Photo by Tish MacWebber

I’ve had this African Violet with me since the day I got married. It is one of my favorite flowers, and it blooms in the perfect shade of purple. It was in the center of my wedding bouquet on a day that I left my camera at home. I wanted to focus on the memories of my wedding day, not taking pictures. We hired 2 photographers, with their pictures and those of family and friends, we have plenty to go through when we want to remember our wedding day.

Most people will never forget it, not only because of the occasion itself but because we shared the day with a bit of a news celebrity. September 4, 2010, was also the day Hurricane Earl visited our city. Despite the hurricane, our wedding was wonderful, and everyone who was there celebrating with us had a great time.

I searched through numerous magazines while planning our wedding. Only one dress took my breath away, and Natalie Noble, of Nobility Clothing Designs, took the picture of the dress and made me the dress of my dreams. It was absolutely beautiful. I did feel like a princess on my wedding day.

The same thing happened when I was looking for a wedding bouquet. When I saw that you could create a bouquet centered with a live plant, that is what I wanted. I visited all of the florists in my city, and only one was willing to take on the challenge of our flowers. I highly recommend Trites Flower Shop in Fredericton. When it comes to your wedding day, it is worth the effort to do the legwork and find the team who will work with you to achieve the details you feel are important to you.

Photo by Tish MacWebber

Almost ten years ago, my husband and I got married. Yesterday, I spent a few minutes taking pictures of the African Violet that was in my wedding bouquet. We have repotted it within the last year, and it took some time to recover. With patience and water, it is now in full bloom again.

I do think of this plant as a symbol of our marriage. Not just as a plant that was there on that day, but a metaphor also. You see, we have all heard the phrase, “Happy wife, happy life.” While I am not inclined to disagree with this, I do think there is a better version of it. I do prefer, “Happy spouse, happy house.” Everyone in a marriage and a family should work hard to keep each other happy. It is not always easy, and sometimes, just like with the African Violet, you need to set aside time for upkeep. Changing the potting soil, moving it to a new planter, and pruning the dead leaves and blossoms are all just as important as watering the plant to keep it alive. It needs attention to continue to be alive and to thrive. Just like a healthy, happy marriage.

Photo by Tish MacWebber