Despite planning a wedding in only about four weeks, while also simultaneously planning a move to Florida as well, the ceremony and reception were beautiful and special and unforgettable. Our wedding day will be a memorable event we will forever cherish.

The day of our wedding was spent preparing. The ceremony and reception were being held at Taverna Opa, a Greek restaurant just around the corner from my parents' home in Columbus, Ohio. The restaurant had a wonderful upstairs space perfect for our little event. We arrived early so that we could decorate and prepare.

We made sure that chairs were laid out the way we wanted them for the ceremony. The tables were decorated for the reception. We set up a TV and DVD player so that we could share with our guests a video of the bride and groom growing up and starting their lives together.

Around 1 o'clock, Sarah left for her hair appointment and to begin preparing for the evening's big event. My brother joined me with my two nieces, Becca and Abby, who were going to be our flower girl and ring bearer, respectively. We had a little rehearsal so that they would know what to do at the actual ceremony.

The woman who made our wedding cake arrived and began to set up the tiers. We wanted something fun that would capture our personalities, so we ordered a "mad hatter" cake with the tiers at whimsical angles. Our cake topper (which Sarah made herself) was, of course, Kermit and Miss Piggy!

With all of the preparations seemingly in order, I headed out. In a very short time, I would be returning to greet our guests and to marry my bride!

Evening arrived! I arrived back at Taverna Opa in my tuxedo. Our guests began to arrive. It was going to be a very small ceremony, and we only invited our immediate families. We had about 30 guests... just about all we could fit into the restaurant's space.

Once all the guests had arrived, the signal was given, I joined the judge performing the ceremony, and our wedding began:

The Flower Girl started down the aisle, laying a trail of indigo flower petals upon the floor. She was followed by the Ring Bearer who clutched a satchel which contained the wedding bands.

Then, accompanied by her father, the bride entered. Sarah was breathtakingly beautiful. She wore a simple white, sleeveless gown that was elegant and enchanting.

Once we were side-by-side, the ceremony began. I had written the ceremony myself and wanted to capture the sense of fun and adventure that defined our lives together. The ceremony was performed by Judge Kay Lias, a friend of my family's. She was able to take the words I had written and make them come to life. You can read the ceremony here.

The ceremony seems a blur now, a dream. The vows, the exchanging of rings, the lighting of the unity candle, our first kiss as husband and wife. As the ceremony concluded, Sarah turned to our guests and announced: "We're married!"

It was then time for the reception. Taverna Opa provided a delicious meal with choices of filet mignon beef shiskebab, chicken lemonato or Atlantic salmon. During the meal, Sarah and I shared our video with our guests, and they were amused by childhood pictures of Sarah and I and by our adventures and antics as a couple together.

Both of our fathers raised a champagne glass to the married couple and presented a toast. Sarah's father said that every father fears that her daughter will marry a "clown," but, in this case, it was a good thing. My father welcomed Sarah to our family and was happy that someone had finally captured the heart of this "old man." Both toasts were funny and touching and meant a lot from the parents we both love so much.

As the meal came to its conclusion, it was time to cut our cake. And just in time too! The top tier of our "whimsical" cake had begun to slide. If we had waited much longer, we would have found Kermit and Miss Piggy on the floor in a mess of cake and frosting!

Sarah and I shared the first piece of our wedding cake with each other, but we had vowed long before the ceremony that we were going to refrain from smearing cake in the other's face! As silly and fun-loving as we are, this was one "tradition" we didn't care for. Besides, the cake was too delicious to waste!

And so, with the ceremony, reception and cake cutting completed, it was time for the special evening to draw to a close. It was late and time for our guests to head home.

And it was time for Sarah and I to begin our new lives together. The next couple of days had a lot in store for us: packing, moving to Florida, new jobs. But no matter what lay ahead, we were now going to face the future together as husband and wife!