We tied the knot in New Orleans, Louisiana way back in 2013. Somedays it feels like only yesterday that we exchanged our vows in front of 55 of our closest friends and family members. And other days it feels as if it were 200 years ago -- in a good way.
When Jason proposed we spent that night reveling in the adventure we were about to embark on. But the next day we instantly started planning. For us... we knew we were NOT going to say "I do" in the town we lived in, nor the province... and soon it was decided not even in our home country of Canada. We talked about a destination wedding in the tropics, perhaps even Disney, but none appealed to us like the vintage locale of New Orleans.
I had traveled there solo when I was 25, single, and working hard to create a version of myself I could be proud of. I fell in love with the city. The food, the culture, and the magnificent Oak trees that towered over the old plantation-style homes. Although I only spent 5 days there it stole a piece of my heart. So I couldn't think of a better place to pledge what was left of my heart to this man. Jason had always wanted to visit and quickly agreed that would be the perfect place to go.
We found the perfect location. An old, historic, antebellum mansion on St. Charles street bordering the Garden District. I wore an ivory lace trumpet gown. Jason wore a vintage-looking suit and suspenders. We arranged a jazz brunch cruise on the Steamboat Natchez the following day for any of the guests who wanted to attend. The whole thing was old-world, vintage class. From the time when men were men, and women were ladies. It was amazing.
And now, nearly nine years later I long to go back. Not just to New Orleans, but to a time when men are men and women are ladies. Back to our roots. Back to a time when "family first" was a creed, not just a slogan. Back to a time filled with sourdough, canned goods in the root cellar, days spent in the dirt gardening, and nights spent around a fire reading literature to nourish the soul and expand the mind.
Modern society is not thriving, and I can't help but wonder where it all took a turn for the worst. So little by little, day by day, Jason and I are working to take it all back. To learn skills that had been second nature to our great-grandparents. To teach our kids the values of old.
To make decisions to place our family first. And to hopefully one day take them to see the majestic streets of our beloved New Orleans.
What skills have you learned from 200 years ago? What are you focusing on rekindling?
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