Shannon over at The Cole Mine just tagged me to do a marriage meme, in honor of Valentine’s Day. Although I’m not much of a sucker for Valentine’s Day, I am a sucker for my husband and am pretty excited about this opportunity to walk down Memory Lane…

1. Where / how did you meet?

We met at a boxing match in Mexico City, Mexico. I was a Production Coordinator for Showtime (the cable network) and he was a freelance Audio Guy. I’d seen his name on paperwork around the office and thought, “man, he must be cute with that name…” Sure enough, he was. He was also spoken for at the time. But not for long…

2. How long have you known each other?

About 10 years? Coming up on 11? I think?

3. How long after you met did you start dating?

I guess about 8 months later. In Las Vegas. It involved the TV show “Cops,” a smoky casino and beer. Very classy.

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

Uh… about 5 years? I think?

5. How long was your engagement?

5 months!

6. How long have you been married?

Coming up on 6 years.

7. What is your anniversary?

August 24th. But only because that’s when The Game Creek Club was free. There’s no magic reason behind that date…

8. How many people came to your wedding reception?

About 60. It was a destination wedding, really tough to get to, and I was touched that that many people felt that strongly about us to make it to our wedding…

9. What kind of cake did you serve?

Vanilla cake with raspberry and a fondant icing, decorated with wildflowers. Real wildflowers. And there was also a chocolate Groom’s cake. Variety is the spice of life, you know…

10. Where was your wedding?

We were married outside at 10,000 feet above sea level in Vail, Colorado. That’s a place that’s very close to my heart. I’ve spent winters there (and a good number of summers, too) since I was a tyke and although my husband was loyal to Telluride as a kid, I was able to bring him over to my side. We knew right away that’s where we were going to wed. It was officiated by a local judge who blessed us with a Navajo blessing that still makes my heart race when I read it. Our reception was then at The Game Creek Club, a private club at the top of the mountain that my family belongs to. It was literally a dream come true, and if you know my husband and I personally, you will know that there was no other wedding in the world that was better going to capture who we are than the one we had. It was, quite literally, perfect.

11. What did you serve for the meal?

Rack of lamb and salmon.

12. How many people were in your bridal party?

Three on each side. My half-sister was my Maid of Honor and my husband’s sister and her daughter were my Bridesmaids. My husband’s brother was his Best Man and my husband’s nephew and my brother were Groomsmen.

13. Are you still friends with them all?

Of course! We kept it all in the family…

14. Did your spouse cry during the ceremony?

You bet.

15. Most special moment of your wedding day?

Besides the obvious, becoming husband and wife? Walking down the aisle (which was nothing more than a dirt path) with my father on one side and my mother on the other. I’m a traditionalist and knew I’d have my father walk me down the aisle, but as the daughter of a single mother (my parents were divorced when I was 8), I knew that I’d be an ass if I didn’t have the one person who truly worked her ass off to give me everything in the world I could ever want or need walk me down the aisle. Thankfully, my very traditional father was OK with that. It was blissful.

16. Any funny moments?

Uh, yeah. Probably too many to tell. But the one that sticks out the most is when my soon-to-be husband mistakenly tripped over his words and mentioned “to obey” in his little speech. Everyone on my side laughed out loud and a handful screamed out “you don’t know the women in this family if you think that’s going to happen!” My husband looked a little like a deer caught in headlights. But it occurs to me that maybe it was one of those Freudian slips? Yes, the women in my family might be a little feisty. I’m proud of it. Don’t tell me what to do. That’s my motto and I’m sticking to it. And teaching it to my girls. But that’s a story for another day.

17. Any big disasters?

You bet. My brother, who is allergic to shellfish, ate an appetizer made with scallops and went into anaphylactic shock and had to leave the reception in an ambulance, which was little more than a pick-up truck that said “EMERGENCY!” on the side and had some sort of a jerry-rigged basket on the bed. Fun times.

18. Where did you go on your honeymoon?

We didn’t. Not at the time, anyway. My husband was working for MTV and had to get back to NYC as soon as humanly possible. Because, you know, there are so many musical emergencies to tend to when you are in his biz. Note the sarcasm… Three years later, I did meet him in Athens, Greece at the tail end of the Olympics. He’d been gone for six weeks at the time, and I missed him. A lot. I came home with a bun in the oven. Best trip of my life and so worth the wait.

19. How long were you gone?

10 days. Long enough to get blissfully knocked up. Talk about an awesome souvenir.

20. If you were to do your wedding over, what would you change?

Not a freaking thing. It was heaven. Oh, wait. I guess I would’ve mentioned to my dopey little brother that the appetizer was shellfish, and please don’t eat it because I don’t want you to die.

21. What side of the bed do you sleep on?

The one closest to the bathroom. I have a small bladder.

22. What size is your bed?

King! Of course!

23. Greatest strength as a couple?

We want the same things in life. It doesn’t get much better (or easier!) than that.

24. Greatest challenge as a couple?

He’d say it’s getting me to stop swearing. I’d say getting him to quit grabbing my ass every time I get out of the car.

25. Who literally pays the bills?

Me.

26. What is your song?

We don’t have one. Is that wrong? We dig music, we just don’t have a song. Although, the first time we broke up, Matchbox 20′s “Smooth” was playing on the car radio as we drove to park his car in a lot in NYC. I don’t remember why I was still hanging around with him the morning after I dumped him, I guess it’s because I really just like him. Needless to say, we remained extremely close friends during that little break. And I still dig the song.

27. What did you dance your first dance to?

We didn’t have dancing at our wedding because it was a day-time wedding and that would’ve been kind of weird. But the first song that the band played was “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” by old Blue Eyes. And I do. Still. To this very day.

28. Describe your wedding dress.

Reem Acra. White. Halter. Filthy hem from being wed outside. Awesome. It wasn’t my original dress. The original was a very vintage-y looking dress that was clingy and simple and sophisticated. But when it came back to the bridal salon and I went in for my final fitting, the seamstress said to me, when I couldn’t get it past my shoulders, “did you gain some weight since I last saw you?” Needless to say, I had not, she almost lost a tooth and I got my new and lovely dress for a song.

29. What kind of flowers did you have at your wedding?

Wildflowers.

30. Are your wedding bands engraved?

Nope. But I do have a little something up my sleeve for my husband…

And now, who would I like to learn more about in terms of their relationship? Who wouldn’t I is more like it! So I will tag Meredith, Nona and Latte Mommy (back at you!). As always, this is a no pressure meme, so by all means, feel free to ignore it. And if I didn’t tag you, don’t take it personally! And feel free to go ahead and do it anyway (it’s a good one!). But please, leave me a comment that you’ve done it so I can read it!

Thanks, Shannon. That was fun. And it’s so nice to be reminded that I did indeed marry the man of my dreams.