Looking back...

At lunch this week, the topic of conversation was the recent Bridal Extravaganza that one of my friends from work had attended with her roommate who had recently gotten engaged to her boyfriend. I don't know what it is about women and weddings, but we all quickly started giving out opinions, advice, asking questions about the wedding being planned... and reminiscing about our own weddings (or dreaming about our future wedding, depending on our marital status).

How big was the wedding going to be? Where are they planning on getting married? When is the big date? And of course, with these questions came stories of how we did it or how we want it done when its our time...

D and I were married at a fairly young age in the church where we grew up and eventually met. My brother performed the ceremony; my sister was the maid of honor. D's older brother was his best man. Our friends and relatives made up the rest of the bridal party. On June 26, 2004 at 3:00 in the afternoon, my dad walked me down the aisle, telling jokes to keep me laughing and smiling the entire way.

But let's back up...
The week before the wedding, our area was experiencing heavy rains- very unusual weather for that time of the year. The fields and yards were a beautiful, lush green (much prettier than the usual yellow-brown that signifies summer is here). This also meant that things were very moist and muddy- but we'll get to that part of the story later.

D's mom and my mom had purchased coordinating dresses for the wedding and were having them steamed at a local dry-cleaner... which caught fire overnight and burned down the week before our wedding day. All was fine though as they quickly found other dresses to wear and looked beautiful all the same.

As the week before our wedding dwindled down, the rains started to pick up even more. Our reception was to be at a local camp/ retreat center overlooking a lake. The parking at the camp was already going to be a little tricky, and muddy conditions would only make it more complicated. On Friday morning, the skies were clear and blue- the perfect weather for making sure all the finishing touches were ready for the big day. I was busy helping decorate for the rehearsal dinner in the morning, then off to a local nail salon to experience my very first pedicure as well as a manicure, grab lunch, then decorate for the reception. Finally, finish up, go home, shower and get ready for the rehearsal later that evening.

Somewhere along the way, we got behind schedule and ended up running a few minutes late to the rehearsal. Now, if you know me, then you know that being on time is a huge deal to me. Needless to say, this left me a little frazzled. Not to mention, the sky has started to darken and rain clouds are headed our way. As we pull up to the church, the heavens let loose and the rain pours. It continues to pour throughout the rehearsal and the dinner, both of which were at the church. As the evening winds down, D and I say our good-byes, taking notice that this would be the last time to say good-bye as an engaged couple. I head home to shower and get to bed early, as the next day was going to be long and exciting. D stays at the church to help his family clean up after the dinner and spend time with his relatives.

Sometime during this, a local nursing home begins to flood from all the rain and this is brought to the attention of our church. Nursing home residents are brought to the church to spend part of the night while the water problem is taken care of. D, being the sweet guy that he is :), stays with the residents, singing hymns with them and trying to make them feel comfortable in a foreign place. The water is taken care of and the residents are taken back to the home before morning.

Our wedding day was beautiful. The rain clouds had disappeared overnight. The sky was blue and the sun shone brightly. The whole day is pretty much a blur, but I do know that I was just so happy and calm. Amazingly, I wasn't nervous at all. Hair appointment. Finishing touches on decorations. Lunch. Make-up. Dress. Pictures. And then a time of prayer with the girls who were such a big part of our day. Then it was off to the ceremony where D and I became husband and wife. More pictures. Reception. More pictures. Give my bouquet to my little sister and best friend. Oh to remember the look of surprise on her face. :) Finally, leave the reception and start our new life together... after a trip to Disney World, of course.

The day was perfect. And while I know you're not supposed to want to change anything about your wedding day, if there was one thing I would go back and do differently, it would be to have the whole thing professionally videotaped. And have a smaller wedding. Ok, now I've re-capped mine- what about you? Is there something you would have done differently? Or if you're not married yet, what is the one thing that is non-negotiable about your wedding day? Lastly, here are some pictures from our wedding. Enjoy!