The After-Life
A ton of effort goes into planning a wedding, but what’s life like after the big day? The Our Wedding Story bride talks adjusting to life after the couple said their I Dos.
The Our Wedding Story contest was created to give all 417-land grooms- and brides-to-be a chance to have their wedding featured in 417 Bride. Nearly 30 couples decided to take a chance, and a team of judges narrowed the list to five finalists. Next we let you all vote for your favorite, and Bethany LaCavera and Brandon Dhondt won the contest. They have said their vows, and in these final installments will talk about the beginning of their new life together. Look for some photos of their big day in the Winter issue of 417 Bride.
After we got back from our amazing honeymoon, it was time to unpack and try to set up our house. We didn’t live together before we got married, so it was a big adjustment (but not as bad as I think many people make it seem). Our biggest task was trying to decide what stuff to use, and where to put it all. The kitchen was our first project. We had plenty of stuff and not enough room to store it all, so we developed a process to help us get organized: We took all of my stuff and all of his stuff out of the cabinets and started going through it, keeping the best of each. We had to decide which set of plates, pots and pans we wanted, and even which appliances! It was fun, but hard work. We were relieved once the kitchen was done; It really made it feel like it was our place.
And getting back to the real world also meant we had to start working again.
Brandon went back to lumberjacking (cutting down trees, running a saw mill, etc.) and I went back to rotations around Springfield. Being in my last year of medical school, I spend most of my time in clinics and hospitals learning. We were excited to be back and get to spend time with our families and church family again. And while unpacking our house, we also helped relocate our church. We fell into a routine of work, spending time together at home (without me having to drive back and forth to Kirksville for school) and spending time with friends and family. It’s absolutely great!
Bethan LaCavera
