Another YouTube Gem

The church where we married would have never allowed it, but kudos to this bride and groom for pulling this off! What a fun couple and a memorable walk down the aisle.

Road trip!



Hubby and I are setting off for a road trip to the beach today. Be back next weekend and will post some more recaps! Hoping to cross some of the 101 off the list! Have a great week!

Laudacious Wedding Recaps: Saying "I Do"

So there we were, the late day November sun peeking through the church's stained glass windows. My pretty 'maids were all in a row waiting for their cue. The string trio began "Canon in D" and one by one all eight made their way up the aisle (only one BM, and my MOH/sister are pictured here-the rest of 'em blinked!).







The flower girl and banner bearer were next looking cute as ever. I loved the idea of a "Here Comes the Bride" sign rather than having him carry rings. I would be too nervous to give him our actual rings, and thought it a little silly to give him fake ones. Something different, too.



The doors closed just behind the children to give a moment's pause before the walk. down. the. aisle... My dad and I got in place, while the wedding coordinator straightened my train, and gave me a few last second touch ups. Poor dad- he was more nervous and emotional than I can ever recall seeing him, but I squeezed his hand and made some jokes to ease the happy tension in those last few moments. I remember my coordinator giving me a huge smile and saying "you are so calm!" and you know? I really was. I had waited for this day, for this very moment, for a long time and had only a heart full of joy. I felt a surge of adrenaline and squeezed my dad's arm as the organ and trumpet sounded out "Prince of Denmark's March." And then the doors opened.

I am glad the photographer caught a shot of my handsome groom's reaction. The aisle was 150 feet long, and while I couldn't see him well enough I didn't want to miss the expression on his face. We walked slowly down the aisle and were able to take our time a bit before walking past guests thanks to the huge church. Hey- I only get to do it once and I wanted to enjoy it!










The faces of our guests faded away and all I saw was my groom waiting there for me. My dad placed my arm in J's just as we rehearsed, and we made our way to the altar.


Quick shot of our fab DIY aisle runner on our way...




Our groomsmen looked on as our friend, John, read from the Old Testament.




My dear friend, Lindsay read from the New Testament moments later.



And our priest read the Gospel and gave a Homily. J and I elbowed each other a few times during this as the priest said some things that made us giggle. I loved those private little moments during our ceremony.


We said our vows to each other and exchanged rings...








And then it was time to light our unity candle.


Father Bill did a nice blessing called "The Hands Prayer." The expression on J's face makes me laugh. The blessing called for me to place my hands in J's, and then vice versa. During rehearsal, I took the opportunity to play a quick game of slap hand at this moment, so here you can see J bracing himself should I happen to do it again on the big day. I didn't, but it was fun to make him nervous. HA!



While we chose not to do a full Catholic mass, there is a tradition in some ceremonies where the bride pays tribute to the Virgin Mother. I chose to lay a white rose at the foot of her statue and say a private prayer.





We then come to the end! A final blessing to us and our guests before the priest had us seal our vows with a kiss!


We turned to face our guests as we were presented as Mr. and Mrs. and suddenly out comes the bagpiper! I had totally forgotten that he was going to be there, and the first few notes startled me!



We wanted to incorporate J's Scottish heritage into our ceremony and chose "Caber Feidh" as our recessional.



I was so happy and excited in this moment as we walked down the aisle. I wanted to do a little dance and just couldn't stop smiling at my new husband. I have no memory of what he was saying to me- it was all a blur.



We snuck into a little room and spent a few quiet minutes together as we heard the church bells ring.



We made our way to the door as the guests lined up and lit their sparklers. It wasn't quite dark out, but the sparklers looked great at twilight...





And away we went! We hopped onto our trolley and rode around for a few minutes together while the guests departed for the reception and the bridal party and family prepared for a few formal shots at the church.
We did it!
Next up: Formal photos

Related Posts:

So, so cute...

This might just be the cutest proposal ever. I teared up.


Found via Petunia Face

Also, I'm a slacker. Promise to resume the wedding recaps soon!

Laudacious. Out.