Steve Rowland, self-confirmed commitment phobe and restless nomad, married a woman he'd known for four weeks in a quickie Vegas ceremony. Now, two years later, the couple are still married and he insists they don't regret it. In fact, he says it's the best thing he ever did. That statement is a far cry from the way they felt less than an hour after the wedding ceremony, when he and his wife considered an annulment.
So how did this madcap marriage happen?
Well, Steve met his wife, Celia, a friend of his brother, at a pub in London. It was love at first sight. They had a month-long, whirlwind romance that culminated in their hopping onto a plane and heading for Vegas. They kept it a secret, though, thinking that if it didn't work out, they could get a divorce and nobody would ever know.
Chances were high the marriage would fail.The thing is, Steve was a wanderer. An unsettled, restless soul with no job and no home. He worked at odd jobs; bricklaying, bartending, building. He bummed around in Spain for five years. reading, playing chess. Just loafing about. In contrast, Celia was a doctor. How could a marriage between two such different people ever work? After their return to London the newlyweds came back to earth with a bump. Steve said, "I underwent the biggest comedown imaginable: I was poor, unemployable, and married to a doctor. I had no career history, no qualifications, and I felt in her shadow."
He wondered what to do. Run away, or stay and work it out. In the end, he chose to stay. It's been hard, he says, and he now understands why people get to know each other before tying the knot. He and Celia did it in reverse and it was tough.
But, he says, "We made it through, and somehow I've managed to forge a career as a journalist, thanks to unwavering support, kindness and belief from my wife when I was at my lowest ebb."
It seems that, in his case, marriage made the man.
What's in a name?
Dress of the day: Anastasia by Maggie Sottero
Unusual wedding cakes from Dragons and Daffodils
