Thursday, January 31, 2013

Tying the Knot: The Ceremony

After what seemed like no time at all it was suddenly time to start the show! 

We planned on having our ceremony at 4:30 but ran a few minutes behind based on where the sunset was. I was completely oblivious to this though as I was hiding in the corner of the bridal suite so when our planner came running in to tell me, "don't worry, just a few more minutes! the sun just needs to set a tiny bit more." I had no idea what she was talking about. 

Then it was time to go! All morning I had been calm as a clam, seriously. Running a few minutes late from the salon? No big deal! Sneaking in some First Touch shots with my fiance? No nerves or anything! I was beginning to think this whole day was going to be a breeze! Until A Thousand Years by The Piano Guys (click below to listen as you read) started playing, the song I had specifically picked out to have our family & wedding party walk down the aisle to. My heart started pounding, I lost my breath and seriously couldn't believe this was it! This was my wedding day! I was going to marry the man of my dreams tonight. From where I was hiding in the back room no one except my maid of honor and our wedding coordinator could see me and I thankfully pulled it together quickly and away they went.

The ceremony started with J's Parents (& Step parents) followed by my Mom and Sister. Then our wedding party followed by our Best Man and Maid of Honor.

Then it was my turn! I will touch on my walk down the aisle a little later when I post about [Our Unique Touches] but I will share my wedding music. I walked down the aisle to Love Story Meets Viva La Vida by John Schmidt (click below to listen.)




Our ceremony was officiated by a family friend who I have known for many years. He did a fantastic job! Instead of doing the normal Unity Ceremony with candles or the ever-so popular sand ceremony we opted for something a little different. Since our guest list was relatively small, under 90 people, we chose to do a Ring Warming Ceremony. At the beginning of the ceremony our wedding bands were taken first by my MOH/Bridesmaids then passed to our families then throughout our guests and finally to J's Groomsmen/BM. Each person was able to hold our rings for a moment, say a silent prayer/blessing/positive thought to us as a couple and our future together and then pass them to the next. Once they returned to us they held more in them than just our promises to each other, they contained the blessings and support from our closest family and friends. I am so glad we chose to add this to our ceremony as it made it that much more personal for us and for our guests.
We asked both J's Step Dad and my Sister to do a reading during the ceremony. For J's Step Dad we asked him to write something himself about what it takes to have a successful marriage and somehow include the verse Corinthians 13:4-8. The same verse was used in his wedding with J's Mom and we were able to tie in that special moment into our ceremony.
For my Sister, we asked her to read an Irish Blessing for us, one because of how beautiful it is and two because we are going to Ireland for our honeymoon. 
May the road rise to meet you// May the wind be always at your back// May the sun shine warm upon your face// And the rains fall soft upon your fields// And until we meet again// May God hold you in the palm of his hand// May God be with you and bless you// May you see your children’s children// May you be poor in misfortune// And rich in blessings// May you know nothing but happiness// From this day forward// May the road rise to meet you// May the wind be always at your back// May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home// And may the hand of a friend always be near// May green be the grass you walk on// May blue be the skies above you// May pure be the joys that surround you// And may true be the hearts that love you.

All photos courtesy of Ignite Images.

Next up: We are Husband and Wife!

Need to catch up?
First we got ready
Then it was time for The Dress
Lovely bridesmaid photos
Our sweet Ollie pup
Handsome groomsmen photos
The Bride & Groom portraits
Our First Touch before the ceremony

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