When it was time for the wedding to begin, I was ushered outside and I could see that my mom had set up an entire wedding ceremony. There was a beautiful arch with burlap and lace and just about everyone I am close to were all there. My little sister served as the flower girl and she looked so precious. My mom told me afterwards that she apparently was having her practice her walk for a few weeks!
My best friend Samantha was my Maid of Honor and she looked so beautiful. We have been friends for over 10 years and I am so happy she was my maid of honor. We have always been inseparable and it is such a blessing to still have her in my life! As we moved forward and it was time to walk down the aisle with my grandpa by my side, I laid eyes on the most handsome man I had the privilege of marrying. I had never seen him in his dress blues before and he seriously took my breath away. As we got closer and closer and I stood right in front of him, I just was so overwhelmed with joy. Have you ever experienced when time just feels like it is going so slow, yet so fast at the same time? That is about how I felt.
Renewal of Vows. I just thought back to the moment when we first got married and how far we have come. We have grown so much closer together and although I feel like we are still in the honeymoon stage, I just fall more and more in love with James every day. He is just the type of man I always wanted to be with. He is so kind, the funniest person I know, and the most humble, genuine person you could meet. My mom’s boss Jim was our officiator for the ceremony, which was a very sweet thing for him to want to be a part of the wedding. After we renewed our vows it was finally reception time! As everyone gathered inside, we had pictures taken of our family and then separate ones of us. I have a few that I can share, but after my mom receives the disc I’ll probably make a separate post just for that purpose. As everyone was wrapping up on eating, they called for anyone who wanted to speak to do so. My good friend Rachel went up and spoke, and it had me in tears! I have known her since we were in elementary school and rode the same bus + to have her still in my life is such a blessing! Next, my mom’s boss Jim spoke. He is seriously like a father figure to me because he has known me my entire life, and has done so much for my family. He really helped out my family when I was diagnosed with cancer, allowed us to come to my mom’s work after school, and so much more; all in all Jim is the best.
Food. I am so grateful that we were able to have a reception with all of my family there, being around those who love and support us is such a great feeling. For dinner we had sausage, brisket, baked potatoes, salad, and rolls. Next, we cut our cake which was the exact cake I had envisioned for my wedding. It was vanilla and had the frosting in kind of a striped pattern with beautiful flowers placed on it. My mom had it placed on top of a gorgeous wood stump and the table surrounded with vintage bottles filled with baby’s breath. My mom and I got James a groomsmen cake, which we kept from his as a surprise. It was Modest Mouse inspired and had the hot air balloon that he has tattooed on his arm. Being Modest Mouse and the cake chocolate, James really loved it!
Dance. James and I’s first dance was nothing short of magical. It was darker now and the DJ played “First Day of My Life” by Bright Eyes. Just a little background, when we were moving from Texas to Utah, we listened to CDs to pass the time. He only had a few in his car, some Modest Mouse, Panic at the Disco, and then this band called Bright Eyes. I had never heard of them, but he said I’d probably recognize them. Sure enough, I did know one of the songs and I kid you not we listened to that CD pretty much on repeat. When my mom told me to pick a song for our first dance, James and I struggled on finding one because we both have a little bit of different tastes. When I thought of this song, it was just kind of perfect. It signified our journey together both on the road and emotionally, and I just love the line “Yours is the first face that I saw/ swear I was blind before I met you”. We did not practice dancing before, and James does not dance. It was so funny trying to get it down, and while we are not ballroom dancers by any means; it was perfectly imperfect and that is what I love about it. We laughed and talked and kissed and I just will remember that moment forever. My dad and I danced next to “My Little Girl” by Tim McGraw and it was so sweet dancing with him. This song makes me tear up for more than one reasons. When my sister was still alive, we would always talk about our dream wedding. It is kind of crazy how different we were because she wanted a full out wedding and I just wanted a small, Vegas wedding. She always told me she wanted to have her first dance with our dad to My Little Girl and I will never forget our conversation afterwards. It is still so hard to go on with life without her, but I felt by choosing this song I had a piece of her with us. During my wedding I actually wore the necklace that I keep her ashes in, so she was with me every moment of that day.
Fun. The night before, we set up a little photo booth for the guests to get their pictures taken at and boy was that a hit! Our photographer, Kim, got amazing shots and everyone seemed to love it. I threw my bouquet and Samantha caught it. Better yet, when James removed my garter from my thigh and flung it, Tyler {my other great friend} caught it! It is just funny, because it is an ongoing joke about them being together and how they should date, so it was pretty coincidental they both are to get married next. {wink wink, nudge nudge!}
Happily ever after. I absolutely loved everything about my wedding. The surprises, being surrounded by friends and family, and sharing the night with the man I love made this night so magical. I am so blessed to have my mom who orchestrated this entire thing, so huge props to her! I also have to thank, again, Kim our amazing photographer. I am glad we have so many pictures of this night, that we can cherish and have for many years to come. I know this post is a long one, but trust me I could have wrote a lot more! God bless + I hope y’all have a great weekend!
450775 322145Wow, fantastic weblog structure! How lengthy have you ever been running a blog for? 550169
176250 294728I see something actually particular in this internet internet site . 897061
378056 129635hi and thanks regarding the particular post ive truly been looking regarding this kind of info online for sum time these days hence thanks a whole lot 317857
418348 505365Numerous thanks for sharing this fine piece. Very intriguing concepts! (as always, btw) 461872
10709 879292Woh I love your posts , bookmarked ! My wife and i take problem along together with your last point. 976899
867809 944337if this post was likened to a flavor of yogurt, what flavor would it be? Banana, I believe. 470762
218326 30395As being a Newbie, Were permanently exploring online for articles which can be of aid to me. A lot of thanks 483238
801999 439681An attention-grabbing dialogue is value comment. Im certain that its far better to write on this subject, towards the often be a taboo topic but typically persons are not sufficient to speak on such topics. To an additional location. Cheers 408632