5 Things I Loved About My Wedding Day

Besides marrying the cutest, sweetest guy on the planet, of course!

This Sunday, Daniel and I will celebrate our second anniversary! I can't believe we've already been married for two years...yet I marvel at how much we have grown and changed, both individually and as a couple. Starting young and being entrepreneurs hasn't been easy, but marriage has been the most wonderful adventure of my life. I am much more in love today than I was two years ago, (which I thought would be utterly impossible!) and the sparks and butterflies have only grown. I'm so thankful for his tender servant's heart and selfless love.

And above all, I'm thankful for God's grace that has brought us this far. Grace is what allows two imperfect sinners to live together in love.

So, to commemorate, I thought I would share just a few (it was so hard to pick 5!!) of the little things that stand out from our wedding day. Watch for a theme here...I didn't realize it myself until this morning.

My Ice Cream Date with My Groom

We didn't just have a first look before the ceremony - we threw the "don't see each other" tradition out the window. Since our ceremony was at 6:00 in the evening, we had to wait a long time until we were actually in our wedding finery and ready for the formal "first look". So late morning found us stashed away from all the craziness in an empty classroom with two pints of ice cream and plastic spoons. We were in our old clothes, I hadn't had my makeup done yet, and we just sat and soaked in the reality that we were really, finally getting married. I don't really even remember what we chatted about, but I do know it gave us a few much-needed minutes to make memories and enjoy a day that went by in a rush. (And yes, our "first" look was still super special.)

Relaxing with my Family and Bridesmaids (And the Dear Souls Who Made It Possible)

This one has two parts - because we wouldn't have been able to relax as much as we did without the amazing, angelic, DEAR souls (you know who you are!) who worked so hard to make our wedding beautiful and fed all of the guests. I am so thankful for my church family! They volunteered to handle all of the decorating and all of the catering, and knowing that everything was in the hands of people I trusted was an indescribable blessing. The wedding guests thought that we had a professional catering company, but, although their professionalism was impeccable, they were sisters and brothers in Christ, and their love showed through everything they did.

The result? My mom, sister, grandmother, bridesmaids, in-laws and I had the hours before the ceremony to simply enjoy being together, with no drama. We purposed to get as much done ahead of time as we could, so we weren't frantic on the wedding day. I love the memories we made listening to movie soundtracks, eating way too many snacks, getting prettied up, giggling, talking, taking pictures..........and folding the order-of-ceremony programs. ;D (All while my younger brothers guarded the doors of our inner sanctum with the steadfastness of the Queen's Guard. :))

Our goal was to focus on the marriage, not the details of the wedding, and at the end of the day, I was so thankful for that.

Praying During the Prelude

Along the same lines, when we were all dressed and ready to go, the guests were being seated, and I was minutes away from becoming a Mrs., we stood in a circle and the godly women I love best in this world prayed over our marriage. Tearful time, for sure!

The Singing

I know ours wasn't the only wedding with congregational singing by any means, but I loved this aspect of our ceremony. It was a time to worship God for what He had done in our lives, and the sound of a full church lifting their voice in praise brought tears to my eyes. (Lots of things did that day...) We sang "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" and a hymn called, "We Look Behind At All You've Done." Here's just one of the beautiful verses...

Through all the wanderings of life,

You daily lead us in the light.

Loving Father, You are faithful!

Through all the sin we cannot hide,

You claim us as Your holy bride.

Loving Father, You are faithful!

Loving Father, You are faithful!

You are faithful!

(Lyrics by Ken Bible)

Three of my bridesmaids, who happen to be musical artists, arranged and sang a song I had stashed away for the occasion when I was 16. (By the way, check them out here at www.thefotosisters.com. They're ah-mazing!) They later went on to record their a cappella arrangement--watch the video below!

And last but certainly most in the singing department, Daniel sang to me. Enough said. I still get goosebumps when I hear the song he chose to sing.

Writing (and Reading) Our Own Vows

I am so glad that we wrote our own vows. Of course we said the traditional ones too, but writing allowed us to flesh out all that we promised each other, based on Scripture, and gave us a chance to share our hearts publicly. The sheets of paper we read from are tucked in my journal now, and we look back at them on our anniversaries to remind ourselves of where we started. We just thought we loved and understood each other then!

Conclusion:

Thanks for bearing with me - it has been so fun to relive our wedding as I wrote this. If you take anything away from this post, know that I firmly believe it is the little things that make up what matters in life. The theme of most of my favorite memories of our wedding is simplicity. Busyness is often a thief of memories. Make sure you create time in your life, whether in the everyday or on important occasions, to enjoy the ones you love most.

Click to the right on the slideshow below to see more photos!