On November 14, 2015, I married my wonderful husband, Gabriel Benvenuti.
Leading up to the wedding, I was a bit of a mess. I was so worried. Our society seems to tell young women that we need to get married, but then it doesn’t tell us how hard it is to plan a wedding while trying to still work full-time and maintain our daily lives. It was hard for me to concentrate in the weeks leading up to the wedding, and I broke out in hives during the week before. Luckily, Gabe did a lot of the planning.
But once the wedding weekend came, I was elated. It was a beautiful wedding, and I found myself so excited to see our friends and family. There were so many memorable moments: Walking down the aisle. Hearing my dad, who sings recreationally in a local band, sing in the church and at the reception. The first dance. And Gabe serenading me during the reception.
I think what stuck for me the most during my wedding day is that the good things happen in the right space and time. When I was little, I used to try to pry open rosebuds before they were ready, and my grandmother used to tell me, “You can’t rush everything. You’ll ruin it. They’ll bloom when they’re ready, honey, and not a minute sooner.” Though I was the type of little girl who dreamed of her wedding day, and the type of young woman who dated with the idea of marriage always in the back of her mind, it occurred to me during my wedding weekend there were lots of things I needed to learn before I was actually ready to be married. I needed to have the life experiences to make me the woman I am today and to have the level of compatibility with Gabe that we do.
Impatience is a sign that you are trying to achieve the result without going through the lessons needed. Finding Gabe, getting married, and starting our lives together couldn’t be planned, it couldn’t be rushed, and it just had to blossom and happen at the right time.
I’m so grateful. I’m in a very peaceful, calm period of my life. I feel very content and like things are exactly as they should be. I’m so excited to share these images of my day with you!
Love,
Nicki
PS — My name is now Nicole Zevola Benvenuti, with Zevola as my middle name. Professionally with FutureDerm, I will go by Nicki Zevola Benvenuti. (Better for SEO!) Personally, I will be Nicole Benvenuti formally and Nicki Benvenuti among friends and family.
Wedding photography by Erin McCandless Photography and Michael P. Sweeny Photography.