Our Wedding Day ♥
Exactly one month ago -- October 6th, 2017 was the best day of my life. After 5 ½ years, we finally tied the knot. The 10 months we took planning that wedding was stressful, fun, and exciting but I’m happy that it’s over now and we can focus on ourselves again. If you stayed up to date with my Setting the Wedding series, then you might remember that I never really knew what I was doing the entire process. I think that was just part of the fun! In the end, everything came together beautifully and I’m so grateful for everyone that was involved in making our special day so absolutely perfect.
We met with our photographers not too long ago to pick up our pictures from that day and I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t shed more tears looking through them all. If you’re in the Northwest Florida area, Tim and Audrey Sewell with Phocus Photography are the only ones I would recommend! I got the chance to work with them on a few occasions (you’ll learn more about that very soon) and having them there on our wedding day was more like getting to hang out with friends. They always make me laugh and I can’t thank them enough for the amazing photos that I get to share with you in this post.
When I woke up that morning at my parents’ house and even throughout the day as I was getting ready, it didn’t even really hit me that I was getting married that day. I was excited, but still extremely calm the whole morning. I really couldn’t believe it! Up until that moment, I thought I was going to be a total wreck. But I seemed to keep it together pretty well and stayed full of joy all morning. The first time I shed a tear was when I did the first look with my dad right before the ceremony. I’ve always been a daddy’s girl, so every time I see him get emotional I can’t help but start crying too.
I did do my own makeup and honestly, that’s one part of the day that continues to amaze me. I did so many trial runs before the wedding, testing different techniques, products, colors, etc. I couldn’t ever seem to get it just right and even the morning of the wedding, I sat down with just a faint idea of what I was going to do. I don’t know how it happened or what I could have done differently, but when I looked in the mirror I couldn’t believe how perfect it turned out. I’m not trying to brag because I seriously wish I knew what made it so different. Maybe it was just the magic of the day, who knows!
My mom and my sister helped me get into my dress and once I was all ready to go, my sister (who was my maid of honor) came with me and our photographers to take bridal pictures around the property. Because I had the chance to work with them on a project before, I had a little bit of practice on how all of it worked. We got married at Sowell Farms in Milton, Florida and aside from them just being so amazing and easy to work with, the venue itself was absolutely stunning. There were so many different areas for pictures that all looked gorgeous!
When it came time for the ceremony, that’s when I walked out of the bridal suite to see my dad and that’s really when all of the emotions kind of hit me at once. I was worried about that the whole day and that’s exactly what happened. It hit me like a brick wall and I had to try to keep it together. I rode in a traditional New Orleans style horse-drawn carriage down to the pond and although that gave me a little time to relax and be by myself for a few moments, that’s where I started getting really nervous. This is going to sound so dramatic, but I’m not exaggerating when I say that I started feeling light-headed and dizzy while on that carriage ride. I could see everyone and I knew a few could see me. I really had to focus on my breathing and try to get out of my own head before I completely passed out.
Thankfully I pulled it together enough to walk down the aisle and stand with Jacob for a few minutes at the alter. I’ve never liked being the center of attention and even though it was a small ceremony with just our family and close friends, I was still extremely nervous and shaking almost uncontrollably under my dress. I kept moving my legs in order to not lock my knees and tried to focus on things that would help relax me, like Jacob and our officiant, rather than paying attention to how many eyes were on us at that moment. When he finally announced us as Mr. and Mrs., I finally felt like I could breathe again. The scariest part for me was over and I could just enjoy the rest of the night.
Enjoy the rest of the night after the first dances were over, that is. That was ten more minutes of my life that I was super nervous about, but I got through it. I have no idea why I’m such a wimp about things like that, I just am. I teared up a few times throughout the ceremony and the dance with my dad, but I never let a drop pass my eye. There was makeup that needed to be saved! And I’m kind of a weirdo when it comes to crying in front of people. I’d rather just hold it in.
The food and other reception activities were so much fun. Jacob and our friends kept me laughing all night to the point where I had to stretch my cheeks because they hurt from smiling so much. That’s a good problem to have! We could tell that everyone else was having so much fun and I just loved being surrounded by all of our favorite people.
There were a few quirky moments throughout the night that kept it fun like Jacob rushing to put my ring on before the officiant had told him to, or when my feet were completely tangled in my dress during our first dance, or that we completely butchered cutting our first piece of cake. Those are some of the fun memories that will make it unique. Other than that, everything else was like it was straight out of a fairy tale. We couldn’t have asked for anything better! ♥
I will be posting more pictures and details every month in a post-wedding series, so stay tuned for that! This is just part 1 in our happily ever after...
~Christina~
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