Our Wedding

Like a river flows surely to the sea
Darling so it goes
some things are meant to be
take my hand, take my whole life too
for I can’t help falling in love with you -EP

Some brides say their wedding day was a blur, some say it wasn’t anything special, some say they felt like they were in a dream.

In planning our wedding, I had two mantras in mind: “Make it us” and “Whatever happens, happens!” So when the day came, I had zero doubts or worries and I was able to soak in every second of it.

The week leading up to our Friday evening wedding was the perfect amount of busy, sentimental, real, and exciting. Calvin and I had a couple of hours of tension due to the stress of the week, but that was to be expected. It gave me confidence that we’d be able to work through anything and showed me just how very much he wanted this day to be everything I had dreamed up. We had the happy reunions with family and friends coming in from all over the country; the last-minute runs to the store, the late nights, the sobbing sessions, the copious amounts of frozen chicken nuggets, the last-minute dress sewing. Ours was the 4th wedding of the year among our group of friends so we knew the drill and didn’t have many (if any) surprises leading up to the big day.

{If you’re looking for a plot twist, tension, or crushing moment in this story, you might as well stop reading here. I’ll save you the trouble and say it now: Our wedding day was perfect.}

All photos by the incredible down-to-earth Rachel Clarke.

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I woke up Friday morning feeling awesome after a great night’s sleep. I gathered the last of my things from my room, packed my bags into the car, ran back in to hug my parents, and drove next door with my sisters to my grandparent’s home to get ready. Calvin and I had hoped the day would be rainy because we love rain and the soft lighting it brings. Our wish came true.

THE dress. I sewed it myself and will share that story at a later date. 😀

I had a friend do my hair and I did my own make-up… 4 times. I had practiced the look the week before but completely forgot how I did it when it came time to do for realz. This honestly was the moment of the day that I was the most nervous about and the only part of the day I felt was in my control and that I could potentially mess-up. It was my wedding face for goodness sake!

The groomsmen got ready a mile away and then came over to my grandparents’ house to pick up the girls.

My ladies prayed for us and for the day before I went to see my groom…

This was the most surreal, intense, can-hardly-breathe moments of my entire life. The rain falling gently outside, the click-clack of my shoes on the laminate floor, the incredible wave of this-is-it-its-really-happening when I emerged up the stairs and saw him standing there waiting for me.

I will be forever glad we did a private first look with our photographer (who happens to be a life-long friend of mine, so I had no problem being 100% myself in this moment). These images remind of us the raw emotions were were feeling as we were seeing, smelling, touching, and looking into the eyes of one-another for the first time on our wedding day. I’m intentionally leaving out the more sentimental pictures from this moment because they are so hallowed to me.

This room is where we spent our first awkward hours of conversation together the weekend he came to ask my dad if he could get to know me. He snipped thread ends as I sewed throw pillows and we answered get-to-know-you questions we had googled. I made my wedding dress in that room and I fell in love with it’s angled ceilings and crisp walls. It was the perfect spot for this perfect moment.

And speaking of ideal locations…

After picking sequin dresses and tuxes for our wedding party, I knew exactly the type of place where I wanted to take pictures; tall white columns on a non-brick building surrounded in greenery and clean lines. Yeahhh… my family thought I was insane to think I could find a place like that in our country town. But, we did! This gem of a home was just down the road and the owners were so kind to let us use it! I am absolutely head-over-heels for the way these photos turned out and have such beautiful memories of this hour.

Don’t I have the most gorgeous friends?

I love my sisters and I’m so thankful they love Calvin.

My friend Lexi and I put together the bouquets on Thursday from Sam’s Club bulk flowers. We included fresh mint and rosemary from friends’ gardens. I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted going into the flower arranging, but they turned out insanely perfect. My earrings I found on clearance at Claire’s for $1.50. 😀 My hairpiece I bought on Amazon for $20.

We love our Altoids! After wedding party pictures, we headed to the church for lunch and formal family portraits.

And at 4pm on the dot, it was WEDDING TIME!

Two of Calvin’s nieces, my sister Elsia, and our friend Hannah were our happy flower girls.

I wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep it together walking down the aisle with my daddy, but we got enough tears out at the rehearsal that we were able to enjoy the real moment. 🙂

One of my prayers leading up to the day was that I would be able to remember the ceremony and be fully present during that once-in-a-lifetime 45 minutes. And I was! While we sang “In Christ Alone,” my favorite hymn, the sunlight broke through the clouds and poured in the windows. I was able to look around through my big happy tears at those who had joined us and praise the Lord for His incredible goodness.

My brother, 13 years younger than me, has been my best bud since he was born. He was our ring bearer and tried so hard to hold his tears back.

We’re MARRIED!! We ducked around the corner after the recessional to sit down because I was shaking with excitement and so, so, so, so happy.

Hugs all around!!!

I’ve been blessed with the most incredible in-laws!

Jordan’s been one of my best friends since summer 2005. She was such a huge support and joy to have in Atlanta when I was visiting all the time. She’s now engaged to an awesome guy who lives in Hawaii and I couldn’t be happier for her!

Calvin’s groomsmen are some of the best guys out there.

We took some time for portraits between the ceremony and reception. I am THRILLED with these amazing photos!

Shoes came off so I could rest my feet before dancing!

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Reception time!! We were blessed to have the party at a barn close to our house.

The main design elements for our reception were bunting, gold-painted hula-hoops with ferns, low lights, green and gold vinyl table runners, abundant greenery, and black accents! The theme was “Tacos, Tuxes & Toasts” 🙂

Phone photo that shows the awesome detail on the tortillas— they were branded with our wedding’s logo! Apparently the word spread far enough for the hotel staff in town to have heard about the “wedding with the branded tortillas” lol.

The cake was really yummy! We had so many kind people help us decorate the barn! My dad and Uncle Scott gathered the leaves and branches in the rain that morning for the tables and Great Uncle Ray and Aunt Debra did an amazing job crafting the gold hoops with greenery. They turned out SO much better than I could have dreamed!

The tassels we added to the tablecloths made me so happy!

My sister gave the sweetest speech! She included lyrics from one of my favorite songs, “Dancing in a Minefield” by Andrew Peterson.

We went dancing in the minefields
We went sailing in the storm
And it was harder than we dreamed
But I believe that’s what the promise is for

“I do” are the two most famous last words
The beginning of the end
But to lose your life for another I’ve heard
Is a good place to begin

‘Cause the only way to find your life
Is to lay your own life down
And I believe it’s an easy price
For the life that we have found

Calvin’s brother Nathan gave a great toast! Then it was time for pinatas!

This is Cami and Topher, who got married in June, and Cami’s little sister Ellie. We love these people so much.

We had such a great time watching everyone break the pinatas! My dad made them and boy were they strong!

Caleb is one of Calvin’s best friends and Lauren, his wife, was our AMAZING wedding coordinator! Everything went perfectly under her watch!

Our photographer and her fiance! We’re excited they’ll be living close by after their wedding. 🙂

Jordan helped us choreograph a dance to “How Deep Is Your Love” by the BeeGees. 😀

My daddy and I danced to “Olivia” by Phil Keaggy.

Calvin and his mom danced to “Boogie Shoes” by K.C. and the Sunshine Band.

It was so special to have these chums there!

Surprise fireworks! We had such a perfect evening, it was hard to leave! But the party continued without us!

Apparently my littlest brother was the last one on the dance floor late into the night. 😀

My amazing parents! They made sure this day was p.e.r.f.e.c.t. and it completely was!

We were blessed with a honeymoon in Port St. Lucie, Florida! The weather was perfect and we were so happy! Still are. 😉 It was an 8 hour drive to the beach the day after the wedding and we spent most of the drive talking about how amazing our wedding was (well, and how much we love each other. ;)) and going over all the details that worked out so providentially! Friends and family, food, gold, and smiles everywhere. We are so blessed.