This past weekend in Austin, TX, I got married to the most beautiful, kind, smart, loving, sexy and sweetest person I have ever met. I can’t even begin to express in words how I feel but I will try my hardest. I feel like the luckiest man on the planet and I have never felt so passionate about moving forward in my life with someone. I find myself thinking how life will be 5, 10 and even 20 years out. The truth is that I have no idea what will happen but I do think we will be in deep love forever, will both be financially independent in our 40’s and I think this is just the beginning of a perfect life. Sounds cheesy I know, but it’s just how I feel right now about it. I am dedicating this post to my new wife and hopefully our future children will read this one day.
A Little History
I proposed on New Year’s eve just this past year in New Orleans. You can click that link to read the whole story about it but to give you a quick summary: We met about 8 years ago and were friends for 5 and half years before we connected romantically. There was always chemistry between us and our bond was inevitable. For the past two and a half years we have been together and loved every minute of it. We have traveled together, seen amazing music shows, and have lived a really laid back yet fun life so far. I am really looking forward to the future.
Why Did We Plan The Wedding So Soon?
We scheduled the wedding date only 5 and half months after the proposal. Yes that is crazy fast and ideally we wanted to schedule it for the summer time but if you are familiar with Texas then you will know that it is just too darn hot to do a wedding during the summer months plus we wanted an outdoor wedding. After summer would have been more ideal but we both thought that was too long of a time to wait. At this point, we are both in our 30s and we decided there is no point in being engaged for a long time. Plus we both really want to begin our married lives and begin to prepare for a brighter future both financially and personally. So eventually we made the decision to move it up to May and here we are. It was quite hectic planning a wedding in such a short period of time and we did go through a few periods of stress however it was well worth it as you will see below. Luckily, my wife’s friend was previously a wedding coordinator and she helped us through the whole process free of charge. We lucked out on that one for sure as she knew exactly what to do every little step of the way.
The Wedding Morning
Believe me when I say that the anticipation of waiting for your actual wedding day grows tremendously strong the closer you get to the day. The wedding was not until 6pm however I woke up at 6am because I could not sleep anymore just thinking about the day. I had butterflies in my stomach all day, could not eat and was feeling overwhelmed with thoughts of how the day would go. I eventually forced myself to eat and paced anxiously until it was time to get dressed. On top of that, after having a whole week of sunshine the weather decided to turn on us and rain down all day. I am a pretty laid back guy so I quickly accepted that if it rains on our outdoor wedding, then so be it! The good news is that we had prepared for any chance of rain by having huge tents/canopies setup at the venue. Fortunately my family was with me all day which helped the day go by faster. Eventually I got dressed and head out to the venue a few hours early so we could do “first look” photos. First look photos is when you get to see the bride for the first time in her wedding dress prior to the actual wedding ceremony.
The Wedding
As I was driven to the wedding venue, the rain came down harder and I couldn’t believe we were in the middle of a down pour. All I could think about was if my soon to be wife was stressing out over it. My nerves at this point were stronger than ever. I honestly do not recall ever feeling this way in my life. It was not bad nerves though, it was more a feeling of excitement and anxiousness and not knowing what my bride was going through. Shortly after, the photographers began setting us up for the “first look” photos which consisted of myself looking in the opposite direction of where the bride would come in from. The plan was for my bride to tap my left shoulder and then I would turn around and take a look at the beauty I was getting ready to marry. Two professional photographers were setup in the front and back of us to capture this moment.
As I stood there waiting for the tap on the shoulder I could not help but be super emotional about what was happening. It was almost like being a kid on Christmas morning or something but multiply that by 10!! The tap came and I slowly turned around. Holy Cow!!!! I could not believe what I was looking at. My bride stood there in her wedding dress looking the most beautiful I have ever seen her before. My eyes immediately teared up as did hers and we gazed at each other for a few seconds before we hugged and kissed. I honestly had no words for about 30 seconds after that. As a matter of fact, the first words out of my mouth were “I am speechless”. I’m sure the photographers got a kick out of this and captured some really good pics. Unfortunately it will be about another week before the pics are ready for us to see. After this photo session my butterflies went away and I felt a lot better. I think it was a really good idea to do the first look photos and we both agreed the day was perfect, rain or shine!
Shorty after we prepared for the ceremony. The moment we have been waiting for was just a few minutes away. The rain continued to fall as I stood underneath the canopy with the minister and the multitude of family and friends behind me. 160 people in fact. It was quite a scene and it all felt very surreal. Call it a miracle, luck, or a sign from the gods but just when my bride was scheduled to come out of the house to do the final walk up the aisle with her father, the rain stopped, the sun came out and the rays of sunshine gleamed down upon us. It was truly amazing!!! As she walked up my emotions were in full steam again and my eyes watered up yet again. Then as she finally reached the altar we looked at each other and knew all was well. We had reached this pivotal moment together and were literally only a few minutes away from being husband and wife.
The ceremony was very short and we intentionally planned it that way. The minister who also happens to be my cousin was young, energetic and funny which turned out to be a real crowd pleaser. Overall, the ceremony itself at the altar was probably just a tad bit under 10 minutes long. We said our quick vows, placed our rings on each other and locked in the kiss of marriage. The crowd exploded and tears of joy were all over the place as we walked down the aisle. It was a truly remarkable experience and will probably come down in history as the most memorable day of my life.
The next 3 hours were spent eating amazing food and drinking lots of alcohol. Well at least the guests were drinking lots of alcohol. My new wife and I spent most of the time trying to have brief conversations with everyone, dancing and enjoying this precious evening together. We could not have asked for a better wedding. As a matter of fact, we had multiple people tell us it was the best wedding they have ever been to.
How Much Did The Wedding Cost?
Well this is a personal finance blog after all right? And you already know how much money I have because of my net worth posts so I figure I might as well let you know how much the wedding was. Overall with rings included, dinner expenses and all other random costs that we incurred because of the wedding the costs were right about $36k. I don’t know about you but that is a LOT OF MONEY!! Luckily, we did not have to pay for all of that. My beautiful wife’s parents stepped up and paid a big chunk of that to help out. I am truly grateful for them doing so and they wanted to help. After all, my wife is their only daughter and they too have probably dreamed of this day for her. You will see a significant drop in my net worth on my next net worth update for May so keep an eye out. 😉
When and Where Is The Honeymoon?
Time to party!!!!!! The honeymoon is the best part right? Ha, well not to be a debby downer or anything but we decided to postpone the honeymoon until September. Why you ask? Well planning the wedding in 5 months was no easy task and we did not want to stress out about planning a honeymoon also during that time frame. We are also trying to be somewhat money conscious now that the wedding is over and our plans to become financially independent means that we need to at least try to save money right? By going in September it will allow us to save some money on travel costs as well as give us the much-needed more time to plan the honeymoon. Right now we are leaning on going to Costa Rica for about a week. In the next few weeks we will be planning the honeymoon and I will let you know in my May net worth update where we decided on.
And that my friends is the story of my wedding. I got married!! There is now a Mr and a Mrs Cash Flow Diaries! I have never been happier then I am right now!
Congratulations! Glad the weather work out when you need it. Sounds like it was a great day! Best of luck to you and the Mrs. When is she taking over the blog? 🙂
Thanks Brian. Indeed it was a great day! Haha, she is actually thinking about starting her own food blog.
Awesome, I would follow that! ..ok now you’re making me hungry.
Hey I read your guatemala post and really enjoyed it as I have been there multiple times and have experienced similar things. I tried leaving you a comment on the post but it wont let me, I keep getting a 404 error. You might want to check it out, I doubt any of your comments are working on your blog.
Great story…congrats to both of you….i’m glad the weather worked out and that you had a beautiful day and great memories…
i’m getting married next weekend and we hope to have an outdoor ceremony too…NYC in May is a bit tricky b/c he could be 50 or 80 degrees….we have an indoor contingency plan if it rains…
don’t fret about not going on a honeymoon right away, we are doing the same thing (going to Florida in August)…the only concern about Costa Rica would be the Zika virus…
Thanks Mike! The weather was crazy that day and it really was crazy how it cleared up just in time. That is awesome you are getting married next weekend. I wish you two the best and try and enjoy that day as much as you can regardless of weather. I like your contingency plan though. I think its the right decision to postpone the honeymoon and we did look into the Zika virus but read that was mainly in south america and costa is in central america so I think we should be fine. Hopefully!!
Congratulations buddy. You were gushing about her when we met up in March, so I knew you were happy. Short engagements are a great idea. We had a 6 month engagement, and I wish it had been 3. Families get stupid before a wedding…..at least ours did…..and the less time and drama they get….the better 🙂
We’re back from our extended roadtrip, so let me know when you want to catch up.
-Bryan
Oh wow I didnt realize your engagement was short as well. Haha that is a solid point you bring up about family drama and it is so true! Glad to hear you are back from your roadtrip and cant wait to hear a recap. We’ll catch up soon!
Congratulations!
Wow, dedication to this blog, you just got married! So is your wife joining forces?
Thanks Tracy!! I really wanted to write about the wedding as it is still fresh in my head plus I feel bad now if I don’t post at least one post a week. Ha, well she is not necessarily going to join forces with my on CFD but we have been talking about her starting a food blog so that may be coming in the future. I think she would be a great food blogger. Just needs to find the time to do it.
Oh wow…. great news!!! Heartiest congratulations to both of you!! We look forward to hear from Mrs Cash Flow Diaries 🙂
Thanks Vivek!! Really appreciate it. Mrs CFD may just write a guest post someday. That is not a bad idea. Ill talk to her about it. 🙂
Congrats on the wedding, CFD. Wishing you and your wife a lifetime of happiness together.
R2R
Thanks so much R2R!!
Awww! Many congratulations to you and your wife! 🙂
I think that’s a great idea to postpone the honeymoon. This way, you have two romantic events at separate times instead of all at once.
As for your net worth, I’m sure it’ll jump back up soon enough. Your wedding expenses are totally worth it!
Thanks Aliyyah! You know I didnt think of it that way but that makes sense. Now we have something huge to look forward to later on this year. I cant wait! Yeah im not too worried about my net worth. Its a one time experience and I wouldnt take it back for the world.
Congrats. As you move through your life, it’ll amaze you how looking back on this day can offer so many different perspectives.
Thanks! Its all still super fresh in my memory so im hoping years from now I can still remember and picture exactly how it went at least in my eyes.
Congratulations! A short ceremony is definitely the way to go. Back when I got married, the officiant went on for quite a long time, and my bouquet was a heavy wad of flowers, so after the first 10-15 minutes, I felt like my wrist was going to break. Then, when I thought it was finally about to be over, he started SINGING for another 5 minutes. And then he got stung by a bee. Hahaha!
Haha that is so funny! I havent been to a ton of weddings but I imagine most people have more traditional longer cermonies. Its funny you mention the bouquet because the one my wife had was also really heavy. She was very excited about not having to hold it for a long time.
Congratulations Alex!
More responsibility and more cash flows 🙂
Thanks Bin!
Congrats on the wedding! Part of building wealth is spending it, and I can’t think of a better reason to do so!
Wise words spoken! Have to spend money to make money. In this case the expenses won’t pay me financially but they will emotionally.
Congrats! I am so excited for my big day, but not going to add up all the costs spread out over the last year, let alone publish them. Too scared to know what that number actually is and nothing good will come out of me having that number in the back of my mind haha.
Haha yeah I was really worried about how much it would be but eventually just accepted it. You know I read just yesterday that europeans spend on average about $5k on weddings while americans spend $30k average. Its insane! We need to learn from the europeans. 🙂
Congrats to you both!
Thank you Katerina!
Congratulations Alex! This is wonderful news and hope Mrs cash flow to join the forces soon. Enjoy and have a great married life !
Thanks Mayank! The forces will definitely be joined soon! 😉
Congrats on the wedding! Wishing you many years of happiness. I dated Anna for several years before we got married, so there were no feelings of rush when we got married within 6 months of engagement.
We actually planned our entire wedding in 2 months because you can’t set a date until the prenup is signed. In my mind, planning over such a short timeframe allows you to make a decision and move on with it, whereas long engagements lead to “analysis paralysis” because you have so much time to get into the minutiae and over analyze things that ultimately don’t matter.
Thanks Lee! Sounds like your marriage was very similar to mine. Glad to hear! Wow I cant believe you planned your wedding in 2 months. That must be a record of some sort so congrats on pulling that off. I do agree with you that the shorter the timeframe to plan, the more actionable you must be and prevents any overthinking. That is a great point!
Ahhhh such a sweet post, big congratulations to both of you! Love that you are both so focused on your goal of financial independence, sounds like the perfect match!! Great idea to wait until September for the honeymoon, spread out the excitement!
Aww thanks Rachel! We really are meant to be together and it will be a dream come true when we are both financially independent and RVing across the country with no obligations. Will be awesome!
Congrats Alexander! Sounds like a great day! We did a “first look” as well and it was the best thing we did. It was amazing have that moment for just us. Congrats again!
Thanks Thias! I never even know about the first look until the photographer mentioned it but I definitely think its a must thing to do. The jitters go away after that moment and I think it makes the ceremony part easier.
Congratulations to you both and best wishes on your journey. Just wanted to let you know that May – October is rainy season in Costa Rica with October usually having the heaviest rain.
You may still enjoy it. 😉
Cheers,
MG
Hi MG! Thanks so much! I have actually been to Costa during the rainy season before on the pacific side and it wasnt too bad. It rained almost every day but only for about an hour in the afternoon it seemed like. This time we will be going on the Caribbean side which apparently has less rain so we’ll see how it turns out. Either way, we won’t let a little rain slow us down.
Congrats – this will be your most important investment. Nurture it every day.
That is a sweet thing to say, I like that! Thanks so much. I will nurture it every day until the day I die!
Congratulations! Married life will give you a whole new set of topics to write about I imagine. Wishing you every bit of happiness.
Hey Lloyd, I have a few posts in mind already involving my investments and married life so you’re absolutely right! Thanks so much!
Congrats! I wish you all the best! Exciting times ahead!
Thanks so much Mark! Really appreciate it.
Congrats!
Thanks Lane!
Congratulations! I wish you all the best in this new phase of your life.
Thanks so much Elle!
Congrats buddy! Well done all the way around. You’re are killing it in everything you touch right now, keep it going. Enjoy married life…I sure do!
Oh man! Thanks a lot Chad. I really hope I can stay on this streak! Married life has been great so far.
Mate, congratulations thank you for sharing & it is very refreshing to see someone who’s as keenly in love as you two are 🙂
Shame about that weather, probably wouldn’t happen down under ;), although from the sounds of it, didn’t rain on your parade ha
Thanks Jef! We are deeply in love for sure and are really looking forward to the future. As for the weather, it was gloomy at first but at the end of the day it all worked out. We got lucky in a way!
Congratulations! Marriage has been one of the most challenging yet most rewarding parts of my life. Sharing your life with someone is a big deal but when it’s the right person, there’s nothing better. Have fun!
Thanks Andrew! Really appreciate the remarks. I feel I got really lucky finding the “right person” and she feels the same. We are meant to be! 🙂
Congrats to you and Mrs. Cash Flow Diaries! Wow, planning a wedding in 5 months is no joke! Awesome that you guys got that done.
OMG tell me about it! It was not fun planning the wedding so fast but luckily our wedding coordinator friend provided her services free of charge for us and made life a lot easier.
Huge congrats, so when are you going to print some mini cash flow diaries? Haha.
Tristan
hahaha! Good one, very clever! Well to be honest we might be trying to print some mini’s later on this year. First thing is first though, honeymoon in september!! Then discussions will begin. 🙂
Aw congratulations! I love hearing about wedding stories. So cute. Sounds like you had a great day!
Thanks so much! It was an amazing day and I still have it fresh in my head. We finally got all our wedding pics from the photographer and it was great to relive the moment.
Congratulations! Your love is palpable! May your lives be wonderful!
Thanks for the kind words ZJ!
Congratulations!!! I’m engaged and planning our wedding for this winter! We are also thinking Costa Rica. You’ll have to write up a trip report if you end up going with Costa Rica so we can get the scoop! 🙂
Congratulations to you too Julie! Im so happy for you and this winter is going to be an amazing wedding. I cant wait to hear about it. Oooh, good idea, I will write up a costa rica trip report when i get back. I like that!
Congrats! If $36K includes the engagement ring, then it’s not that bad! Well, I guess it still is kinda a lot. If your wife’s parents paid a lot, did your parents pitch in?
BTW, Costa Rica is currently a ZIKA virus zone. It may not be the best if you are planning to have kids. Do some research on Zika!
Sam
36k does include the engagement ring. Which indeed that would be considered not bad at all for many others. Ive heard people spending up to 100k on everything which is nuts! My parents did not chip in at all, they are broke! Im hoping someday when I have a ton of money to be able to help them out financially.
I have looked into the costa rica zika thing and we arent planning on getting pregnant until sometime next year. Per everything ive read, if you do get affected it can take worst case up to 6 months before its flushed out. So if one of us does get infected, we just have to wait a long time. But from what im reading the percentage of people getting infected there is really minor and we’ll get tested when we get back to make sure.