Simply Mad about Norm & Jessica's Story - day 6

Jessica & Norm - 12/12/12

Hello!!!  Day 6 of "14 Days of Love Stories" is here.  This story was not sent to me, but rather I found it on Style Me Pretty and I am thrilled I did.  This touching story is full of love, courage, support, optimism and a very charming 1966 green VW bus!  Read on!
Credits - Ashleigh Taylor Photography & TEAM Hair & Makeup


Here is their story...

{ My husband Norman and I eloped in Santa Barbara on 12-12-12. Our wedding was not the one of our dreams, but it was better! Norm and I have been together four and a half years. We met a week after I moved to Las Vegas and were giddy in love from day one. Norm and I were ready to marry long before we did. The big obstacle in our way was cancer. Norm had a seizure in January and was diagnosed with grade 4 brain cancer, glioblastoma multiforme. By September, he had SIX brain surgeries. He has fought through chemo-radiation, tumor recurrence, and bi-weekly infusions. Putting his health first, we postponed our wedding. 
 

pretty Jessica

A few weeks ago, I unveiled to Norm his new blogsite. He cried happy tears and said he also had a surprise. “I’ve been thinking a lot about when we should get married, and I can’t think of a better date than 12-12-12.” The date was set. Without seeing his next MRI though, we could make no wedding or travel plans. We decided we would marry on 12-12-12, no matter what. Whether in the infusion center, in a hospital room after another surgery, or in the Cedars-Sinai chapel, we were getting married! Great news came on November 28, when Norm had a perfect MRI! We had been prepared for the worst and now we had a wedding to plan!! We took a couple of days to get our thoughts around what was best for us. We quickly realized that a traditional wedding and reception would cost more than we could justify spending. We wanted our day to be special, but had to be responsible and save money toward future treatments. With less than two weeks notice, flying family cross country was also not realistic. We decided to elope.

I LOVE that bus!!!

Norm always wanted to take our restored 1966 VW bus up the coast of California. This was one of those dreams we never “had time” for before. Why not fulfill this dream with a road trip elopement? We decided on a beach ceremony near Santa Barbara and photos in the rolling hills that Norm and I both love. Afterwards, we would take off, free as (love) birds in our bus. Norm and I love photography, and I wanted to capture the carefree spirit and adventure of our day. Thank goodness for Style Me Pretty! I spent hours looking at the blog and gathering vendor info for the Santa Barbara area. We booked our photographer first, then bought Norm’s wedding band and outfit. I ordered a dress online from J. Crew. It was delivered to our doorstep four days before the wedding! In the end, our vendors really made the day. With very little notice and a tiny budget, they worked together to make our day better than we ever dreamed! Ashleigh Taylor Henning suggested a beach location, and pointed me toward Simply Bouquets and Crushcakes. She went above and beyond for us and made us feel like we were the cutest couple in the entire world.

happy couple

Mar & Nicole with TEAM Hair & Makeup stepped in like a surrogate family on the morning of 12-12-12. They created excitement that had a ripple effect through the entire day. Not wanting us to miss a thing, they staged our first look and first dance in their studio. They lit candles and downloaded our songs from iTunes, just moments before my groom arrived. They played John Denver’s “Annie’s Song” as Norm walked around the corner to see me for the first time. That first look brought me to tears and was the most special part of the day. Thank you Mar for working your magic! Our families were also with us that day in spirit, if not in person. Norm and I carried with us reminders of our loved ones: his mother’s diamond, a “wedding ring” quilt from my grandmother, earrings from my grandfather, his grandparents’ wedding rings from Germany, and many more. On one shoe, I wore a flower clip that I had worn 20 years earlier as flower girl in my aunt’s wedding.
We drove our mint green “Happy Bus” to Refugio Beach. Our wedding officiant had worked with us over the phone and through email to make sure the ceremony was personalized and everything we wanted it to be. With our photographer as witness, we said the vows that we had wanted to say for so long. We kissed and were introduced to the world as Mr. and Mrs. Norman Bruns! That day was, far and above, the best day of my life. Norm and I are more in love than ever before. He is still the man I fell in love with: kind-hearted, positive, always up for an adventure or a good laugh. I think our wedding day was in that same spirit! Thanks to all who made it so special! }