Aliology

All that week, we had been preparing for rain. The forecast didn’t look promising for the outdoor ceremony I had been dreaming about for a year, with the chance of “scattered showers” making us prepare to move our plans indoors. A little ahead of schedule that morning, though, we suddenly had an opening – the light rain stopped and the sun started to peek through the clouds – and we quickly seized the moment.

{ the officiant, the groom and the groomsmen }

{ my brother escorting our mom }

{ the parents of the groom }

{ Matthew escorting his mom }

{ our flower girls, Zoe and Adele }

{ our musicians, Joe & Jacie Sites }

Even though it would begin to rain again soon after, the clouds parted just long enough for Matthew and I to become husband and wife under the wide open sky.

{ his sister, Julia, reading a poem }

{ my brother, Joel, reading a blessing }

{ reading his letter to me }

After Julia and Joel performed two heartfelt readings for us, Matthew and I read letters we had written to each other before saying our vows.

{ reading my letter to him – except I’m a crier… and so are all my bridesmaids }

“…even though sometimes I accuse you of being a ‘stick in the mud’…”

{ handfasting }

Of all the many different rituals used in weddings to symbolize the joining of two people and their families, Matthew and I chose to perform a handfasting. For me, there couldn’t have been a more unaffected, elegantly simple way to represent these promises we were making. Most importantly, this traditional Celtic ritual of joining hands emphasizes mutual consent and a union of equals.

{ leaning in for the kiss }

We received a lot of generous compliments from the guests at our wedding, especially from the kids who loved the photo booth at the reception. The best compliment I heard, though, was from my Aunt Merry: I was talking to her and my Uncle Tim about how pleased we were with our officiant, when I described his speech as “genuine.” She stopped and said, “Genuine – that’s the word I would use to describe your wedding.”

{ wearing my new robe while Leslee Anne does my makeup }

It’s been a little over two months since Matthew and I finally got married. We may be young, but we’ve been together just over eight years now – and he’s sort of been asking to marry me since the beginning.

{ my girls – or “maids” – in their robes and lockets }

As I’m thinking about this morning when I got ready to marry my husband, it really is all a blur of excitement. I hardly remember the jokes we’re laughing about in these pictures – except how much I loved it every time Leslee Anne called one of us “foxy” – but I remember brimming with so much joy and anticipation.

When you’re planning a wedding, it’s easy to get bogged down in all the details – and there are very, very many – but all I was thinking about that morning was seeing him again and what I would say.

{ finished my vows and getting a little emotional over here }

I had been planning my vows ever since he proposed – but it is so like me that I was still composing my thoughts until the very last moment on a hotel notepad. Sometimes, I think, we overthink how to say the most important things, when really the truth will just come to us in a moment of clarity.

{ zipping up my ivory, organza gown by Vera Wang }

{ the parents of the bride }

{ an almost-sister moment with Matthew’s sister, Julia }

{ my suede, Pelle Moda shoes }

{ my bouquet by Sami Volcansek }

{ wearing the earrings he gave me }

{ my parents and me }

Thank you to our photographer, Morris Weintraub, for documenting this day for us!