I’m not a New Year’s person.

Truthfully, I find the whole thing a bit underwhelming. Maybe my expectations are too high—apparently sipping champagne in a killer dress aboard a yacht with an admiring Jeff Goldblum on my arm is too much to ask?

Last year, I tried so hard. I hung a garland, wrote all about a Pinterest-inspired New Year’s conversion, wore glittery shoes, partied. And I mean, the partying was fun, the friends were fun, but it still fell woefully short from the balloon-bedecked, big-haired fanfare of When Harry Met Sally.

So this year, rather than waste my energy and your time with a New Year’s DIY that I’m just not into…I’m sharing the wedding photos I’ve been promising you.

For anyone new to the blog, Alan and I had a tiny courthouse wedding ceremony at the end of November following a 2-month engagement (I proposed!).

After dating for 6.5 years, the time felt right and we just didn’t want to wait or scrimp our pennies for a big wedding. And since our first date was on Alan’s birthday, and my birthday was coming up November 25, we thought it would be disgustingly romantic super special to marry then—“birthdayversaries” for both of us.

I promise we’re not usually so gross, the wedding just brought out our inner romantic saps. Which is as it should be.

Incidentally, this is our height difference with 3.5″ heels. I’m short.

We hadn’t actually planned for this to be THE WEDDING—originally we just wanted to go to the courthouse with a couple family members to tie the official knot on 11/25, then have an “actual” ceremony and reception sometime next year.

But weddings apparently have a way of snowballing into festive avalanches. We didn’t intend to treat this as THE WEDDING, but as everyone else did, that’s what it became!

About two weeks before the day of, we realized only a few close friends and family couldn’t make it, and other than holding the ceremony under a chuppa in a park, we were getting the wedding day we wanted.

So we went all-in and changed ALL our plans: cheap dress to fancier dress, small dinner for 6 to large dinner for 35, iPhone photos to real photographer, reception favor DIYs, gluten-free vegan wedding cake—it all happened in TWO WEEKS.

There was understandably a good deal of last-minute scrambling the day of. I was so short on time that I just let flower clippings fall everywhere while making my bouquet. And even with the help of my amazing friend Jess—who was a total rockstar keeping me hydrated, finalizing my jewelry choices, and finishing the last few wedding favors in the makeup salon (literally crafting in a corner)—I only had 10 minutes to dress!

We made it to City Hall just in time. Everything felt completely surreal. AWESOME, but surreal. I was so busy rushing all the details and smiling for the portraits that when we found ourselves in the Mayor’s office and everyone grew quiet to get down to business, I couldn’t believe it was happening.

The Mayor’s office was a little more…patriotic? and pumpkiney?…than we would have liked, but that’s part of the charm of a last-minute wedding!

The ceremony took all of 10 minutes but was totally magical. Also I was cracking up the whole time.

Is this way too many photos to share? Probably. But we have like NO photos of us so I’m a little attached.

Except to this one, I don’t know what my face is doing here.

You’re welcome for that gem.

We followed the ceremony with a fantastic dinner at The Beat Hotel in Cambridge. Which is where I have my one regret—no reception photos! I foolishly thought I would take a bunch on my phone during the evening, you know, with all the free time I had? Clearly didn’t think that through. If you decide to save costs by skipping a photographer during your reception, be sure to ask your guests to step up with their phone cameras!

And that was our little wedding!

It was so special to feel all the love coming our way all day. It was a truly beautiful day and we are so happy so many were there to share it, and so sorry to those who couldn’t be!

And as someone who usually feels awkward being the center of attention, I have to say it was SO fun to be a bride in the city, with strangers shouting congratulations across the street or coming up to shake our hands. I’m totally ready to do it again. You in, husband?

Hopefully this was a little reprieve from all the holiday everything. What are you doing for New Year’s Eve? Which is what, tonight? Oh lordy.

And now I have a question for you, readers—do you want to see more wedding stuff?? I had planned lots of posts before the ceremony, sharing ideas, DIYs, sources, etc. But you know me and my plans! It all came together so quickly and those two months evaporated too fast. If you’d like to see a few more details and some of the wedding DIYs, let me know in the comments! And if not, let me know that too. 🙂

Ok, ONE MORE THING—thank you thank you thank you to all of you who visited my little blog in 2014! Thank you for every pageview, tweet, like, pin, and comment. I can’t express how much your readership means to me. You guys really make my day EVERY DAY, and have inspired me to keep up with this crazy thing called blogging. THANK YOU.

Here’s to a 2015 full of creative projects, good friends, healthy days, and memorable moments!