Romance in January: Warming the Winter Weather with “I Do”

When my wife and I chose to get married on 07-07-07, it seemed like the perfect plan. But many decisions later, we moved the Pennsylvania summer wedding to a Minnesota January ceremony. Looking back, maybe we should have kept our original date, but the winter nuptial proved grand!

First you have snow. Snow amplifies the beauty of the church, photos, indoors, outdoors, and the bride herself. But to the bride, beware the facility that worries over its heating bill. To the groom, beware the other groomsmen who will most certainly bombard you with snowballs. Obviously, if you really want to tie the knot outdoors, and she really wants a winter date, you may have to start practicing that selflessness early.

Then you have the holidays. If you get married near Christmas or New Year’s, many people will have time off to attend your wedding. Of course, others will not be able to come because of their vacation plans. But a long-term bonus is your anniversary may land on school or work breaks, so future annual getaways may be easy.

Another travel note: a winter marriage makes the honeymoon easy to plan. If your big day occurs in the southern United States, you simply go north for the honeymoon. It is a terrific way to get a break from your warm winter. Go skiing in Colorado or Montana! Furthermore, you get to return home just after you get frost bite and wonder why you ever left the desert or the beach.

On the other hand, if you get married above the Fortieth Parallel, you simply head for California, Florida, Hawaii, or—in our case—Texas. One advantage is that you can thaw out together as you start taking on the world together. Another perk is subtle, but marvelous—you hit these southern locations in the off-season. Certain things, like the famous San Antonio River Walk, were nearly empty. But trees stick around all year, and nice restaurants and national monuments rarely close. We felt like we had all these to ourselves!

In the end, the guy gets the girl and the girl gets the guy. The marriage is more important than the wedding anyway. And any down sides of getting hitched in winter fade away when love, respect, truth, and purity rule the two hearts becoming one.

~~~~~~~~
(Originally published by Yahoo! Voices.)