We celebrated our 8 year wedding anniversary last week! I can’t believe it’s already/only been eight years married, 12 years together. It feels like a lifetime already!

I’m not a romantic/wedding person. I never spent time as a girl fantacizing about my “prince charming” or “dream wedding.” Neither of us like to have attention on us like that.

Our wedding aligned with my husband & I’s values, and it was truly a perfect day for us. It was really important to us to pay for our wedding by ourselves. It was absolutely freezing out; but I got to marry my soul-mate outdoors, surrounded by nature, in my favorite season. It was perfect to me.

A Look Back at Our Wedding

We had a private ceremony in the woods with only our closest friends and family. I believe that a wedding should be a personal celebration of the union of your love, rather than an event to impress everyone else.

I borrowed my wedding dress from a friend. I was pregnant with Sasha & the dress had a corset back so it was perfect for adjusting to my pregnancy-size. I don’t see the point in paying hundreds to thousands of dollars on a dress that you literally wear one time in your lifetime then shove in a box in your closet for the remainder of it. I felt beautiful in it & that is enough for me.

My sister-in-law painted a cute wooden sign that our oldest daughter Ella carried that said “Daddy, just wait ’til you see Mommy.” My oldest son, Kaden, was our ring bearer. Our daughter, Mia, carried a basket with eco-friendly leaf confetti that I hand-stamped to be conscious of the Earth. I saved some of the heart shaped leaves in a heart shaped bottle my dad gave me for Valentines Day one year that was full of cinnamon mints.

My best friend made my bouquet with faux flowers that we picked out at Michael’s Craft Store. She did such a good job and I loved it! It looked so beautiful & lasted as Fall decor for a few years following our wedding which always made me really happy to bring out.

My childhood babysitter, who hosted our wedding in her backyard woods, built this adorable nature arch for our backdrop. She decorated it with fall flowers, pumpkins, string lights, and other fall decor. It was so perfect!

Our rings were heirlooms passed down from my father-in-laws parents who are deceased. I absolutely adore mine & always feel extremely grateful to show it off.

Our first photos as husband & wife and married family:

My husband picked our catering, his all-time favorite restaurant: Jim Dandy’s BBQ, which has sadly since gone out of business due to Jim’s health declining as he aged. Jim had known Niko since he first came to America and really hooked us up with a lot of food which we were so grateful for.

I picked our wedding cake from my personal favorite Bakery: The Bon Bonnerie. It was a white cake with a raspberry layer & SO delicious! We, of course, saved a slice for our first wedding anniversary!

This year for our wedding anniversary I thought it would be really cute to get our family a small pumpkin cheesecake to share & a couple (buy 1, get 1) eclairs for Niko with mini leaves on them that were used on our wedding cake. Eclairs are one of his favorite desserts & we used to love picking up new cheesecake flavors each month before covid killed off The Grand Finale Restaurant – it was our special little treat we looked forward to as a family and I really wanted to try to recreate that.

Our Family 8 Years Later

I am so happy to be married to my best friend & the love of my life. He has been my actual rock in life. He found me when I was pretty freshly sober, and he led me away from my old life that I had always kept running to. He helped me get through probation successfully & stood by me while I went through all of my court baggage while trying to right my previous wrongs from my life in active addiction, before him. He was the first person in my life who made me WANT to be a better person. He helped me to let go of my cigarette addiction in 2018 – my first & strongest addiction of all, one that I never imagined I would give up and here we are almost 8 years later nicotine free! He taught me to love myself as God made me & encouraged me to go 100% makeup free which I can proudly say I have been since 2017. He helped me grieve the loss of my son’s dad & kept me grounded through that. He led me to Jesus!! He has strongly led & provided for our family, and I have picked up the slack when he needed to tap me in, as partners should (although, I definitely threw more than a few tantrums along the way.) He has our best interest at heart and has never steered us wrong. He puts himself & his needs last so he can meet our kids, our animals, and my needs first. He lets me run with all my crazy ideas & helps me make my dreams come true. He defends me always, but puts me in my place & calls me on my bullshit when I need it. He is honest, faithful, & strong in his values. He keeps our family safe. He builds me up as a mother & wife. He is the best dad, loves his children with everything he’s got, & is always looking for ways he can improve in fatherhood and marriage. He makes me want to be the best mom & wife I can be too. He’s my own personal Charlie Kirk & I am SO grateful for the amazing husband & father that God has blessed me with. I am even more excited for what God & life continues to bless us with.

Until next time ♡ Mama Morozov