you are my every season, every hope, and every dream.

Some moments you remember forever. My wedding day is one that will always stay with me. There were some crazy, frustrating, and stressful moments leading up to it...and the day of....but when I look back on the wedding, all I can think about is the fact that I got to marry the man of my dreams. Everything else has faded away. I know so many of you have been asking for pictures. My apologies that it has taken me so long to share some of them with you. I am still waiting on them from my (seriously amazing) photographer. You can check her out on Facebook at Dani Lynn Photography. But I thought that I would share the ones I do have with you now. Also, I thought I would tell you a little bit about my experience. So...here goes!

It started fairly early on the morning of July 4th. I was feeling pretty emotional simply because that was my last night living at my parents house. I know a lot of people can't wait to move out and start their own lives. For me? I have such a close relationship with my family. Even now I am struggling with being away from them. As wonderful as it is to live with my husband and set up our home....I find myself missing my parents and my brother a lot. People keep telling me this will get easier. I sure hope so! After waking up, it was straight to the hair salon. My bridesmaids, my mom, and I were there for hours upon hours getting our hair and makeup done.

Then it was back to my house to get ready. This process seemed chaotic and stressful to say the least. Too many people running around! Eventually everyone was ready and my bridesmaids left for the ceremony. My parents and I were not far behind. They shoved me into the car (my dress was very poofy!) and we were on the way. Was I nervous? Yes! Not about getting married. More that so many people would be looking at me. I am not the center of attention type of person. In my regular life, I am pretty shy and tend to stay in the background as much as possible. Not that day!

We arrived at the chapel and I was ready to walk down the aisle with my parents. Until my mom started bawling. I was doing a really good job of holding it all together...until that. Knowing that she was upset about "losing" me broke my heart. And there was nothing I could do about it. Next thing I knew, we were walking down the aisle. My brother was playing "You and Me" by Lifehouse on the piano. That meant the world to me. It made that moment even more special.

As I walked, I could see people everywhere but the only person I looked at was Richard, my now husband. It all felt surreal. Like I wasn't even in my own body. But at the same time it was perfect. Everything I ever dreamed about when I was a kid and so much more. The ceremony was short. I think maybe ten or fifteen minutes. That was because we wanted to keep it simple and sweet. Get it done! Before I knew it, we were walking out of the chapel.

Then there was a receiving line of sorts and we took pictures outside with all of the family. Next was cocktail hour (where we largely stayed in a room for the bridal party) and then our entrance into the reception hall. There was a bit of a mix up with our entrance song - because our DJ was the absolute worst ever. Do not hire The Music Man! - but eventually we sat down at the head table. There were a few snags in terms of the venue (our co-ordinator was no where to be found and people with gluten allergies were served regular meals....) but I suppose those things happen. Needless to say, my mom was not thrilled with those aspects of the wedding.

Overall though, things went really well. We spent the rest of the night eating, drinking, and dancing. Everybody seemed to have a good time...which was a relief! I wasn't sure how the night would go. I had a really fun time dancing with my friends and seeing some old faces.

Honestly? It seems strange now that it is all over. So much time and energy went into dress fittings, decorations, and planning. Now it is back to real life. The next several weeks and months will be spent juggling work, upacking boxes, finishing up our apartment, and getting used to a new routine. Everything is different....but life is good.

xo Shannon