My husband and I had been dating for two and a half years when we decided to get married. A beautiful proposal and a beautiful diamond ring followed. We started planning and my parents starting paying. My father soon lost his job and we decided to look for a smaller, cheaper place and decided to go 60/40. we found one and started planning the wedding for the second time. well, my dad (bless his heart) wasn't too honest about his financial situation because he didn't want to worry me. When i found out (through my brother), we called the wedding off because we thought it was ridiculous that they contribute to something when they could barely afford to live comfortably (gotta love socal. *rolls eyes*). We got married at LAX courthouse on January 12th 2007. Just us two. My parents knew and gave their blessing. We just wanted to be married and all the planning and cancelling was beginning to ruin the wedding fantasy. We decided to focus on what was more important, marriage. Well. . we've been married nearly 7 months, my father found a new job, and my mother had a breakdown about how she is upset she didnt get to go wedding shopping with her only daughter, how we deserved more than the civil union (i took care of both of my parents when they had cancer at the same time. and they are eternally grateful), etc. I told her not to be silly about me deserving better. They didn't owe me anything. But then she told me that we all deserved this. She deserved to fufill her duty as a mum to pick out a dress with me, get excited about the big day and gloat to everyone who would listen. My father deserved to walk me down the aisle in his dress blues (retired USN baby! love my dad!). My husband and I deserved to have a day just reserved for us to share out love with one another and celebrate everything we had been through together. So, here it is. May 31st, 2008. We are renewing our vows at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center in Fullerton and I couldn't be happier. It's so much more fun this time because I know finances aren't an issue (we're super-contributing!) and since I am already married i'm not stuck on that crazy "this has to be the best day of my life" shpiel that a lot of brides get into. This is simply a fun and loving way to say thank you to my parents and my husband for the joy that being a family has bought to me. And it's their way of saying thank you to me. I can't wait!