Tying the Knot: Mom's Dance

The last and final part of the evening that had me a little apprehensive because of my Dad not being there was our family dances. Between a bride's walk down the aisle and a very important dance, there was definitely some consideration and sadness and fear and anxiety that came along with these two parts of our wedding. 

I also don't have a step-dad or uncle or grandpa that could have stepped in instead so J and I decided to do one dance together with our moms. So following the toasts, the four of us went out to the dance floor and shared a few minutes dancing to Carolina in My Mind by James Taylor. Without question this would have been the song I picked to dance to with my Dad had he been there because it's just so totally him, us, my family, so it was just the perfect song to play. 

This was definitely one of the toughest parts of our wedding for me personally. Well and I guess for my mom too. Not more than 5 seconds into the song the tears started flowing and let me tell you, they were the Ugly kind. But I cherish those moments I had with her out on the dance floor, holding her hand, feeling like a little girl again at least a little bit. It was so very special to both of us to share that dance together.

Meanwhile, J and his mom are spinning and twirling and laughing having no idea what's happening on the other side of the dance floor. Ce la vie, I guess?

All photos courtesy of Ignite Images.

Next up: It's Party Time

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

Small wedding details

The start of our Ceremony (Readings & Ring Warming)

We're finally Husband & Wife

Formal family & wedding party photos

How we remembered missing family

Our pictures as Mr & Mrs

Our First Dance

Reception Dinner & Toasts

Tying the Knot: Our First Dance

After all the pictures were taken care of, J and I had eaten a few appetizers and had some sips of champagne, I finally felt like we could take a breath and relax. The morning and pre-ceremony parts of the day had gone so smoothly but I was starting to feel stressed and rushed and just plain sick so it was nice to know that we'd have a chance to enjoy the evening in a more calm way now.

We decided to have a formal entrance of our wedding party before we were announced for the first time as "Mr & Mrs" which was a lot of fun. I picked "Down" by Jay Sean because even though it's not super romantic per-say the lyrics are about "being my one and only" which I thought was fitting and the song is just fun.

We also decided to immediately do our first dance as husband and wife following our introduction. This way it got a somewhat boring typical part of the evening out of the way for our guests and it was one less thing to have to do after dinner. Our dance was pretty normal, just a slow dance between husband and wife, no dips, no twirls, no secret dance plan. But I wouldn't have had it any other way. Dancing with my husband, wrapped up in his arms, surrounded by the people who loved us most was absolutely perfect.

We danced to "My Best Friend" by Tim McGraw. It's been "our song" for so many years we didn't even have to think about what we'd use.

All photos courtesy of Ignite Images.

Next up: The Toasts

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

Small wedding details

The start of our Ceremony (Readings & Ring Warming)

We're finally Husband & Wife

Formal family & wedding party photos

How we remembered missing family

Our pictures as Mr & Mrs

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

Small wedding details

Fa La La La La

If you're anything like me then one of your favorite things about the Holiday Season is the music. I absolutely adore all Christmas music. A-D-O-R-E! Sometimes I want to skip through the mall while doing Christmas shopping just because one of the classic songs is playing.

I love them all.

Oldies/Originals like Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole all the way to the new renditions by Lady A or Mariah Carey. My heart is currently singing just thinking about them.

Well if anything I just described is somewhat like you or if it's not but you want a good laugh then you have to check out Straight No Chaser's "The Christmas Can-Can." It'll get you in the holiday spirit for sure!

If you've never heard of SNC then I highly suggest you check them out on YouTube because these guys have got some skills in the vocal department. I'm especially a sucker for anything a cappella.

Happy Caroling!

Love like crazy

There have been a handful of eventful (or at least eventful for me) things that have happened in the past few days so I thought I'd share. I'll probably bore most of you because, well, who cares about these things other than me? But I digress....

* I went to Starbucks this morning for my usual order of a grande, iced, non-fat, caramel macchiato. I paid and was sitting in my car wishing they would hurry up because I didn't feel like using my air conditioning to cool the world when the barista hands me a venti-said-drink. Feeling in an honest mood or thinking that I would have bad karma for the rest of the day, I said "umm I only paid for a grande." She smiled at me, said thank you, told me if it was her she would have taken it & run and then proceeded to make me the grande I was supposed to have. Then, handed me both drinks and said I was honest enough to deserve both. So I sit here drinking a venti latte and smile knowing there's a grande for tomorrow morning sitting in the fridge waiting for me. Honesty is the best policy I guess.

*School is starting in 5 days and I have to admit that this is the first fall semester I'm not even a little bit excited for. Usually I'm such a nerd that I'm ready to be back in the swing of classes and a routine but this semester.... not at all. Maybe that's because I was so busy and so stressed in the spring or maybe it's because we may or may not have NO AC in any building on campus! I sweat just thinking about that possibility. A water main on campus burst a few days ago and they are racing to get it fixed so they can restart the air conditioning. It's been close to 100 degrees every day for at least a week and isn't supposed to be cooling down anytime soon. Some classrooms are hot even with the ac blasting. Let's hope they get it fixed, ASAP, but at least before Monday.

*My car has been the target for many birds in the last few weeks so I decided it was time to give it a wash. The whole time I was there, while getting out of my car, paying, washing and leaving, I was being starred down by an older man in trashy/dirty clothes, holding a 40 oz of beer, just standing next to his car. Can you say creepy? It was not even 11 am and he was drinking which is creepy in itself not to mention the fact that he was obviously staring at a college age girl in the parking lot. I got in and out of that car wash as quick as I could.

*My puppy is no longer looking like a puppy but is starting to be more of a big boy dog now. He's lost his sweet smelling puppy breath which is the worst part for me. He's also grown these long and lean legs and stands taller every day. We've had to start brushing him every day because his fluffy "lamb fur" has started to shed and he has a big dog coat underneath. My little boy is not so little anymore either, I weighed him yesterday and he weighs 30 lbs now! Where did my sweet puppy go and who is this dog that's taken his place?

*I am currently in love with the song "Love like Crazy" by Lee Brice. If you're a country fan (or even if you aren't) and haven't heard this song, you must go listen to it now. Maybe it's because I've been with the BF for so long or maybe it's because we've started planning our life and future together but the lyrics of this song touch a special place in my heart and I can't stop listening to this song.

Be a best friend, tell the truth,

And overuse I love you

Go to work, do your best,

Don't outsmart your common sense

Never let your prayin' knees get lazy

And love like crazy

Colorado Girls

I've been fortunate enough to come in contact with a handful of followers that, like me, are from the good old Colorado. The BF showed me this video spoof of Katy Perry's California Gurls and frankly, I think it's pretty dang funny. Growing up in CO makes you really appreciate the places in this video.

So with that said.... This is for you CO ladies.

*For those of you not from CO, I hope you can at least enjoy this a little. And if not, I'm sorry.*