Emma & Kevin: From day-of-fun elopement to life-of-fun with a chihuahua

Name & Occupation: Emma, Movie Listings Editor
Partner’s Name & Occupation: Kevin, Freelance Writer and Translator
Your Offbeat Bride profile: Emma & Kevin’s Muppets-and-racoon-lovers’ elopement day of fun, June 7, 2012

Two months after the wedding, we went to Las Vegas for our honeymoon, and it was super fun! In the past year, we also took trips to Toronto and to Miami and the Bahamas. At home, we’ve been learning to cook together and we do country line dancing (Emma, mostly!). In addition to working, Emma has gone back to school part time, while Kevin is working freelance.

Oh, and we got a chihuahua!

Looking back all these years later, what do you remember most about your wedding?
Kevin: The most wonderfully intense moment for me was right at the beginning, when Emma walked down the stairs and I first saw her looking so gorgeous in her wedding outfit. I cried so much!

Emma: What I remember most is how fun the whole day was and how it couldn’t have been better. The ceremony was perfect, we had a great time with our photographers, the weather was beautiful (for the first time that week)… We were lucky that everything worked out so well. Everything we did that day (going to Ripley’s museum, playing mini golf, etc.) was truly us.

Did you re-purpose any wedding decor or attire? We want to see!
Not only did we wear our outfits again during out three post-wedding parties, we’ve also been wearing some elements of them in our everyday life; for instance, Emma’s white top, cardigan and earrings (but not all at the same time!).

The bouquet that Emma made — which got roughed up a bit during the various parties — is now in our home in a vase.

We should mention that since we eloped, we didn’t have much decor. We used what was available around us, such as a blanket as a table runner for the table where we signed our wedding papers.

What big challenges have you faced? What have you learned from them?
In our first year together, Kevin was there for Emma, who had anxiety problems.

[related-post align=”right”]But shortly before the wedding, the paper Kevin worked at closed. Over the next months, he struggled a little bit with being unemployed then with making it as a freelance writer/translator. Thankfully, Emma was very supportive! And it brought us closer in the end.

With that, Emma learned that she was tougher than she thought. And we learned that each of us can be there for the other when he or she needs it. Yay!

How do you keep your romance alive?
We take a vacation as a couple at least once a year. But even the rest of the time, we go on adventures in our own town, walking around and discovering new things, notably restaurants where we can have romantic dates. We also have a list of activities that we want to do that we refer to when it’s time to make our plans for the day or night. Oh, and we touch each other… a lot!

What advice do you have for newlyweds?

First, an obvious one: Don’t fight when you’re tired.

Make sure to listen to each other. Don’t only try to win the argument. And when you’re wrong, admit it!

Before you get married, you should make sure you are on the same page when it comes to money and how to spend it. Some couples want to put everything in the same account, others each keep their own. Some keep track of who pays for what, others don’t. There isn’t one way that’s better, you just have to find out which fits best for you. Seriously.

Most importantly: Have fun!