Today, Taryn and I are celebrating our ten year wedding anniversary. Here's the story of us...
In early January of 1996, when she was twenty and I was twenty-one, we were chatting on the phone one night as we often did. We had only met eight months earlier, but we quickly fell in love and decided remarkably early on that we'd one day tie the knot. As I recall this particular conversation, Taryn suggested we just do it. I called her bluff and we met on the eastbound platform of Ossington station the next morning. We were on our way to City Hall.
The first step was applying for a marriage license and $53 later we had what we needed to legally marry. We could either get wed at Old City Hall or the new one, but I preferred the old one because it seemed more romantic. Taryn agreed and we shot over to Old City Hall to book the next available appointment with a Justice of the Peace. That appointment was booked for January 15, 1996 at 14:00 EST.
Next, we went to a little jewelry store in the basement of the Eaton Centre and negotiated a decent deal for two wedding rings. I still have the receipt and I still wear mine daily.
For better or worse, I have always strongly believed weddings were for the couple being wed. I see it as the most personal and private of ceremonies where two people pledge to spend eternity together. In this vein, we decided to get married and tell our families afterwards. I suspect Taryn also feared her family would try and stop the ceremony for fear I had brain washed her and was holding her against her will. For the record, I wasn't.
To marry in Canada, you must have two witnesses vouch for you. We were each responsible for ensuring someone joined us at the ceremony for this purpose. I chose Rosalie, a long time friend I went to high school with and continued to attend U of T English classes with. I remember asking her during a boring Chaucer class and I remember how totally cool and romantic she thought the whole plan was. She also thought I was nuts.
When January 15, 1996 arrived, we took the subway to Old City Hall, met up with our two witnesses and waited for our appointment. It was short, but sweet. The Justice of the Peace was great and we had no doubt that we were doing what we wanted to do. Here's a picture taken before the ceremony and one taken during. Following the ceremony we went out for a bite to eat and crashed at Taryn's place where we watched "Melrose Place" before heading for bed. The next day, after all, was another school day.
The next day I told my mom what we had done over a burger and fries at McDonalds and then shared the news with my siblings. A few months later we moved into our own downtown apartment, a couple of years after that we were both wrapping up our diplomas, starting careers and before you knew it we were buying a home and starting a family.
Thank you for being my rock, thank you for being my best friend, thank you for James and Michelle, thank you for ten fantastic years. I love you Taryn.
