Well, to be fair, love has been in the air for a few years now, but this past August we finally made it official.In June, Craig and I took a trip to Mexico. Somewhere between the sun, the sand and a few margaritas, I looked at him and said, “I don’t care when or where we do it, but I want to be your wife.”He was delighted. Partly because, apparently, he wanted to marry me too, but mostly because he can now spend the rest of our lives telling people that I proposed to him.I’m okay with that.We’ve known each other for 19 years, worked together for six, and lived together for two and a half. Between us, we have five great (usually) kids and all the joy, chaos and scheduling that comes with a busy work and family life.Honestly, we already felt married. We thought the wedding would simply make it official.What we didn’t expect was how ridiculously excited we would be.Suddenly, we were like two kids with a secret.Our plan was simple: come home from Mexico, pick out rings and surprise the kids and Craig’s parents at a family dinner.It worked. They were surprised, wonderfully happy for us and completely supportive.Then we told them the date.August 22nd.That’s right. Two months away.“It’ll be easy,” we said.“We don’t want anything fancy,” we said.“No big deal,” we said.Apparently, we had never met the wedding industry.We knew what we wanted: a big, relaxed party with our friends and family. Nothing formal or over-the-top. Just good food, some wine, lots of laughter and the people we love.Simple.We quickly learned that nothing is simple when you attach the word “wedding” to it.Merely mentioning that you’re planning a wedding seems to be enough to triple the price before anyone has even asked what day you’d like it.Venues large enough for everyone were booked a year in advance. Summer is apparently quite a popular time to get married — who knew? Then came the questions.Which wine? Which food? Which linens? Which place settings? What colour napkins?I don’t think I have ever had particularly strong feelings about napkins.It was becoming frustrating, expensive and overwhelming — basically exactly what we didn’t want our wedding to be.Then came my moment of clarity.I was standing in a bridal shop trying on the simplest wedding dress I could find while Craig patiently looked on. And yes, I was perfectly fine with the groom seeing the dress beforehand. At this point, tradition had already left the building.All around me were young women in their twenties trying on beautiful dresses, giggling with their friends and having exactly the experience an excited young bride should have.Meanwhile, I was staring at myself in an expensive wedding gown that somehow needed more than $1,000 worth of alterations to make it look less like a wedding gown.The saleswoman smiled at me and asked:“Are you saying yes to the dress?”I looked at myself in the mirror and thought:What the heck am I doing?I did not say yes to the dress.We got out of there and started again.This time, instead of asking what kind of wedding we were supposed to have, we asked ourselves what actually mattered to us.Who could we not imagine getting married without?The kids, of course — minus the one who had just moved to Australia and couldn't possibly turn around and come home again (we forgive him). Our immediate family. And the handful of close friends who long ago crossed the line from friends into family.That was it.And suddenly, everything became easy again.We planned a small, manageable wedding — manageable both financially and mentally, which may be equally important.A local golf course opened its beautiful patio to us, and on August 22nd, surrounded by the people we love most, we got married on the course.It was relaxed. It was fun. It felt like us.It was perfect.And most importantly, I married the perfect man.Afterward, everyone headed back to our house to continue the celebration. Craig and I stayed behind for just a few minutes to settle up with the venue and thank the staff who had helped make our night so special.We walked outside expecting someone would be waiting to take the newlyweds home.The parking lot was empty.Everyone had left us.Our children. Our family. Our closest friends.Every. Single. Person.So, on our wedding night, the happy couple called an Uber.When we finally arrived home, everyone looked at us and said, “Where were you?”Apparently, at our wedding.We’re choosing to believe that being abandoned by your entire wedding party immediately after getting married is considered extremely good luck in at least one culture somewhere in the world.And if it isn’t, it should be.Besides, we got a great story out of it.Looking back, I’m so glad we abandoned the wedding we thought we were supposed to have and chose the one that actually felt like us.Because in the end, it wasn’t about the dress, the place settings, the perfect venue or the napkins.It was about standing beside the person I love, surrounded by the people who mean the most to us, and saying yes to the life we had really already chosen together.We’re looking forward to many, many years of wedded bliss — because, honestly, it really is — and many more years of working side by side, doing jobs we love with the person we love most.Although next time we throw a party, we’re keeping the Uber app handy.Danielle and Craig Gaskin