Hilarie Burton Reflects on Past Decade and Marriage to Jeffrey Dean Morgan in Moving Instagram

Hilarie Burton is reflecting on her wedding in October to Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the decade comes to an end.

The One Tree Hill alumna shared a series of Instagram photos Tuesday from her and Morgan’s wedding in New York on Oct. 5. In the caption, Burton, 37, opened up about how, while the decade started off rough for her, it ultimately ended on a good note with her marriage to Morgan, 53.

“Ten years ago, I was pregnant, unemployed, unsure about where I was gonna live or give birth and despite the bravado I may have projected, I was scared,” she wrote. “My whole life I’d thought I would follow the same path as everyone I’d grown up around. Have a steady job. Get married. Buy a house. Have kids.”

“But the path didn’t unfold that way at all,” she continued. “A decade later, I can look back at my younger self and say ‘it’s okay, honey! Happiness will surprise you! Let it!’ 2019 was incredibly good to our family. The wedding I thought I wanted when I was 26 was made so much sweeter by waiting.”

Burton added, “My love for @jeffreydeanmorgan has evolved into something so much deeper and golden. Our children participated and were at our sides for all of it. It was the celebration of an entire decade. As I see all the year in review posts today, my entire year – my entire decade really – can be summed up in that one day.”

“Happy New Year, everyone,” she wrote. “I hope your path is winding and surprising and takes you on a wild ride. Biggest Happy New year to @jeffreydeanmorgan, Gus and George. Love isn’t a big enough word. Bring on the Roaring Twenties!!!! 2020! 💖🎉💕🎉💖🎉💕🎉.”

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Burton, who shares son Augustus “Gus”, 9, and daughter George Virginia, 21 months, with the Walking Dead star, included various sweet photos from the wedding day of the family of four. In addition, Morgan’s Supernatural costars Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki also made an appearance and posed for a photo together.

Burton and Morgan revealed on Oct. 7 that they had tied the knot that weekend, contrary to reports that they had already wed years ago. His rep later confirmed to PEOPLE that the couple wed in New York on Oct. 5.

Sasithon Pooviriyakul
Sasithon Pooviriyakul

Later that month, the actress spoke to PEOPLE at Lifetime’s It’s a Wonderful Lifetime Holiday Movie Press Junket and explained why she finally decided to marry Morgan after a decade together.

“We had built this life together,” said Burton. “We’d had kids together. I think there comes a point where you just don’t want to go another day by being inauthentic about it.”

“It was a couple months,” she added of the wedding planning process. “It wasn’t a big deal. It was like nothing.”

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I never wanted a wedding dress. “I don’t want a white dress and I absolutely dont want a strapless dress! Then I met @carolhannahbridal . I’d come across her designs on one of those massive bridal sites, while I juggled my kids this summer. As I consulted with our outstanding stylist and all around genius advisor @jeanneyangstyle , I kept using Carol’s designs as points of reference. “Architectural. Asymmetrical. Not too girly.” Then one day the lightbulb went off and Jeanne just called Carol directly. I was nervous going into their salon. I’d tried wedding dresses on once before and it was a miserable experience. Pretentious. Pompous. But not this time. Carol and her whole team knew what I wanted without me even having to say it. She led me to this dress right away and from the moment I tried it in it was a no brainer. I had been wrong. I did want a white strapless dress. I wanted THIS one. I cannot thank that group of women enough for holding my hand and bearing with me. The craftsmanship was only trumped by the kindness. My last fitting was two days before the wedding. Jeanne and I met at their studio and that was the giddy moment where all the wedding festivities kicked off. Thank you @carolhannahbridal and @jeanneyangstyle . You heard exactly what I was saying, even if I didn’t have the right words. So grateful for this new family heirloom. Xoxoxox #weddinggown #carolhannah #carolhannahbride

A post shared by Hilarie Burton Morgan (@hilarieburton) on Oct 8, 2019 at 4:47pm PDT

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She also said that her nuptials were “probably the only time I’ll ever wear a white dress in my life.”

“It’s one and done, man,” she added. “And so it fit, it was appropriate for the moment. I didn’t anticipate having a traditional wedding. I thought it was going to be very casual, but as it got planned, it became very traditional.”

The actress also spoke about her and Morgan’s vows, which she referred to as “a strange thing” due to the lack of formality.

“I mean, there was people interjecting and our kids crawling all over us,” she recalled. “And so it was a very conversational thing. I’ve been married on TV, and so it was very different from that, that’s what I’ll say.”