Happy New Year! Tomorrow is especially meaningful to me because it marks six months since I married my best friend, and it's the first New Year's we're celebrating as husband and wife. As we say farewell to 2016, I'm so excited to finally share our elopement story and a glimpse into our intimate ceremony.

THE PROPOSAL

Two and a half years ago, Landon and I moved to Syracuse, New York. In the midst of assembling the last piece of furniture in our new apartment, he went into the bedroom, asking me where the "other" box cutter was. I grew confused and frustrated, as the only box cutter I knew of was sitting on the media console in front of me. Moments later, he came back into the living room with a moving box and asked me to open it, so I did. I was so flustered that, despite staring straight at the ring box, I didn't realize what was going on. I looked the other way for a split second, and when I turned back around, Landon was on one knee with the ring and popped the question. 

We had discussed taking the next step before the move, but agreed that wedding planning would have to wait... at least until we survived the "first year of grad school curse." Two years later, and no wedding plans ... whatsoever. And we were totally okay with that. 

THE PLAN

About a year ago, we started pondering the idea of a destination elopement in Iceland, immediately followed by our honeymoon. However, after doing some research, the fear of running into issues with the legal paperwork stressed us out. What if things didn't work out as planned? Our honeymoon – and our wedding – would be ruined. We didn't want to take that risk. 

While visiting Florida for a couple of months last summer, the lightbulb went on. Landon and I discussed the possibility of eloping during our stay in Florida, and celebrating our honeymoon and wedding anniversary the following summer. A couple weeks later, we applied for our marriage license, and on July 1, 2016, we eloped in his parents' backyard. It was simply perfect.

THE CEREMONY

On my way home from work the evening before, I stopped by Trader Joe's to pick up some flowers, and with the help of my now mother-in-law, sister, and her good friend, we made a beautiful eucalyptus bouquet and a baby's breath flower crown. (Thank you, Pinterest!)

The morning of the ceremony, a menacing thunderstorm rolled in. The skies darkened and I could hear the thunder rumbling. My heart was pounding, in a panic that we would have to hold the ceremony inside. But just minutes before it was set to begin, the skies cleared up and the sun came out. A sigh of relief rushed through me, and I was ready.

The ceremony was small and intimate, with only a few close family members and friends in attendance. In a matter of minutes, we said our vows, exchanged the rings, and officially became husband and wife. I couldn't have imagined it any other way.

THE HONEYMOON

As the new year kicks off, we're finally starting to make progress on planning our honeymoon trip to Iceland, and possibly Denmark, but we could use your help! To learn more, visit www.honeyfund.com/wedding/HoneymooningInIceland. Any contribution you can make would mean the world to us!