Just a few days ago Aladin & Dina celebrated their SIX year anniversary on July 16th! Back in 2011 these two were wed out in Bexley, Ohio: A suburb of Columbus, Ohio (the state's capital). Their wedding was beautiful and intimate in their relative's wonderful home in Bexley. The ceremony took place in the living room surrounded by their closest friends and family members with their Muslim leader. It was a quick ceremony followed by some photos of the two and their families prior to the signing of their marriage papers with the imam in another room.
After the ceremony everyone headed outside and prepared for dinner. There was a whole goat as well as an amazing middle eastern spread (our favorite!) as well as dolmades, hummus, baba ganoush, etc. Everyone enjoyed mingling and then Aladin and Dina were announced. A few speeches were given, Dina got her ring, they two enjoyed their first dance, and dinner began. Following dinner there was a bit of dancing, then the two cut their cake, Aladin's mother gave beautiful jewelry to Dina, and Open Dance began! Everyone enjoyed much dancing before we brought Dina and Aladin aside for some portraits of the just the two of them together. All-in-all it was a beautiful, intimate wedding day with their closest loved ones and everyone enjoyed themselves immensely!
When I talked to Aladin over a year ago during a request (for our blog) for advice for all couples including any wisdom gained through marriage, Aladin (who said prior to Dina that he'd been a bachelor for 35 years) said "I know it sounds cliché, but I can't believe I ever lived without Dina as my partner and best friend. I cannot imagine a life without her. I fell in love with a strong and passionate woman who could challenge me. While there are times we call one another stubborn, I don't think we wanted it any other way." He also added some tidbits of wisdom from his marriage and if you missed it last year, here they are!:
"There will be moments when you take one another for granted. It will happen and it's in those moments where lessons are learned in love, respect and humility."
"Sharing a life together requires some sacrifices. It takes time to realize that those sacrifices open up opportunities to share in happiness that is exponentially greater than what one could achieve by himself."
"Patience is truly one of the greatest virtues. It gives you a chance to realize that people CAN change."
Thank you so much for sharing that amazing advice, Aladin, and Happy Belated SIX Year Anniversary, Dina & Aladin! It's been wonderful watching your little daughter grow over the years (via Facebook) and we hope you have had a happy and wonderful six years with a lifetime more to come!
Coming up this weekend we have Liz & Aaron's Purdue University wedding down in West Lafayette about two and a half hours from our home and we can't wait to finally capture their big day (with mini train included)! Check back on Wednesday for their official Wedding Teasers i.e. our favorite 100 photos and story to go along with it!