What I Learned From My Courthouse Wedding

You may or may not have noticed that I took a little end-of-summer hiatus from posting on the blog. But I swear there is a really good reason…

I got married!

This post will be a bit different from my regular programming, I hope you don’t mind. I wanted to share this story because I learned some valuable things from this experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. My hopes with sharing this story are that maybe you will be inspired, realize what’s important in life, and do the things in life regardless of what others think. That is when you find PEACE and true HAPPINESS.

I think it is incredibly important because if you live this simple/homesteading lifestyle, people will question you. Sometimes shame you or make you feel like an outcast. Which…I guess most would think we are. But that’s just fine with me. I know the fire I have inside me for this life, and most will never understand.

Anyways…let’s rewind a bit and take you back in time so you can understand our story a bit better.

My husband, Radu, and I have been together for 7 years. I met him three weeks after I turned 18, and he proposed on our 6 year anniversary. We got engaged in the middle of the pandemic in 2020 and stayed engaged for 13 months. We planned to get married in a beautiful state park later in the year 2021. The date was set, the deposit was paid, and we were in the early planning stages. Even though we were eloping with only us present, it was still a bit stressful as I don’t like planning and organizing events.

We woke up on September 16th, 2021, and realized that…we didn’t want to wait any longer.

So, we did what any completely normal couple would do and casually made an appointment to get married the next day at the courthouse. (I hope you can sense my sarcasm).

But there was a catch – we had to drive to our neighboring state, Georgia.

In Florida, you have to wait three days to get married after applying for a marriage license. In Georgia, they had no waiting period. No big deal, Georgia is only 4 hours away.

Except…I didn’t have a dress yet, and I was doing my own hair and make-up. I had no idea what I was going to be able to pull together so last minute. Luckily, I found a dress in my closet that was brand new. I owned it for a while now and I was saving it for something fun and exciting – little did I know it would be my courthouse wedding.

I did my hair and make-up at 2:30 in the morning, and we didn’t sleep a wink! We were so excited when 4:00 AM rolled around because that meant it was almost time to leave for Georgia.

We arrived to a small town with rolling hills and large old trees draped with Spanish moss five hours later.

I touched up my hair and make-up and we both changed into our wedding clothes in the car.

We walked into the courthouse hand in hand, grinning so big you could almost see it under our masks – thanks covid.

The judge brought us into a marvelous courtroom with wood from floor to ceiling. He married us in a short but sweet ceremony. We said our I Do’s, and were officially husband and wife!

I am so happy with how everything turned out.

Most importantly, though, I learned some of the most valuable lessons on that day.

1. Life is full of distractions.
   I realized I didn’t need a big fancy wedding (even though I love attending them), a videographer to capture every moment, or an open bar. While all of those things are great, in the moment that is not what mattered. The only thing that mattered was him, and our love for eachother. I realized that everything is meant to be a distraction, to cause problems between people, to not get to fully enjoy the reason why you’re there in the first place. Don’t lose sight of what truly matters, and remember why you’re doing it in the first place. This goes for everything – motherhood, running a business, being a wife, etc.
2. Life is spontaneous.
   You never know what tomorrow will bring. Your life may change forever any day – in a good way or a bad way, it is not up to us. If you are in a bad place in your life, remember that you don’t know what can happen tomorrow. Do the things that scare you, that make you excited, the things that people will question. It may be the best thing you will ever do in your life.
3. Do what makes you happy.
   There will always be someone, somewhere who won’t agree with your decisions. Regardless of what people think, I tend to just do what I know is best for me and my family. They aren’t living your life, so don’t let them affect your well-being. Follow your heart.

Those are the three lessons that I learned from my courthouse wedding. I loved every minute of it, and would never change a thing. It was so special to us, and I will never forget it! The simple life is indeed my favorite life.