Yesterday was our 20th wedding anniversary. That feels huge to us. It's just bonkers to look back and think - here's the relationship where we said 'I love you' after one night, decided to get married after a week, and then meant I had to move to the other side of the world a few months later to get married within the year. And here we are, still in love.
It also proves you don't need a fortune to get married. My dress cost me 70 pounds on sale and my shoes were from a charity shop (I kicked them off after the church, out on docs and never wore them again). Jamie got his tails from a second hand shop. A friend made us banoffee pie for a cake.
Thirty odd people attended, including my parents, sister and best mate who flew over from Australia. We had a folk band we found at the nettle eating contest in Dorset. My Mum made snacks and we had a fire in the garden. I don't think we spent more than 600 quid and we had the best time, and so did everyone else.
The secret to a happy marriage? I have no idea. All I know is our marriage has been a great one. Maybe you just have to choose the right one in the first place. We have had a few hard times but never doubted our love for each other and always knew that the hard times would pass and we would come back to each other. I have never ever once thought we were done. Everything passes.
I do think listening helps, without trying to change them or give them advice if that's not what they are asking for. You aren't there to fix them, just to support them if they want to fix themselves.
You can get annoyed they've left the towel on the floor again or you can realize that's your thing and hang up the towel without saying anything. Yes, the towel is a symbol for a lot of things. Don't sweat the small stuff if the good stuff outweighs the petty annoyances. At the same time, let them know the towel thing upsets you. They might love you enough to change it. Or not, and you have to decide if that's worth leaving them for. Dont forget you can be annoying too.
A good sense of humour helps. This man makes me laugh nearly every day.
He's taught me the meaning of loyalty, and of never going to bed on an argument. He loves me so hard I can't help but adore him back. There's nothing we won't do for each other.
He loves me more than anything and I love him almost as much as I love surfing, so that's a whole lot.
Honestly, don't listen to me. Trust your heart. I did.
With Love,
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Congratulations, that's a fantastic achievement. As the old joke goes, 'The secret of a happy marriage remains a secret.'
Hahah very good! Sometimes I shake my head and wonder...
Congratulations on the milestone!
Thankyou, feels BIG!!
Happy 20th anniversary 🥳🥳😊
It doesn’t need to cost a lot to get married. We did the same hahaha kind of…
Let’s trust our hearts ♥️
Hearts are everything - wallets are only second haha !
Exactly! Hahaha 🤣
Happy anniversary! 🌹🎉💐
OMG 20th anniversary it's really big milestone! Congratulations and best wishes!!!🥳🥳🥳
Thanks lovely, really appreciated!
You have a sweet, loving and beautiful relationship with your hubby. It won't be a success if you two didn't made an effort to make it one. And the loyalty and the communication which is also a big part of a success marriage, it's both in there. Happy 20th to both of you. Cheers to a happy marriage 😊😊✨❤️
Thanks so much! Yes, I think people think they don't have to put in the effort, but a good marriage won't survive without it!
Congratulations! I say the tenderness and wisdom that comes from having been married for over that time with the story of the wedding. It is amazing!
Here's for many more years!
It really was one of the best days of my life.
Congratulations! Reading this gave me goosebumps. You both look gorgeous and so happy 💛
"Maybe you have to choose the right one in the first place." - wise words. All the relationship books in the world won't fix a bad match.
Here's to 20 more 🤗
Exactly. In the end we just got lucky, but of course, you gotta compromise, sacrifice, bite your tongue and choose your battles as well, haha!
Congrats! It's not easy to find your soul mate and someone who you love and still loves you so much after 2 decades. There's an art to all this and you guys have nailed it!
Thanks @livinguktaiwan , it does seem like you totally get it! PInching myself. Mind you he really bloody annoyed me this morning. It's not all sunshine and rainbows haha!
Congratulations on the huge milestone, you are one ahead of us. And you already expressed the secret. One with good sense of humor definitely helps a lot.
Everything passes.
Oh man, 'everything passes' - best advice ever.
Twenty years! That's wonderful. Heartfelt congratulations! 🥇
Heartfelt thankyou back!
Congratulations!!
Hey ta, it feels big!
20 years! Congratulations!
Thanks lovely.
Wonderful happy anniversary! My wife and I have a big one this year as well! :D
We also didn't spend a fuck ton of money on ours and it was messed up in a few ways but it was us and that's what was important. You don't need to drop 50,000$ on a fucking wedding it's so dumb!
I know right! Really dumb.
Hey I thought of you yesterday. I had a hip ulstrasound scheduled and they cancelled on the day. Man I was pissed off - it is hard to reschedule. You are right. They need to pay us for that kind of shite!
Oh those bastards! Really obnoxious stuff!
I don’t know if you saw one of my comments on the health challenge stuff but you might give a listen to a great chiropractor I’ve been listening to for about 4-5 months now. He’s really smart and good and tries to empower us to do what we can on our own, knowing he can’t help everyone but can empower you with information.
It’s called Stop Chasing Pain by doctor Perry nickeltson (spelling?) and I’m really moved by his content and have made a number of changes based on it!
Hopefully your hip isn’t bothering you too much!
Yey! Congrats on the anniversary! I was talking to @honeydue the other day and we both agreed your relationship is a role model.
We need one hell of an enormous fortune - a great partner. Taht in itself is worth a lot these days.
Thankyou my friend. Meeting someone you 'spark' with is the first step. Keeping the fire alive is another thing entirely!
Working on that very slowly. 😂
Congratulations on a major milestone!
Thanks mate! It does feel huge!
Congrats ☺❤
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I can't tell you how much I love this. I'm so happy for you! What a wonderful story!
Yes to all of this. I've been together with my man for 17 years and though we went through some rough patches I continue to become more grateful for him and the family we've created together.
Huge congrats! 💖
Congrats looks awesome! I'll never have a wedding like that but I also feel the bonkers nature of it all on my part. I've been married all of... 7 months and to me I still think of it as outta this world lol - I'm a loner at heart so I settled long ago to be alone forever but I guess things don't work out the way you plan sometimes!
Then you do know the secret to a happy marriage hah. I mean I've only had it 7 months but I'm pretty old and wizened to the world generally. that is the number 1 thing. And for many people way harder than it sounds. I guess you guys were just naturally good at it =)
Cheers to the next 20 years!
Congratulations! May there be many more years together ahead of you both. 😀
A beautiful love story, I wish you many more years "in love".
Love the description of your wedding! And it’s wonderful you 2 have had 20 years together!
Great tips there!
Haha, can relate.. so true and the older I get the more I think before I speak when these things happen.. letting it slide because it's not worth the energy..
That's funny to read because maybe 8-9 years back when things were really really hard, my guy used to cheer me up when I was angry or sad or whatever, even if I was unreasonable and just lashing out because he was there and not the one it was aimed at.. He then went outside to pick a flower somewhere and told me listen, as long as I can make you laugh at least once a day, we're good!
It's still a thing, we still laugh every single day, even if we have a shit day and then remind each other that we still do that. It's a good thing to remember..
I love reading your adventures btw, have a great trip (if you're still traveling that is)
Aw!! this is sweet! I agree that humor is so important to a relationship, both partnership and friendship too. My favorite people are also the people that know exactly what kind of silly humor will make me laugh. Here is to 20 more years of togetherness!
I tell ya, I'm so so grateful for it - more so as the years pass!
Congratulations 🥰