Photo: Courtesy
Joanna Gaineshas many special memories from the day she married husbandChip,but the one she will always cherish the most came near the very end of the night.
The designer and author — who is releasing her first solo memoir,The Stories We Tell: Every Piece of Your Story Matters,Nov. 8 — exchanged vows with Chip, 47, back in 2003 at the Earle Harrison House in Waco, Texas.
“I just remember, when we got there, I saw how good the food looked and I asked my mom, ‘No matter what, will you just put some food in a container and put it in the car?’ " Joanna recalls.
“So we did our thing, we did our dance, we did all the things that you’re supposed to do at a wedding. And all I kept saying is, I can’t wait to be in that car with Chip headed to our honeymoon. And the second that door shut, I was like, ‘Thank God, this is why I’m here. I just wanna be with you and I wanna eat.’ "
While it’s been nearly two decades since theFixer Upperstars tied the knot, Joanna, 44, says that memory is still fresh in her mind.
“Weddings are kind of scripted and you’re doing a lot,” she says. “You can forget why you’re really there. And for me, I was really there because I wanted to be with Chip. It will always be my favorite memory — when that limo door shut and we just ate like kids with our hands. It was Beef Wellington, mashed potatoes and two different kinds of cake.”
The couple, who share sons Crew, 4, Duke, 14, and Drake, 18, and daughters Emmie Kay, 12, and Ella, 15, recently celebrated their19th wedding anniversary.
“19 years ❤️,” Joanna captioned the Instagram post, adding a hashtag with the words “I like you a lot.”
Chip and Joanna Gaines.Joanna Gaines/Instagram
“In our 20 years of marriage, Chip and I have experienced a little bit of all of it,” Joanna writes. “Losing a loved one. Shifts in friendships.Bills we couldn’t pay. Moments where our hearts were broken. Times when all hope felt lost and circumstances were out of our control. When all I could think to do was lay face down on the floor in surrender.”
She adds that one of the “heartbreaking things” they’re preparing to experience is sending their oldest son Drake, 18, to college.
“In the grand scheme of heartbreaking things, this one comes with a lot of gratitude and excitement. But still, my first child is moving away, and our family dynamic will change because of it, and that can feel like a loss of its own. I catch glimpses now of what that life will look like and wonder if—or how many times—that might bring me to the floor.”
In last year’s summer edition ofThe Magnolia Journal, released in May 2021, Chipopened upabout how he stays dedicated to being a good husband and loving father.
“When I look out across the whole landscape of my little corner of the world, there are plenty of places where I fall short,” Chip wrote at the time. “I’m known to be easily distracted, for one thing. In general, me and time have this way of losing track of one another. And sometimes, I can let some of the commitments I’ve made slip through my hands.”
source: people.com
