my favorite beach. Gretchen’s really looking forward to it though, because she loves beaches, and I’m looking forward to getting away, so this will be a good honeymoon. We’re staying at a friend of the family’s condo in a really nice series of high rises called The Beach Club right on the beach, so that’s helpful and convenient.

This is not the first marriage for either of us. We’re each anticipating this will be our last. We feel like we truly fit together as two people are meant to and we have a marvelous relationship. I’m looking forward to spending the rest of my life with Gretchen, and I’m looking forward to this weekend and the following week.