The Wedding Meme

1. Where/How did you meet? We were introduced to each other by our mutual friends, the Killicks. Tom worked for my dad, and I also knew him from my time working for Pfizer down in Florida. Kellie's best friend is Becky, who is married to Chris' youngest brother John. The four of us met for happy hour at Rio Grande Cafe at the Reston Town Center. Tom and Kellie had to leave after about an hour, and Chris and I stayed around for another few hours by ourselves just talking.

2. How long have you known each other? 7 years this June 12th.

3. How long after you met did you start dating? We went on our first date the week after we met. We went to Sweetwater Tavern in Centreville. It was a Thursday night. I know this because it was the first year of Survivor and I swore I wasn't going to watch that show. Chris dropped me off at my house at around 8 p.m. and asked if he could stay to watch the show. We weren't able to go on another date until the 4th of July, because both of us were traveling (not together!).

4. How long did you date before you were engaged? 6 months

5. How long was your engagement? 10 months

6. How long have you been married? 5-1/2 years

7. What is your anniversary? October 6, 2001

8. How many people came to your wedding reception? about 150

9. What kind of cake did you serve? A 3-tiered basket weave cake. The top and bottom layers were a white cake with almond flavoring and raspberry filling. The middle cake was carrot (for my dad). I had a groom's cake made for Chris since he loves chocolate. It was a chocolate cake with chocolate fudge icing. There was a picture of Bailey (our dog) on the top. However, no one we've talked to ever got any of it. I think the wait staff must have absconded with it!

10. Where was your wedding? at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Herndon, VA - the same church my parents were married at 34 years earlier. Normally this might not be that note-worthy, except that my family never lived in Northern Virginia. I moved here in 1996, my parents coincidentally moved here in 1998, and Chris just happened to go to St. Joseph.

11. What did you serve for your meal? We had a choice of tenderloin or chicken. Chris had the tenderloin, and I had the chicken - I wish I had gotten the tenderloin it was so good.

12. How many people were in your wedding party? 8 groomsmen, 8 bridesmaids, a ring bearer and a flower girl.

13. Are you still friends with them all? Half of the wedding party was family, the other half we are still friends with - one of the groomsmen we haven't seen since I was pregnant with my first son though!

14. Did your spouse cry during the ceremony? No.

15. Most special moment of your wedding day? There are 3. The first one is when I walked down the aisle. We had a bagpipe play down the aisle after Lori, my maid of honor, and then the organ played me down the aisle - all I could do was look at Chris standing up there. The second is when Chris and I said an extra prayer/vow. I can't remember the name of it, but we each promised to be the best husband/wife we could be and that if God blessed us with children to be the best parents we can be. The last was when everyone held hands during the Our Father.

16. Any funny moments? When my brother was in college he ran hurdles, and started this "Leg Dance" that has become a tradition of sorts at McDonald family weddings. My brother started the "Leg Dance", and then my dad went out and all of a sudden all of my uncles were out there kicking their legs up like they were Rockettes!

17. Any big disasters? Not a big disaster, but we didn't realize that Herndon High School's homecoming parade was the same morning as our wedding, and streets were closed down. Our videographers made it just in time to record my mom being seated. And our photographer's assistant just didn't show because she had trouble getting to the church so we had to recreate our kiss since the photographer was reloading his camera at that exact moment in the ceremony. There was a post-near-disaster however. My mom made our ring pillow from part of my paternal grandmother's wedding dress. It was beautiful. After the ceremony, we never talked about who was to retrieve it from our 7 year old ring bearer. After we got home from the honeymoon, we couldn't find the pillow! We asked my mom if she had it, to which we got the horrified response, "You don't know where it its!!??" We spent the next month talking to everyone we knew to see who might have the pillow. Everyone that is except my brother Michael. He and his wife Jennifer put it in their car, and figured we knew where it was, and that they were going to bring it back up at Thanksgiving. Needless to say, during our blessing at Thanksgiving where we say the things we're thankful for, the return of this pillow was right there at the top!

18. Where did you go on your honeymoon? We went to Young Island, which is a resort on the island of St Vincent - south of St. Lucia, north of Grenada. It was the most amazing time. While we were there, the anthrax scare was happening. There were no phones, televisions, newspapers on the island. The only thing was a New York Times digest. It was very surreal to read about it.

19. How long were you gone? 10 days.

20. If you were to do your wedding over, what would you change? I would have our wedding at 2 pm instead of 11 am - I had to get up at O-dark-thirty to go get my hair done!

21. What side of the bed do you sleep on?: Looking at the bed from the footboard, I sleep on the right side.

22. What size is your bed? King.

23. Greatest strength as a couple? Our faith.

24. Greatest challenge as a couple? My desire to spend, and his desire to save. It's a constant work in progress.

25. Who literally pays the bills? He does

26. What is your song? Hmmm I don't know that we actually have a song. The night that we determined we were boyfriend/girlfriend, we were at a Jimmy Buffet concert, and we danced/swayed to A Pirate Looks at Forty. Not very romantic, but it always makes me smile when I hear it.

27. What did you dance your first dance to? I Could Write a Book by Harry Connick, Jr.

28. Describe your wedding dress: Halter/tank dress with seed pearl beading on the bodice, a plain, full skirt with seed pearl design on the bottom of the dress.

29. What kind of flowers did you have at your wedding? White roses and alstromeria. My bouquet had a porcelein Irish horseshoe tied to it for luck.

30. Are your wedding bands engraved? Yes. They say C & C 10.6.01

31. How old were you when you got married? 30