“People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

***

Today is officially one month of wedded bliss.

A lot of friends have asked if it feels different being married. It does, actually. Because although we were committed to each other before, there’s now a union before God and that means something to us both.

Life with Mike has been sort of like a ping pong match. Exciting, fast and unpredictable. There’s an important ebb and flow to the game. It takes focus and resilience to keep that ball in play.

Luckily, we have a great dynamic and have adapted to change pretty easily. If one of us drops the ball, it’s not about scoring a point against that person or holding it over the other’s head. And the proverbial ball I speak of is our health, our passions, our careers.

The point of the game is more about keeping the ball in play even when it gets challenging and there are obstacles. It is about always being present and finding joy in the exchange rather than worrying about winning or losing.

***

I feel pretty confident in saying the greatest party I’ve ever thrown is my own wedding. And I had an absolute blast putting it together!

I worked on the wedding for about eight months. Mike and I knew right away we would do a horror theme. But when it came to bringing it to life, I wanted to make it a surprise for Mike. I had the luxury of time so I didn’t force any of the ideas. They just came to me as my planning evolved.

Mike’s favorite horror icon is Freddy Krueger. So early on, we knew he’d dress as Freddy and I would be his bride. That was an easy look to figure out.

For our head table, I wanted to create an Elm Street. I figured a mailbox look would serve two purposes. It would hold the Elm Street sign and also all of the cards we would receive from family and friends.

I wanted Freddy to somehow be coming out from behind us. That was a little tricky but I finally figured out how to do it. I found metal balloon arches and covers to go over them. The red really pops and I was able to ziptie Freddy (who was constructed from a basic stuffed dummy) to the metal arches. His feet were taped to the box he came in to give him some height. Luckily, no one saw what it looked like from behind. :-p

In fact, this came out better than I had envisioned, so much so that putting it together at the house beforehand actually freaked me out a bit and I had to take it down because I didn’t want to get scared every night walking by him. LOL.

It was important to me that the reception not come off as Halloweeny. Yes, it was horror movie themed but there’s a distinction.

My main goal was to create a “feeling”, one of ’80s nostalgia with fun dance music and silly horror props showcasing our crazy love for each other.

Mike and I are the same age and grew up with similar childhood experiences of campy ’80s horror, VHS tapes, Atari video games and MTV (back when they played actual music videos).

I made my own mannequins which will continue to serve us well in future years. I had sooooo much fun bringing these ideas to life.

The wedding cake… absolute perfection. Leah’s Cakery in Round Lake, NY.

I designed my own photo booth which was quite easy but time-consuming for sure. I had horror props and Ghostface asking “Do you like scary movies?”

Another idea that I let just come to me.

I was able to set my iPad up as the camera with fun wedding designs around the pictures. Everyone was able to text or email their pictures to themselves.

Michael Jackson was the King of Pop and a huge influence back in the early ’80s. Both Mike and I remember waiting up late at night for the release of the video. It was hugely popular for years after, and even to this day (obviously). Doing Thriller as part of our wedding dance was something Mike and I talked about once we decided to do a horror-themed wedding.

I asked my sisters and some friends who would have been in my bridal party had I had one to do it with me. Through word of mouth, I found a woman in Schenectady who taught it and brought the perfect energy to each lesson.

We all learned the dance (as she taught a short snippet for us) pretty much in the first 90-minute lesson she gave and then we practiced it every Sunday as a group (as well as on our own) for the 6 weeks leading up to the wedding.

The original plan included Mike doing the dance, too, but he just was not able to move the way he needed to. He was disappointed but still excited for the idea. When he’s able to do it, we will still make it happen! Maybe a future anniversary party…

The majority of our wedding guests were in our age range. It is my hope that everyone felt our love for each other and also a bit of nostalgia from their own youth and that the memory of that day will not only bring a smile to their face but a happy special “feeling”.

***

Because Mike was not able to do the Thriller dance, I came up with a “story” to open the reception. We would begin our wedding dance to “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” by Jefferson Starship. And right at the first chorus, once they sang “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now”, a very appropriate phrase to interrupt, the deejay scratches the record and the Thriller music begins, the wolf (played by my brother-in-law Scott) howling and all. As the wolf takes Mike to safety and I back away from my new husband, it is revealed that I am a zombie and we break out into the dance.

My biggest regret?

That the DJ read my “script” introducing Mike and I with his purge mask on…

He never told me he was going to read it with a mask on. By the time we realized that he was reading my script (because no one could understand him), it was too late to stop him and have him start over.

I spent just as much time on this as I did on my vows. I had to let it go so as not to ruin the rest of the night for me but it was tough…

So here it is…

It seems now that Mike and Teri have wed

A zombie virus has begun to spread

Heed this warning and don’t you dare

Leave the safety of your chair

The bride may be infected, it’s too soon to tell

But she’s starting to feel a bit unwell

There’s no need to panic, but don’t be misled

For among you exist the walking dead

Containment is underway, so there is no doubt

That it will soon be safe to move about

For now, just watch with careful delight

As our newlyweds THRILL you with fright

***

Of all of the pictures from our wedding day, this is our favorite. It represents the fun, crazy and horrifically amazing love we share.

Mike and Teri Komp, 4-11-26