0/+107: The Wedding Part 2: The Ceremony
It still feels like yesterday, and at the same time, it feels like years ago that I walked down the aisle and married this wonderful man. We are having a blast and still learning about each other on a day to day basis. Our future looks bright and I’m so excited that we have so much to look forward to.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. First, you want to know about the ceremony and the week where this all began. You’ve heard Bryan’s perspective, now here’s mine:
Sometimes the week before the wedding is a blur, but I am forever grateful that my cousin came into town a week ahead of time to help me iron out the final details! Thursday, the rest of my girls arrived and we were able to hang out together. Some joined me for rock climbing, then we went to lunch and got our nails done (something blue ended up being the ring toe on both feet!). We finished the day with a great bridal shower with all my bridesmaids and some family members.
The next day all seems to mesh together, but we started off with a brunch for myself and my maids of honor before heading over to the site for some final set up. We came just in the nick of time, because that tent was a BEAST to put up! It was all hands on deck until the rehearsal and dinner. Thankfully, everything came together with only a few smaller things to finish up the day of (not including tables and chairs that couldn’t be put up until the day of in case of vandals).
The morning of, I woke up refreshed and super excited. I remember looking and Lindsey, smiling like a schoolgirl and saying, “I’m getting married today!” before we both dissolved into giggles. By far the happiest day of my life and it wasn’t even 8am yet!
All of us girls went to get our hair curled (do you realize how long it takes to curl hair for 7 girls?!) and pieced together. My amazing hair stylist Brittney Weisenberger did the most beautiful job on all of us! From here, we headed to the site to get dressed in the kitchen. The photographer was ready to capture every moment, from Lindsey putting on my makeup to Mom lacing up my dress, to the girls twirling in their dresses. It was such a fun time in the kitchen, but I had no idea if everything was going as planned beyond there. Thankfully, my family had it covered.
The parts I had been looking forward to right off the bat were the first looks with Bryan and my dad. We set Bryan up so he couldn’t see me as I walked up behind him and it turned out really cute in the photos. When Bryan finally turned around, I was hoping for a tear or two, but NOPE! This guy was calm and collected. I think I almost cried, but not him. So we both laughed instead. It was perfect!
Following some Bridal Party photos, my dad was brought down to the bridge for the second first look. I walked up behind him and had him turn around. It was INSTANT tears! I loved it, just the reaction I was looking for! Although, it cost me a few tears also (Thanks Lindsey for the superb makeup job!). The pictures that Kristina (K Herman Photography) took were just spectacular!
The next step was some family photos before guests arrived. We gathered together outside the building and went through every combination imaginable to get everyone in a photo or two. Oh, and don’t forget the bridal photos with just me, my dress, and the beautiful bouquet my mom made for me.
Too soon, though, guests started arriving and I had to rush down the hill to be hidden in the trees. Thankfully my bridesmaids could still be seen because we left the rings and flower petals up in the house (oops!) and they had to go on a couple excursions to grab them.
It was cold, it was muddy, but it was beautiful. I am glad I switched to my flats instead of wearing my suede purple shoes because they wouldn’t have made it. When I heard the music start, everything went calm and the girls began walking down. My flower girls and ring bearers looked adorable. The bridesmaids’ dresses were unique and just gorgeous. It was more than I could have asked for.
And then they switched to my song. Now, what you may not know about me is that I am more of a lyric person. Bryan is more of a music person. So, when we listen to songs, he listens to the beat and I listen to the music (It’s a running joke with us). The song I picked was all about the lyrics, but I didn’t expect Aaron to actually learn the lyrics, just the music. So, when he started playing the song and actually sang the lyrics as well, I almost started crying again! Instead, I focused on my dad and making sure he didn’t cry on his walk down the aisle.
The last ten feet came up and I saw Bryan ahead of me. My smile was huge! My best friend, my heart was standing there waiting for me to join him at the altar, to join him in love, to join him in life, forever. I could have skipped the rest of the way, but I figured dignity was required, especially in a wedding dress...
My dad gave me over to Bryan and then took his seat, where I am sure he began to instantly cry again (gotta love him). I don’t remember the order of the ceremony as it all blended together for me, but I do remember some great geology jokes by Uncle Denny as he ran the show. We had written our own vows and they came out to be pretty similar, though we hadn’t shared them previously (similar versions of me lifting and working out more than him, him enjoying bacon a lot, and me not liking to spend money on myself).
With my bridesmaids shivering and guests’ chairs slowly sinking in the mud on the hillside, we laid our hearts out and joined our families together. Such a great feeling (except for the cold and mud things…)!
One of my favorite parts of the ceremony was the pouring of the sand. It is a family tradition, so my uncle was there to help lead it. Uncle Wayne held the picture frame as we poured our individual colors of sand into the interior of the glass (purple and slate). This symbolizes the two lives becoming one, the way that they meld together so perfectly and are so difficult to separate once joined.
From here, we exchanged the rings. My ring bearer had carried mine down in a purple geode (yep, you read that right, so be jealous!) and Lindsey held Bryan’s. After this exchange and the final prayer by a joint effort of my uncle and Bryan’s uncle, we were pronounced Husband and Wife! Our final glorifying moment? Walking up those stairs to the house belting out “Some Kind of Wonderful!”
