Some news about the wedding
So, it has been floating around, mentioned, whispered and flat out stated that Anne Marie and I are now married. I would like to take this moment to put that matter to rest quite decisively:
Erm, yes and no.
Yesterday afternoon, Anne Marie and I signed the legal documents stating our willingness to be a lawfully wedded couple in the state of Oregon. It was a nice little thing down at Ava's Roasteria, with the good Reverend Chris Schneider presiding over the signing. As of that date (and more officially on Monday when I drop off the paperwork) we will be legally married.
This is where we would like to make a distinction for every one of you who have been so supportive and excited about our ceremony in August. I would like to make it clear that we are still getting married in August, with the full ceremony, reception, awkward toasts, and crammed reception hall. THE WEDDING IS NOT OFF.
This stems from two factors. The first is that we obtained our marriage license so early as a fiscally responsible beginning to our marriage. The state of Oregon and the federal government will not accept marriage licenses issued in or after August for the purposes of obtaining financial aid for that fall term. This means that in order for us to start our married education on the right foot and avoid as much debt as possible early in our marriage, we needed to get our license as soon as possible to submit to our respective financial and educational institutions. With financial factors being the number one stressor in marriages, it is the best idea for us to not to accumulate debt early on because of a tradition we don't subscribe to anyway.
Which leads me to the second point: the legal marriage we are in the process of obtaining is not, for us, what makes us a married couple. If the marriage license was the be-all, end-all of marriage, all weddings would consist of the couple, two witnesses and a judge. It is because we want to express our commitment before our families, our friends, and before God that we have a ceremony where we can all celebrate the life Anne Marie and I are making together with the support of all of you.August 15th is when we will be married not because a slip of paper from Oregon says so, but because we have been affirmed in our faith, by our families, and in front of our peers. That is what being married means to us, and we hope you all will still come and share in that with us.
I hope this has made things a little clearer for anyone confused about what has been going on. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to send us an email, drop a text or call.
With love,
Jeff and Anne Marie
