Our Wedding Recap Part 3: The Guys & Our First Look

First of all, a very Happy 29th Birthday to my handsome husband Dave <3

Second, another shout out to Fuller Photography for doing such an amazing job!

And third, catching up?
- Part 1: The Day Before
- Part 2: The Ladies Get Dolled Up

While the ladies took the entire morning to get ready at the hotel, the guys were hanging out at Dave's parents' house.

The trolley ride over to the guys seemed to take forever, including a ride up and over a mountain where it seemed like the trolley needed our "go, go, go!" chant just to make it.

Finally we arrived!  All the ladies got off the trolley and I waited until the photographers had everything set up.  When it was my turn, I approached the yard where Dave was waiting with his back for me and I was bursting with excitement.  It was so fun walking up behind Dave, knowing he wasn't allowed to look yet.

And then, he saw me!

It was such a special moment!  We were both in awe of each other and you could feel the anticipation of the rest of the day between us.  The Fullers captured our first look and then gave us a few moments to ourselves to soak it all in.  It felt so good to be united with Dave.

Once we were done our little moment, we all loaded on to the trolley for our photo shoot in the park!

To be continued... Part 4

Our Wedding Recap Part 2: The Ladies Get Dolled Up

Did you read Part 1?

After all that rain, we woke up to a perfect day.

 

 

I actually woke up before my alarm even went off!  My sister and I shared the king size bed in one of the rooms connected to suite and I woke her up with a nice little version of Michelle by the Beatles.  Megan arrived a little after 7 and the hair art began!  She did all 5 of my bridesmaids and myself in a matter of 4 hours, she is ridiculous :)

I knew I wanted a hearty breakfast since we wouldn't really have a chance to eat lunch, so I ordered a big egg scramble full of bacon, sausage, cheese, onions, peppers, and mushrooms that also came with some bagels.  I really don't understand when people "can't eat" because of their nerves, I had no problem stuffing my face ;)  We also enjoyed some Starbucks and some mimosas.  We had the tunes bumping and I was pretty calm until the photographers were about to arrive!  I started feeling a little stressed about leaving on time and making sure we got the "getting ready pictures" I wanted, but everything seemed to workout perfectly.  Tom and Holly, the amazing duo that makes up Fuller Photography arrived and started working their magic!

Finally it was time to get dressed!  As I stepped into my gown, I really started to feel like a bride!  It fit me perfectly and I felt beautiful.

Next one of the bridesmaids handed me a gift to open from Dave.  The words he'd written in the card had me holding back the tears and the infinity themed bracelet was perfect!

Originally I wasn't sure if I wanted to wear a veil.  I wasn't following all the strict traditions and I didn't want to hide my beautiful hair.  But my bridemaid Kimber let me borrow hers, just in case, and once I stuck it in my hair, I knew I wanted to wear it on the big day!

 

Everyone was ready and I still couldn't believe I was a bride!

Next thing I knew, we were boarding the trolley and heading to Dave's parents' house to meet up with the guys for our first look!

To be continued... Part 3


 

Handmade Beauty

The first time I met Dave's friends Mike & Jen, we traveled to Texas for a long Labor Day Weekend to stay with them.  To be honest, I wasn't super excited about the trip.  First of all, I didn't know the people we were going to visit.  And at the time, I really wasn't a huge fan of Texas because the only time I was ever there involved being stuck in the middle of no where (I mean, seriously the sticks), teaching cheer camps in staggering heat, in gyms with no air conditioning.  Despite starting the trip with my negative attitude, it was amazing.  We stayed in the guest house at Jen's family's lake house and we were shown some serious southern hospitality.  We were treated to a number of delicious home cooked meals, including a mouthwatering brisket that was smoked all day and served with homemade barbeque sauce.  They took us out on their boat, taught us both how to water ski, whipped us around on tubes, and showed us the beauty of the lake.  We got to cruise around on jet skis and in a golf cart.  The remainder of the trip was spent relaxing, playing games, and just getting to know each other and catching up.  It was a wonderful trip and when we left, I knew why Dave had made an effort to stay close to Mike & Jen even though they lived halfway across the country.

That trip was a few years ago, so let's fast forward to now.  Mike was one of the groomsmen in our wedding and at our rehearsal dinner, Mike & Jen presented us with an unexpected gift: a gorgeous handmade quilt that Jen worked on with her mom!

 

I'm not even sure these pictures do the piece justice, it is magnificent.  We got so many nice things for our wedding including a few more personalized gifts and I think they will really make our house a home :)

Have you ever received an amazing handmade gift?