The BIG DAY… How It All Went Down

posted on : October 21, 2014

Happy Wedding Week, friends! We’re late to board the Anniversary train (it was Sept. 21st), but we’re celebrating anyway. Next year, we’ll have our act together and host Wedding Week over the actual week of our Anniversary. Until then, we’re just going to PARTY ON people!

We were married on Saturday, September 21, 2013. For maximum effect, just get this song in your head before you read any further. 🙂

Why yes, EWF, I do remember the 21st night of September. And yeah, that song was played at the reception. How could we not? We did not, in fact, choose 9/21 because of the song… more on the “why the 21st of September?” story later this week. As for where we got married, we chose the Elk Manor Winery in Maryland. The Chesapeake Bay has always been a special place to us (again, more on that later this week), so it felt right to have the wedding there. So how did everything play out? Well, the wedding planning started wayyyy back when we got engaged, but the festivities started for us on…

Tuesday Evening: Mom and I got our nails done after work… the calm before the storm, so to speak. 🙂Wednesday Evening: We went down to the bay on Wednesday night to start getting things set up. My grandparents have a house there, so my mom, cousin Ashley, and I just camped out with wedding crafts and last minute details galore until everyone else made their way down.Thursday Morning: We visited Shelemiah United Methodist Church, the ceremony location, to get a lay of the land and figure out where things would be, where the flowers would go, etc.Thursday Afternoon: Ashley and I got our nails done, Mom worked on the bouquets (she did all the flowers herself!), and we nailed down a final to-do list. Everyone else started trickling in that night and good thing too because we would need all hands on deck come…Friday Morning: Time to set up the tent at Elk Manor for the reception! Elk Manor provided the tent, tables and chairs, but we were responsible for all of the set up. Tables had to be arranged, lights hung, decorations put out, and tables set. Each table had either a glass hurricane or lantern filled with sand and a candle (battery operated due to the no-flame rules), twine-wrapped glass votives, and some Chesapeake Bay additions.Friday Afternoon/Evening: Rehearsal and Rehearsal dinner time! We practiced a few times and then enjoyed time with family and friends afterward.

Friday Evening: The girls and I finished up some last minute tent decorating and then got in our PJs for some late night girl time. We stayed in the beach house (one of the best parts of the venue, in our opinion!) and had some good laughs before turning in for the night. These girls (my cousins) light up my life and it was incredible to have each of them there.

Saturday Morning: Time to rock and roll! We were up before 7am and hair started at 8. One of the best parts of the whole experience was getting ready in that beautiful beach house.See, this is why I love these girls- they understand my love languages- dancing and chocolate chip cookie dough…

We had family and friends coming in and out all morning long. People were hanging out on the porch, grabbing a bite to eat, and walking along the beach… I remember it being such a peaceful morning and we soaked up every minute of it. The guys came over to finish getting ready around 11am and the mingling and relaxing (and dancing!) continued until we were ready for the First Look. Dress on, shoes tied, suits buttoned, jewelry in place… We had decided beforehand to see each other before the ceremony and it was one of the best decisions we made. All of our friends and family hung out and watched from the porch, Mitch stood at the end of the dock, and I walked out to meet him. Waaaaaay more emotional than we anticipated! But a great way to start off the festivities. The best part was that our friends and family were all there to enjoy it with us.We had some time to take a few pictures of the bridal party- glamour, drama, epic, silly, serious- we did them all. 🙂 And then it was time for everyone to pile into cars and head to the church… time to get married!

Saturday Afternoon (2:30pm): Ceremony Time! My Aunt Jennie and Uncle Steve did the ceremony, the tiny (but beautifully charming) church was filled to the brim with all of the people we love, and it was the best part of the day. Couldn’t have asked for better. Saturday Evening (4pm): Party Time! Guests drove from the church to the winery and had some time to walk around the grounds and explore the beach, tent, and dock. We started the family portraits and right in the middle it began to rain… and it didn’t stop for the entire rest of the night! Oh well, wet rope makes for a tighter knot, right? And really, it didn’t stop the partying. 🙂 We had our first dance…Mitch danced with his mom and step-mom… I danced with my dad (we started out slow and surprised everyone with a transition into “I Want You Back” by the Jackson Five)……and then everyone ate, danced, and partied all night long! By the end of it we were exhausted, wet from the downpour of rain, but filled to the brim with joy.It truly was a wonderful day- one that we have great memories of. A HUGE thank you to all who came to support us and a thank you to you for tagging along with the throw back today! Fun times all around. The rest of the week, we’ll get into the nitty gritty. How I asked the bridesmaids, the detailsdetailsdetails, and some of the adventures (and misadventures) we had on our Honeymoon. Stay tuned for the rest of Wedding Week!