our wedding, part 1

         this very day my sweet husband and i have been married for five whole months! and what a wonderful five months they have been. three moves, five weddings, two crazy summer jobs, at least 2,000 miles of driving, one online class, the start of a new semester, 33.5 credit hours between the two of us, three cannon center dinners (thanks jenn!), and all kinds of other crazy and new adventures have brought us closer together every day. i love being married and i am so lucky to have a husband who loves me and shows it, who works so hard to support us, who takes school seriously, and who is just all around the best and makes me so happy. the past five months have truly been the best five months of my life, here's to many, many, many more.

okay, enough of the cheese.

in honor of five months, and considering it's about time, i want to take a few days to blog about our wedding. a seriously perfect day. so here we go.. part I

the reception

we broke from the norm and had our reception the night before, and it was such a good decision. it allowed us to have tons of time to prepare and then have tons of fun, and let us focus on the importance and the beauty of the wedding the next day.

our reception was everything i dreamed it could and would be. with the help of so many family members and friends, it all came together perfectly.

i'll start off with the details..

lanterns, twine globes and tissue paper flowers hung from every inch of the ceiling, and succulents and citrus made the floral arrangements really pop.

 shades of brown and beige, peach and sage, creamy whites and hints of yellow and orange made for a classy atmosphere that was equal parts elegant and fun. a sweet and savory crepe bar kept everyone satisfied. [over 1,000 crepes were made!]

it just looked perfect.

wedding mad libs, the photobooth, and sour patch watermelon favors were little details that i thought added a fun and unique touch. i loved having a chance to display our beautiful engagement and bridal pictures.

our first look..

despite a few close calls, i managed to keep the dress a surprise until right before the reception. though the tradition is technically for the groom to not see the dress until the wedding, we did the best we could. his first time seeing the dress was a perfect moment i want to remember forever. it was just me and anj (and the photographer) on the secluded balcony, and as i stepped out and he opened his eyes, i felt so beautiful and so happy. he was so surprised and excited! the pictures don't quite do it justice but it really is such a beautiful memory!

 now for the people... 

oh how grateful i am to all those who came out to support us, and those who sent their love from far away. (i'm also grateful to those who showed up the next night too... woops!) it was amazing to see how many people came to celebrate with us, and how much fun we all had. 

 so much joy and laughter. little girls dancing, litle boys being silly, it was fun for all ages!

 and i think everyone could feel the love. love for each other, love for us, and the love between me and andrew. so many hugs and smiles!

we had SUCH an amazing bridal party. they were all so fun, and helped out wherever they could.

plus they are all really good looking. (more to come on them)

now for the fun...

hello. our reception was so fun. it was a celebration. it was sunshine and happiness. and that is exactly what i wanted. i just wanted everyone to have so much fun! and i think, i hope, they all did.

i also wanted to dance. lots. we hired a live jazz band and i really think that made it! everyone was dancing and showing off their best moves.

our first dance was perfect. we decided to dance to a styx song, lady, and we asked the band to rev it up for us. they told me that in their rehearsal it had "evolved into a beautiful latin love song", and we had no idea what to expect. the latin vibe was a little random, but it fit us. i loved dancing with my very-soon-to-be husband and it was just so fun. we laughed a lot. we're really good dancers.

there was so much dancing...

and so much love!

 dancing with my dad was also a special moment. i think it was the first and last time, and i loved it.

 i'm not sure if noah's has seen a better party. it really was a blast.

 even up to our 'faux' exit.

so many pictures, all take by the lovely Rebekah Westover, who did a magnificent job. i think she really captured how much fun everyone had. thanks for letting me document the celebration of our marriage. hopefully it wasn't too much. 

happy five months to us.