Wedding Bells: The Ceremony

January 15, 2014

Wedding BellsThe few hours before the ceremony started seemed like 2 minutes. It was a whirlwind of weepy hugs, last minute beauty touches, nervous laughs and chaos at moments. I had seven bridesmaids by my side, all of whom are friends that I can’t imagine living in this world without – having them stand next to me felt so right and so comforting. Not to mention getting ready with them was a party in itself.

After the dresses were on, flower girls were in tow and my dad got a hold of himself (he’s a weeper), we made our way through the orchard to the ceremony site. I’m a hopeless romantic and this was the part I played over and over in my head leading up to the wedding – seeing Todd for the first time. I felt an odd sense of calm moments before making our entrance and even had a good laugh with my dad. It was a slightly longer, narrow aisle (teensy bit daunting) but as soon as I caught Todd’s gaze I didn’t notice anything else. I walked down the aisle to the most beautiful song I know, Garbriels Oboe played by a string quartet.

Todd and I choose traditional vows but included personal messages to each other that our officiant read. This was one of my favorite parts of the whole day.Wedding BellsWedding BellsWedding BellsOur florist, Juniper Floral Designs, dressed up the ceremony site with spanish moss, white roses, olive leaves and dahlias hanging from vintage lace strands. It was minimal, sweet and fit perfectly with the natural surroundings. She also used the same vintage lace to make olive leaf crowns for the flower girls. My mother-in-law got to work with some clever DIYs: she created the runner out of painter’s drop cloths and ring bearer pillows made with vintage hankies.Wedding BellsWedding BellsWedding BellsWedding BellsWedding BellsWedding BellsOur guests had a little ways to walk from the valet to the ceremony site so we had fresh squeezed lemonade in mason jars to greet them upon arrival.Wedding Bells
photos by Arna Bee

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