More Wedding Pics!

The thought just crossed my mind that there are a ton of wedding photos that I never shared on here.  I obviously can't post them all, but here are a few more that I don't think I ever shared.  Enjoy!

Tables set up ahead of time.  In lieu of flower centerpieces, we put down mirrors and covered them with rose petals and candles.  The light reflected off of the mirror - very cool!

Here's an idea of what it looked like lit up ... 

Candy Buffet = Greatest Idea Ever.

Our rings!  They have our wedding date engraved on the inside, as well as the word 'peace' - because that is my prayer for our marriage.

My cousin Gabriella was my flower girl.

She is turning 10 in July.

I'm in denial.

I rocked red lips that day and it was so.much.fun.

Side note on my necklace - Bruce bought that for me at the jewelry store when he bought my engagement ring.  He was afraid I was on to him about the fact that he was getting ready to propose so he bought the necklace in the hopes that I would see something pop up on our credit card statement from a jewelry store and be confused as to why it wasn't as much as an engagement ring would cost.

Then he thought he would tell me, "I have a ring for you" and give me the necklace and say, "Hey, it's ring shaped!"  But he decided against that.

I think that was wise.

Did I mention I showed up on a firetruck?

Yes, we set off the lights and sirens.  We kind of got caught up in the moment when we were pulling up.

I'm laughing hysterically because we showed up and everyone was pretty much settled in the church (it was already 3:00), but as soon as the siren went off everyone came piling out to see us.

I know everyone says to never give the ring bearer the actual rings, but Bruce insisted and it ended up working out just fine.  Andrew took his job very seriously and handed the rings over to Steph as soon as he got to the front of the church.

The week before the wedding we found out the Bruce's brother had to report to Sturgeon Bay and his cousin's wife needed surgery, so Bruce was down two groomsmen.  I thought it would be nice to have his sister stand with him and I'm so glad she did!  It was nice to have siblings on both sides of us.

p.s. See that fan in the back?  Notice how it's not turned on.

My friend Max presided over the wedding.  I cannot even begin to thank him for all of the things he has done for me over the years.  (Including today - Max, thank you for the email convo about the history of Onward, Christian Soldiers!)

p.p.s. See the windows in the back?  Notice how they are not open.

We put out extra chairs and the downstairs and upstairs were still standing room only.  Insanity.

p.p.s. Did you know that the more people you put into a church, the hotter it gets?  Did I mention that the windows were shut and the fans were never turned on?

I love this one - it's like they're saying, "Wowww, you're really married!"

If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing.

Actually, I would turn on the fan.  And open the windows.  But other than that - I wouldn't change a thing.

Two Months!!

Okay, so Bruce will mock me shamelessly for doing this, but I so rarely remember anniversaries (we never really celebrated our "dating" anniversary because we would always forget until a few days later) that when I woke up and realized it was August 13th, two months after our wedding, I decided I HAD to pay homage to it!!

Here are the top five things I've discovered in our first two months of marriage.

1. Cooking is a much more enjoyable experience when there are no more than five ingredients in the desired recipe.
2. Changing your name is much like deciding to do a big clean out of your house/apartment. You are really enthusiastic about it at first, but lose momentum about halfway through (this is why I'm Sarah Weaver according to social security, the DMV, the bank, my Target Visa and Emory student account, but still Sarah Keck according to my Wachovia Visa, the Emory HR department, Ursinus alumni, my doctors office / insurance and the pharmacy).
3. A new flat-screen TV (courtesy of many saved up Target giftcards) bought the night of a late-night Braves game will most definitely put a smile on your husbands face.
4. Never remind your husband that the oil needs to be changed on your car the week before a road trip. It's like having him tell you that you need to put makeup on your left eye after just finishing your right eye - you're well aware and being reminded is slightly insulting.
5. Being called Mrs. (Insert New Last Name Here) will most definitely make you melt into a pile of blissful mush the first couple of times that it happens. Being invited into a family and taking their name is such an amazing and incredible honor. I love being Mrs. Weaver.

This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!!!!!

Psalm 118:24

Show Us Your Life - Wedding Receptions / Honeymoons

Phew!!

We've reached the end of another week, which means it's time for another edition of Kelly's Korner "Show Us Your Life."  Today's topic is wedding receptions and honeymoons.

I'm a very hands on and detail-oriented person.  To save money and make things easier on our guests, we rented out the community house (used for plays, parties, yoga classes, girl scout meetings, etc. etc. etc.) that was directly adjacent to the church.  This meant that we had to take care of everything, including setting up tables and chairs, guest amenities, lights, tulle, etc.  It was stressful and tedious but I LOVED doing it!!

Rather than traditional "flower" centerpieces, I decided to use candles and mirrors.  Because my colors were red and black, my mom and I went to Target the day after Christmas and bought out all of their 75% off red candles leftover from the holiday.  I went to IKEA and bought mirrors and candle holders and we just sporadically placed them on the tables with red rose pedals.  The light from the candles not only reflected off of the mirrors, but also through the glasses set on the tables.

It was really cost effective because we had leftover candles that we use now and we'll be able to use the mirrors one day when we have more space (we're in a one bedroom apartment in Atlanta while I finish up my masters).

While we were clearing the Target shelves of their post-Christmas candles, we also bought out their lights, and then strung them with tulle in the rafters.  It looked beautiful, because the whole room was lit only by candlelight and Christmas lights!!

For our wedding favors we decided to buy champagne flutes (we bought these at IKEA 6 for $4) and matchboxes from Ideal Favors.  I typed up a note saying that we hoped every time people toasted with the glasses that they think about all the blessings they have in their lives.  My sister and I put them together in about two days and they were less than $1 apiece.  I would recommend something like that!!

This was one of my FAVORITE parts of the reception - a candy buffet!!  It's a really inexpensive crowd pleaser, especially if you have kids at the wedding (we had tons).  By the time I actually got to the buffet (at the end of the night when there were only a couple of people left talking to us) there were only a handful of gobstoppers and lifesavers left!!

We hired local caterers and they were AMAZING.  We had a full spread of appetizers and then a dinner buffet.  The bar had soda, water, beer and wine.  Everyone tells me that the food was incredible but I only took about a bite of dinner when I saw someone I hadn't had a chance to talk to yet and got distracted!!  Did that happen to anyone else?

Our beautiful cake.  Again - people told me it was delicious, but after the one bite Bruce and I fed each other, we got pulled away to say goodbye to someone, and then to take pictures with someone else, etc. etc. etc. and before we knew it the cake was gone!! (We still do have the top tier, although it's in my parent's freezer in CT and we live in GA!!)

Once dinner was cleared we all danced the night away!!  A note on our music - my father is a music teacher and has all sorts of sound systems at his disposal.  To save money, we decided not to hire a DJ, rather we created playlists on iTunes, had my dad bring in a sound system and we hooked my computer into it.  He hooked up a microphone so that Bruce and I - as well as different friends and family - could announce when different things were happening throughout the night.

Our first dance was to Etta James' At Last.  We actually decided on that back in January when we were watching coverage of the inaugural balls.  Granted - Beyonce wasn't there to sing it for us - but if it was good enough for the president, it was good enough for us!!

The bouquet toss ... 

Bruce and his groomsmen - "I've got friends in low places ... "

And, of course, a wedding wouldn't be complete without the YMCA!!

We honeymooned in Rehobeth Beach, DE.  We actually both grew up vacationing with our families at various Delaware beaches, so it was fun to go to a place that was familiar to both of us but to share it with each other as husband and wife.  We stayed right on the bay, but could walk across the street to the ocean.  I wore flip flops that had "Just Married" written on the bottoms so it left that in the sand!!  We laid on the beach, went crabbing, shopping, ate good food and slept A LOT.  The week flew by and we were NOT ready to leave!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Sarah

Show Us Your Life - Bridal Party & Flowers/Ceremony

Today is another edition of Kelly's Korner Show Us Your Life.  Today's topic is bridal party and flowers/ceremony.

So ...

Welcome to my wedding day!!

We got married on June 13, 2009 (only about a month and a half ago!!)

We were married at the First Congregational Church of Kent in Kent, CT - a VERY small (less than 3,000 people) town in northwestern Connecticut.  My mom has been the pastor of this church for the past 15 years and it was really special to be able to share this special day not only with my friends and family, but with a group of people who watched me grow up.

People were shocked when I told them that my mom was NOT performing the wedding ceremony, but this wasn't ever a possibility for me.  She needed to be the mother of the bride.  A good friend of mine actually performed the ceremony - he was ordained the summer before I went to seminary and I admire him as a person and as a minister.

The church is classic New England - a wooden church with a big white steeple, no air conditioning and BOY was it HOT under all that tulle!!

For those of you Gilmore Girls fan, Kent is very much like Stars Hollow - a friend of mine from Georgia came in for the weekend and she said she felt like she was living in an episode of Gilmore Girls!!

Here are the bridesmaids beautiful flowers.  The girls were in red and I didn't want red on red, but wasn't sure what my other options were.  My florist suggested orange with some yellow and I'm SO glad I trusted her.  They were beautiful!!

We had two arrangements to match the bridesmaids flowers at the church.  That was it for decorations - I didn't want to take away from the simple beauty that is an old congregational church.

I walked down the isle to the Taize song, El Senyor (In The Lord).  Bruce proposed to me at an altar filled with candles after a Taize service at our church and that was the song that was playing.  To hear it as I walked down the isle brought me back to the night he proposed.

Our ceremony was really well-crafted.  A friend of mine sang "How Great Thou Art" and "Someone Like You," another friend read from John 15 (I am the vine, you are the branches) and Max preached a sermon about how we were not only celebrating the covenant Bruce and I were making, but also the family and friends that we are connected to through the Body of Christ.  The sermon was right before the vows and I never imagined I would be so touched by a sermon just before saying my wedding vows.  It was JUST what I wanted.

So ... my bridal party.

Two weeks before the wedding we got word that Bruce's brother, the best man, was being stationed at a Coast Guard base two days before the wedding and wouldn't be able to be there.  It's so hard to be so proud of someone for what they're doing and yet so disappointed at the same time.  About a week later, Bruce's cousin (another groomsmen) found out that his wife needed surgery.  He really wanted to be there, but Bruce assured him that being with his wife and one-year-old son was more important.  

At that point we had six bridesmaids and four groomsmen so we asked Bruce's sister (one of my bridesmaids) if she would be the "best woman" and she stood next to Bruce for the ceremony.  In a way, we were making the best out of a bad situation, but I also thought it was special that Steph could do that for Bruce - they've always had a special relationship.

This is me and my bridesmaids and my dad before we all hopped on the fire truck and road to the church.

My adorable flower girl is my cousin, who is eight years old (I had to use this picture because it was too adorable to pass up).  My aunt adopted her from Vietnam when she was four months old and she had brought so much joy to our family.  When they went to the orphanage to pick her up, my two aunts and my mom (my mom and other aunt had gone to Vietnam for three weeks for the adoption) all wore red because it is the Vietnamese color symbolizing good luck and happiness.  That's why I chose red for my bridesmaids!!

My sister is standing behind my flower girl, she was my maid of honor.  I'm being honest when I say that the wedding wouldn't have gone off without her - she was AMAZING and took care of details and was just amazing.

And now for one of my favorites ... 

Bruce has some of the most AWESOME friends who he asked to be groomsmen.  We were down two groomsmen but they did everything they could for me and my family the weekend of the wedding to try to make things go as smoothly as possible.  The hung tulle, they mowed lawns, they made small talk and they helped with music at the reception.  I'm so glad to be able to have them in my life now!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Smile big, love hard, rejoice always, find grace and live in peace,

Sarah

Show Us Your Life - Wedding Dresses

Kelly's Korner's "Show Us Where You Live Friday" has branched off into "Show Us Your Life" and today's edition is Wedding Dresses!! I thought I would join in on the fun since I'm not even two months into my marriage and have been showing little tidbits of the wedding anyway.

So here goes ...

I got my dress at David's Bridal.  My mom and sister and I went in shortly after I got engaged "just to look" and before we knew we just got swept away in the process and bought the dress, shoes, undergarments, tiara and two veils.  My father was both amused and horrified when we got home.  There were times throughout the planning process that I wished I had taken more time to shop around, saved some money, picked either the veil OR the tiara, etc.  But in the end, I LOVED every piece of what I wore that day and wouldn't have traded it for anything!!

(and I found ways to cut costs in other places - my father was grateful!!)

About a week before I went looking for dresses, I attended a friend's wedding and was introduced to the "pull-up" look.  I fell in LOVE with it and knew I had to have a dress with that style on the bottom.

The bodice of the dress had a really slimming frame as well as beautiful beading that ended up matching the tiara PERFECTLY (fate, right?)

There was a beautiful simplicity about the dress, so my hairdresser matched it with an elegant Audrey Hepburn, swept back look.

To contrast that look, I used dark make-up - smoky eyes and deep red lipstick and nails.

... the red matched the Fire Truck!!

This is how my girls and I got to the church.  My mom is a pastor in a really small town in Connecticut.  The local fire department is really active and many of our church members are firefighters.  The department was gracious enough to let one of the members drive me and my girls to the church on the truck!!  It was awesome - my veil flew out the window and as we approached the church the siren went off!!  Talk about a grand entrance.

Walking down the isle - Bruce hadn't seen my dress before so when the doors to the church opened he just smiled and smiled.  I was SO happy to see him!!

One of my favorites - is hanging above my fireplace right now :)

I LOVE my top gun sunglasses and had to have them on for at least one picture!!  This picture kind of makes me feel like Angelina Jolie in Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

I kept my veil on all night - Bruce asked me why and I told him because I would only get the chance to do this once!!

Once we bustled the train it just flowed with me and I felt like an absolute princess!!  A night I will never forget!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Sarah :)