Our Wedding Day

In honor of our 2 month wedding anniversary (and before I forget), Id like to share the behind-the scene details of our wedding. This may be a long one... Enjoy!

Night Before:
We attempted to have a rehearsal at Space 301 the night before the wedding, but Im not so sure we actually rehearsed. We spent much more time trying to decorate the little house structure in the middle of the gallery.

After said "rehearsal" we headed to Bike Shop. The Bike Shop was the PERFECT place for our rehearsal dinner. It was super casual, and the food and drinks are incredible.

We had a four course dinner: Chips, Guac & Salsa to start, a delicious Mexican-style salad, an entree of Chicken Empandas, Fish Tacos & a beef burrito, and to finish- the most delicious mousse Ive ever had. It was "chocolate chili mousse." Yummm!
Plus the margaritas were phenomenal. It was a perfect evening.

Morning of:
I was so excited I woke up at around 6. I tried to lay in bed and be quiet until 7, but that didnt happen. I finally just got up, got a shower, and ordered room service. ((We were staying at the Battle House)).
After Chris got a shower, and we had breakfast, I gathered all of my stuff and headed to get my hair done.
Pam, at Image Salon, did a great job! She started my morning off with some wine & a great hair do. I love my Pammie. I was so calm, nothing bothered me the morning of my wedding.

Lunch time:
Around lunch time, my bridesmaids/man, my grandmothers, and my mom all gathered at the Portier House to have some lunch, and start getting dressed before the photographer arrived. Well, we were all supposed to anyway. William was such a sweet heart & he skipped lunch to finish setting up the wedding space.

Let the Count Down begin:

Melinda Mercer (photographer) arrived right at 2:00 to start photos. WE TOOK SO MANY. Getting in the dress,

my garter, rings, vows, letter, shoes, and every other small detail.

I know I will be so glad I have those to look back on one day. Melinda is amazing. & So is her husband, David. They are an incredible pair.

After my bridal portraits, and photos with my bridesmaids/man,

I was so ready to see Chris... and he was OVER AN HOUR LATE. So I was getting really grouchy. When he finally called and said, Im outside, the real fun of the day started.

There are simply no words to describe the emotions I had when I saw Chris for the first time. I wanted to be mad that he was late, but I was so OVER JOYED, and anxious, and overwhelmed with love. It was one of my favorite moments of my life. It went something like this...

Chris called and said he was outside. A few people rushed to the windows to cover them, and make sure I didnt get a peak.

Lauren ran outside to see Chris. She wanted a front row seat. & When the door opened for me to go outside, I was so SO excited! I could see Lauren from the reflection in the mirror, and she had the BIGGEST smile on her face. I practically ran outside- with the silliest grin on my face- and straight into Chris's arms.

We both cried. And cried. And Kissed. And cried. And hugged. I finally started laughing, and Chris just kept crying. It was the sweetest moment probably ever. I wanted to just hug him and never let go. I was SO happy.
From there we took 10,000 more pictures. With each other, with the bridal party, with our families, in the ambulance. Everything.

Speaking of ambulance- that was one of my favorite details of the day. I requested our "get away car" to be the 1953 Pontiac Ambulance that Chris's uncle restored. I thought it was beautiful & special to have.

An hour before:
About an hour before the wedding, Chris's sister, Debbie, offered to let me wear their mothers pearls. Oh Dear God. I was such a mess. Throughout the whole wedding planning process, every time we talked about Anne, he cried, I cried, we both cried. I know Chris wanted his mother to see him on his wedding day. And it was so special for me to have something of hers on our wedding day.

After that, Chris and I separated so we could still have a special moment walking down the aisle. I waited & waited. And asked about 1000 times "What time is it?" "How many minutes do I have left?" "OH MY GOD DO WE ONLY HAVE 5 MORE MINUTES?"
About 20 minutes before walking down the aisle, I started to FREAK OUT. All of my nerves from the past year and a half decided to come out at that moment. I walked in circles. I sat down. Stood up. Drank some water. Had to pee a bunch of times in my large dress. I was nervous, but I was ready.

Walking down the aisle:
Walking down the aisle was another favorite moment of the day. After everyone left Portier House, it was just my dad and me. And I was in full on freak out mode. As soon as we hit the steps of Portier House, Dad and I had this conversation:
Dad: I love you baby
Me: I love you too, Dad. I think Im going to cry. FOR REAL DAD IM ABOUT TO CRY. OH GOD IM GOING TO CRY
Dad: Its okay, baby, you can cry.
And then I cried all the way to Space 301. I wasnt sad, I was just experiencing every emotion imaginable at once. Overwhelmed is the best word I have.

But once I entered Space 301, I took a big deep breath, and walked down the aisle.

Prior to that, I had never had an experience where I literally saw only one person in a room full of people. It happened on my wedding day. I saw Chris, and focused on him, and we could have been the only two people in the whole world.

The Ceremony:
Chris and I were so beyond blessed to have my grandfather preform our ceremony. He did such an exceptional job. He talked about marriage, and the commitment it entails. He talked about love, and how it never fails. He even talked about what happens "When A Man Loves A Woman".

When it came time for our vows (which you can find HERE if you missed them) I was shaking. I was so excited to hear Chris's vows, and so nervous to say mine. I was so scared that mine wouldnt be as good as his. Fortunately for both of us, the vows were so beautiful. It was the highlight of the day.

After vows we exchanged rings, and put letters in our wine box to open in 10 years. We were pronounced Husband & Wife!, had our first kiss, and got ready to party.

Reception:
We entered our GORGEOUS reception space, and went straight in to our first dance- "Crazy Love"- Michael Buble. After dancing, we grabbed a small bite to eat, and mingled with our guests. This was really our first opportunity to see who was there, and chit chat a little.

After everyone got something to eat, and got a few drinks, it was time to cut the cake. And Oh my gosh, not only was our cake beautiful, but it tasted good too!

Then it was time for the toasts. My dad talked about how lucky our family is to have Chris, and how I'll always be his little girl. (I cried). Suzanne told the story of how Chris and I met. (I cried, agian). And Justin gave such a touching speech that ended with "I hope today, your wedding day, is the day that you two love each other the least" (And I REALLY cried).
Right after toasts, Dad and I danced to Steven Curtis Chapman's Cinderella. There was more crying. From me, and Dad. And Mom. And Chris. And Im pretty sure anyone else who listened to the song probably cried too.

Chris threw the garter, I threw my bouquet. We played the 'shoe game'. And we danced and drank and danced some more. And before I knew it, it was time to leave.

And by the time we were leaving, I was kind of tipsy. So I recruited everyone to go to The Bar.

We literally left our wedding in an ambulance, and got dropped of at The Bar. Perfect.

After the wedding:

We went to The Bar with a bunch of people. But I couldnt tell you who. We had a really good time, from what I understand. I think we only stayed a few minutes. When I started to read the Lagniappe in The Bar, it was time to head back to the hotel.

Our wedding was so perfect. I loved every minute of our special day. But as much as I loved our wedding day, I love our marriage more.  I am so lucky to have Chris as my husband! And these past two months have been incredible. Our love is growing stronger every day.