The day we tied the knot

I'm going to just post our DOLs and not describe the day because I could never do it justice ... at least, in my eyes. I loved every moment of it and couldn't have asked for a better wedding ceremony and reception.
I had written my declaration of love a while back because I didn't want to have to worry about it as the day drew closer. The Man used a different approach and finished writing it the night before. But you'll find that mine cracks a lot of jokes while his was pretty deep. He worried that it would be too sappy and didn't really like it. He had no idea that he would have many of my female relatives in tears! He didn't make me cry but it wasn't a bad thing. We have good communication in our relationship but rarely are we completely serious with each other. So all those pictures of me smiling are actually because of his declaration of love - it was very different and special from how we usually talk to one another. (The one time I cried during the ceremony was when my declaration because a little more serious - that's what I get for showing my softer side!) Anyway, I will post mine first and then his because I think his is better :)

My Filipino Matt Damon, happy six year anniversary. What better way to celebrate than getting hitched? I think I’ve been pretty good about making sure you know you are loved. And I do love you very much for so many reasons. I love you for your sense of humor. You make me laugh so much. I always tell you that I wish I wrote down the funny things we say to each other because we always seem to forget. But I always remember that you make me smile. For instance, you make me laugh because you can never remember more than five words to any song and all the melodies sound exactly the same. Yet somehow I can usually guess what song your singing. Also, your imitation of Korean, Japanese, Mexican and Australian accents get muddled into one indistinct accent. How? I don’t know. But they do. What’s even funnier is that your imitations of Filipino and Indian accents are even worse – they sound exactly the same. I also think the voices you give to Piko and Pili are funny. Thank you for letting me know in their own words that they are neglected by me. These are just a few of the many things you do that make me laugh.
I love you because you are patient. For example, goodness knows that you and I clash when it comes to home repair. That’s what I get for being involved with someone who is so handy around the house. It’s a blessing because it’s so wonderful to be with someone who can repair things, build things or make things better. It’s a curse because I don’t remember ever signing up for an apprenticeship. Which brings me back to you being patient. I know you expect only as much as you expect from yourself. But what you get from me, especially regarding home repairs, is far from perfection. But I give you credit! I see the vein bulging in your forehead. I see your brows furrowed in frustration, but then, with a strain your voice, you just tell me yet again that I need to watch how you paint a door so I can copy your method to ensure there are no streaks. Which leads me to another reason why I love you …
You know how to compromise. I no longer have to do home repair because I am in charge of cleaning the house. I can’t begin to tell you how much I love you for that! I love you because you are comforting. When I am sick, you either buy or rent a romantic comedy because you knew they made me feel better. Even though you don’t enjoy them nearly as much as I do. When I was having a really hard time with work, you would make me hug a puppy because you said it would make me feel better. It did! And when you know I am feeling really down, you would make me drop everything and go to the beach. Going to the beach almost always cheer me up. Other times, it was just your company that would soothe me and make me feel better.
What you may not know, because we joke around so much and are very sarcastic with each other is how much admiration I have for you. You are a wonderful person. I admire your values, morals, intelligence and overall character. You are amazing. You have so much goodness in you and you continue to amaze me. You are so devoted to your family and loved ones. And that has even carried over to my family. You probably don’t know this but when you show concern for my parents’ well being or worried about something in their home, I see how you share your love and concern for those who are so very important to me. And that inspires me. You make me want to be a better person. I see how you express your goodness through your actions and you make me want to strive to be just as an amazing person as you are. I think you are truly an exceptional person. There are not enough words to express just how much I am in love with you. I have loved the six years we have been together and I look forward to the 100 more years of joking, laughing and loving. And no home repair.
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I still remember the first time you and I met at a friends house. You walked in and I thought you looked so much different from anyone else. A few minutes after arriving, you told this funny story about a cockroach in a way that only you could. Your eyes lit up, your hands danced in the air while you talked and your body shook with laughter and excitement. That cockroach story did it for me. You had this personality that really drew me to you and I had hoped that I’d run into you again. When we eventually began our relationship, we would talk all night long about everything and anything. I looked forward to knowing everything about you because we had so many things in common. We made sure to make time for one another every day. Each night, you wanted me to give you a new and different reason that I loved you. So every day it became a tradition that I end every nightly conversation with “I love you because”.
I love you because you’re my best friend. I love you because you make me a better person. I love you because you believe in me more than I believe in myself. I love you because you know how to comfort me if I start to turn green with anger. I love you because you’ll never let us walk without holding hands. I love you because you’ll never let us go to bed angry. I love you because talking to you makes a bad day feel O.K. I love you because it makes me laugh when you can’t stop yourself from eating chocolate. I love you because you’re beautiful, hardworking, intelligent and driven. I love you because you’re still humble, modest and reserved. I love you because you accept all my faults and compliment all my strengths. I love you because you still look at me the way you did when we first started dating. I love you because I can always trust you. I love you because I can depend on you to constantly remind me to do things that I may be putting off. I love you because we can laugh at so many things together. I love you because you take of and respect your family. I love you because sometimes you slip and talk to me like I’m one of your girlfriends but I know you do that because you’re so comfortable with me. I love you because you are willing to get your hands dirty with me even though I know you’d rather be knitting. I love you because you are the first to forgive, the first to want to communicate and the last to hold a grudge. I love you because I have so many reasons to love you, to appreciate you and to be thankful for you. I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you, sharing my thoughts with you, caring for you, protecting you, laughing with you, appreciating you, having kids with you and growing old with you.