Tamara Menges

Hi y’all!

I can not believe tomorrow will mark 6 years. 6 years that have been loving, passionate, growing, deepening, and most importantly God centered. Yes, I am talking about my sweet and perfect marriage and our anniversary.  I am so blessed and grateful and more head over heals in love with my husband than I was on our wedding day.

We were so fortunate to be able to carry out something I always said I wanted to do on our 5 year anniversary last year, that was renew our vows. I am finally sharing those amazing pictures and video with yall! Husband and I are so grateful to our sweet friends Emily and Russ, of Emily Lockard Photography and REF Video Productions for capturing such an amazing day for us. We love y’all!

This is our story.

Ours is a true love story, its starts on a late summer day in 2001 at 6am. I was a 14 year-old almost freshmen, and I was about to be “initiated” into high school with the rest of my class. I will never forget the moment I was sitting on the school bus, wondering what was about to happen to us. I turned my head and instantly locked eyes with a senior boy sitting on the back of a seat, who had clearly been watching me. That moment began our story.

A few weeks later I was hospitalized due a dance injury, and after several visits it was evident that he would be proving his love and taking care of me for years to come. The summer after he graduated he left for boot camp for the Marine Corps. However, he went into the Reserve unit, so after many months of training he came home and maintained his civilian job in management at a local restaurant.

Fast-forward about five and half years, to early February 2007. Kason was stationed at Camp Pendleton preparing to go to Iraq in the latter part of March. We made the decision to get married prior to his deployment. Our date was set for March 10 at The Paris Las Vegas, and we would honeymoon in La Jolla, California for a week. I then made a tearful trip back home to Texas, having to leave him in California as he would leave a week later for war. After seven long months of prayers, he made it home safely, and soon returned once again to his civilian job.

Fast forward again 4 years, Kason has taken over a restaurant as the General Manager, and I started a boutique design firm specializing in design and floral servicing the Southeast Texas and Houston markets!

As our five-year anniversary started approaching I knew I wanted to return to a sentimental place to renew our vows, and that place was where we honeymooned in La Jolla, California. I also wanted to give our second special day a “Tamara Menges Designs” twist. So we loaded up props for a “beach styled shoot”, but our props included a large wedding print, several other wedding images, a handmade “we still do” banner, custom forks, and a number “5”. I of course made Kason’s boutonniere and my bouquet, which was wrapped in lace from my wedding gown!

We are a very sentimental couple, so I love that we have yet another special date to add to our never-ending love story, March 10, 2012.  We have been through deaths, long distances, war, a move away from family, among other things that every other couple goes through, but I know God had big plans when He wrote our love story, and I cannot wait to see where He takes us next!

And now for the video. Happy, happy tears!

Tamara & Kason’s 5-year Vow Renewal from REF Video Productions on Vimeo.

**Giveaway time!!**

Comment with your favorite anniversary memory (doesn’t have to be wedding anniversary!) below by Monday at 5pm, and I will draw a random name for the new issue of Weddings in Houston magazine and gift card to Starbucks!

Hope y’all enjoyed our love story.

Until next time!

xoxo, Tamara