Wedding Details | Brooch Bouquet

One of the details from our wedding that I get the most questions about was my brooch bouquet. Friends, family, and complete strangers who have seen our wedding on Pinterest all seem to agree that it was beautiful and unique. It really was unique and held so much meaning. From the lace handkerchief that my sister-in-law included on the handle (that once belonged to my husband's great-grandmother), to the charm that was once my grandmother's engagement ring, my brooch bouquet is something that I will cherish for the rest of my life

Our Wedding | The Reception

Our reception was an absolute blast. Complete chaos, but lots of fun! The food was very good, the cakes were delectable, and the booze was flowing! The DJ played great music and people danced...some until they couldn't anymore. My maid-of-honor brought me to tears with her speech and the best-man made us all laugh. It wasn't glamorous, it wasn't perfect, but it was exactly what we both wanted. We couldn't have asked for a better wedding and I'm so happy I've been able to share our wedding, step-by-step, with everyone!

Our Wedding | The Barn

Before we get to the reception, I wanted to share how beautiful our venue was. We didn't go out and rent a party barn, we used a family friend's real working horse barn. If you could have seen this barn when we got started. 20 years of dirt and sand, maybe more years of spiderwebs, and poop. Of course there was poop in the barn. Endless amounts of elbow grease went into transforming that barn we walked into, into the barn our reception was held in. If I had a before and after shot, you wouldn't believe me that it was the same place. We have our friends and family to thank for that transformation. Will's mom and me brushing cobwebs, Will's sister helping to mastermind and transform the barn into a venue (and smelling like vanilla while she sprayed to keep the gnats away), Will's aunt Lisa designing and arranging our "non-flower" flower arrangements. Friends coming to help way into the night, Will's dad cutting up a fallen tree, Mr. Bub bush-hogging. We are so blessed to have such amazing people in our lives!

Our Wedding | Ceremony

A huge chunk of our ceremony was unseen by me. I knew what was going on, strictly by sound. I knew when I heard I'll Be by Edwin McCain start up that our guests were starting to take seats (or in most case, find a place to stand.) Our ceremony was going to be short and sweet. When I heard Bruce Springsteen singing When You Need Me, I knew our family was being escorted down the aisle by our three handsome ushers. I remember the wedding party being in front of me, getting ready to make their entrances. Then Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Bob Marley started up and my wedding party began to walk away. That song had a special place in our wedding. We had happened to be the maid of honor and best man in our maid of honor and best man's wedding, and that was the song the wedding party danced to. I wanted so badly to see my beautiful maids and the handsome groomsmen walk down the aisle. I remember starting to panic because it was just my godchild and me. My dress was rumpled and I couldn't get my veil to sit right. Thankfully a friend came around the corner, fixed me up, gave me a good laugh, and Norah Jones began to sing her sweet Come Away With Me...and I don't remember moving down the aisle at all. I just remember looking at Will (though I do remember praying I didn't trip over a stepping stone) and thinking about how lucky I am. We had our short and sweet ceremony, we read our handwritten (in Will's case, typed) vows, kissed, and were announced husband and wife. We walked back down the aisle, hand-in-hand, to My First Love Song by Luke Bryan. I had never felt more amazing in my entire life.

Our Wedding | The Wedding Party

Some people think the food, the cake, and the free liquor make for a great wedding. Others think the bigger the dress, the more expensive the decor, the better the wedding. I think the wedding party really makes the wedding. And did we have a wedding party! The groomsmen are some total clowns and trust me when I say that the girls can hang with them...every step of the way! Our wedding party, our family, and our friends really made our wedding something special. People are still telling us that our wedding was the funnest wedding they had ever been to (coupled by that they wish they could still be eating the cake and brisket.)

Our Wedding | First Look

When we first met with our photographer, she touched on the subject of "First Look" sessions. I'm an emotional person. I cry if a cartoon fly gets squashed. I knew I was going to cry and this seemed like the perfect way to get some of the tears out of the way.

Our Wedding | Getting Ready

We passed the two months married mark while we were on vacation in Biloxi. When you've been with someone for nearly nine years, two months doesn't seem like that long. It use to be people asked us constantly, "When are you two getting married?" Now they ask us, "Does it feel different?" (followed by, "When are you two going to have a baby?") To avoid the latter subject altogether, I'd say it doesn't feel much different at all. Legally it's different, but that's about it. We are still crazy...and crazy about each other. It's a wonderful feeling knowing that we are bonded forever by something as beautiful as marriage, but I don't think it's changed us at all.