Reception Part I

Here we are 7 weeks out and I still have to write about the reception and honeymoon!

We arrived at the reception and knew we wanted some outdoor photos. There is a long driveway up to the reception with a fence and beautiful trees. PLUS, the vet school is right beside it so there is a field that sometimes has cows out, which we loved. For months, we would ride by and each time get really excited if the cows were out and say that we hoped they would be out on our wedding day. At one point, I even threatened to call the vet school and make the request, but I never did. Well, they were out, but a little far away, so they are sort of a small background in one of our pictures, which I loved.

The photographer said she would photoshop the C out of the picture and we said No! C for Cash! :) See the cows?

There are more cows in this picture if you look right below the top of the fence. If I wasn't in a wedding gown, I probably would have climbed over and hugged one.

The husband photographer gave me his suit jacket to sit on during our photos, which contributed to the total princess feel I had all day. I knew the bottom of my dress was getting dirty, but I didn't care. I was really loving outdoor pictures with my husband. A couple stragglers were arriving at the reception and would yell and honk as they went up the driveway and saw us in the grass getting pictures done. Then we went down towards the street so we could stand behind the sign, and more people were honking. I seriously loved all the honking and excitement from people that day!

I was barely hanging on to the small ledge on the back by the tips of my shoes for this picture!

When we got to the reception, they closed the doors to the ballroom so no one would see us. They whisked me off to the bathroom to get bustled and I remember looking back and thinking "I don't want to leave my husband". I think I actually was hoping they'd bring him into the ladies' bathroom with us! He wasn't sure what to do, so he stayed outside with the limo driver until someone came and got him. In the bathroom, the coordinator and her assistant were bustling me, which I'm sure was a huge relief for my bridesmaids and mom who thought they were going to have to do it. There were like 50 or so bustles and it was an intense process! My aunt Vicki came in to use the bathroom while we were in there and it was fun visiting with her for a minute. I rarely see my extended family, so it was like a little stolen moment to catch up. I was panicked that my bustle wasn't done right because they finished so quickly, but they showed it to me and it was perfect! They took me back out to the lobby and they had everyone lined up for intros. Steven and I got in place in line and I remember that it was the first time that I really focused on the bridesmaid's bouquets. They were SO PRETTY with their dresses!

Our guest book was hearts in our wedding colors for guests to signed, which is now in a shadowbox ready to be hung.

 This was our card box, which has a roof without the slit for us to put on and is a bird house. 

 I love, love, love the looks of happiness on everyone in this picture!

As the dj introduced us, the coordinator would open the door to let the couple in and cheer really loudly. It was cute and amped up the excitement in the room. I was nervous to be introduced, and I'm not sure why! I think it was the first time that I was really thinking about all the eyes that would be on us during our first dance. They introduced us and we enjoyed lots of cheering as we made our way to the center of the dance floor. The dj began playing our song "You and Me" by Dave Matthews Band and I remember that my mind was going a mile a minute, I think because I just felt weird being watched in that moment. We talked about the failed videographer, about the wedding, about all the people staring at us, and about just how long that song was! I reminded Steven to twirl me like we practiced, and he did, which got a fun reaction from the crowd.

The twirl that we had to practice for months lol!

I tried to exit the dance floor to escape a bit of the spotlight, and then the father/daughter song came on. For both dances, I barely heard the songs. It was that way at the wedding too. I don't even remember the Canon in D playing. I guess I just had so much going on in my head and heart! Dad and I danced to "I Loved Her First" by Heartland, which we both love, but he especially loves the line "I held her first" because I was the first baby that he did get to hold first. We weren't as sappy as I thought we'd be, probably because my mind was still racing, but I really enjoyed seeing in his eyes how happy he was for me. He probably said it too, but just the way he was looking at me, I knew he was so happy for his daughter to be married and happy. It made me melt a little.

Next up was Steven's dance with his mom. They danced to "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. I loved that song for them because it totally is a message she's shown him by example all his life. Later she told us that the song was really long to dance to lol. Yeah, I know the feeling!

Stay tuned for the rest of the reception! Then on to THE HONEYMOON!