Our Wedding in a Snapshot: Part I - The Ceremony

8/21/2016

On July 31, 2016, I married the love of my life at The Blue Dress Barn in Michigan. All of our food was locally sourced, which included a farm fresh burger bar, and homemade doughnuts & pies in place of a cake. Who likes cake anyway!? With over 16 of our closest friends and family standing up by our sides, and a reception of over 200 family and friends celebrating and supporting us - we prayed, worshiped, sang songs, danced, and had quiet moments by the bonfire. It was our best day ever, and although I'd love to be able to rewind time and just relive this day over and over, I'm just as happy to be back HOME doing everyday life with my babe.

This is Part I: Getting ready and the Ceremony
Coming soon...Part II: the party continues!!!

Here is just a handful of some of my favorite snapshots from Part I of our day
..okay, maybe SEVERAL "handfuls"!!!

Getting ready...

My dear friend Samara did my hair and makeup like the pro she is, and as a bonus did such a good job caring for my heart and emotions on such a big day.

I was so excited to take hand in the creation of Ian's groom attire. I hand dyed his vest and shirt and hand picked the other pieces. His watch was a gift I gave him a couple years ago for Christmas, and his shoes...well those are just his favorite thrift store find - can't blame him, they are pretty awesome!
Also, my groom and his guys made all the ladies breakfast, best surprise ever!!!

My dress and details were nothing like I had imagined. My plan was always to do something very untraditional, but after my grandfather passed this last year, it became very important to me that I wore something that would make him proud. The cathedral veil was my most surprising pick, but with the vintage lace detailing of the dress it all just felt so timeless and romantic. The tears that came when I saw myself were because I was seeing my grandmother in this dress, and imagining my grandfather being so proud of me on this monumental day.

I decided to keep my jewelry pieces simple and classic.
I felt like, if I need to cover myself in jewelry, then maybe I have the wrong dress on...
I found a jewelry designer on Etsy who made my earrings and bracelet using rose gold, which complemented the rose gold theme of my rings.

My grandmother's Rings
They were damaged so Ian had updated them with replacing areas with rose gold.
Rose : symbolizing and memorializing my grandmothers life story
(another story...for another time)

These are the rings that my grandfather designed for her when he immigrated here from Ireland, which is now a beautiful memory I will keep on my hand until I pass the rings and story on to my future granddaughter.
I had Ian's ring handmade by a jewelry designer in Texas who uses a hammering and blackening technique to the sliver so that it antiques with wear.
The rings are engraved it with our initials and the wedding date.

I had so much fun creating the bouquets. I knew I didn't want a traditional looking bundle of flowers, so I ordered a variety of dried eucalyptus, dried ornate grasses, and dried a few of my own roses. It also made for a sweet activity to have my MOH do with me : )
*Note: Dried versus fresh are awesome because you can make them months in advance, and you can keep them/display them for years to remember!

The Final Details

My sweet Mom was so excited to help me with the final details of my dress.

BEFORE AFTER
... reading Ian's letter as I prepared to walk down the aisle

A moment before we walk. Me and my dad.

READY!!!
I was so excited while waiting to walk down the aisle to meet my love, that I was literally jumping up and down,
"Get me down there!"
(please see 3rd photo for evidence of said, "jumping" excitement)

The Ceremony begins

Our ceremony was by far my favorite part of our wedding day. Not only were we surrounded by so many loved ones who came to witness our union, but we also had so many precious family members and friends who processed down the aisle and stood with us while we worshiped and praised God - for all He has done, and for all He has in store.
It didn't hurt to have just the most insanely talented friends playing music throughout.

My groom and his men
We bought all the groomsmen leather suspenders, and Ian's brother, Sam, handmade each man a wooden bow tie - including for our little nephew (the ring bearer)!
Ian also carved the name of each man in the back of each bow tie.

Love my girls!!!
So I love colorful things..., which is why I picked out unique shades and dresses with each of my bridesmaids. The dresses varied from long to short, some strapless, some with lace, some with unique sleeves, and a general mix of textures. My thought has always been, if each girl is a unique individual, with a unique story in my life - then they shouldn't all look the same.
I handmade a eucalyptus hair piece for each girl, to match the handmade bouquets, and picked out different jewelry that I thought would compliment each unique dress.

I'll be honest - this whole process was a bit more work than I originally anticipated, but it was still fun, and so worth it to me to honor each of my girl's individuality : )

Best Man
Ian's best friend and brother
Zach Simkins

Jake, the party animal, Alvarado.
Aka: ring bearer!

MOH
My bestie
Dana Szczepanski

Lyla and Marlow our adorable flower girls!

Babies in a wagon...I mean, come on!??

My beautiful niece, Cassidy, did us the great honor of dancing her way through the movements of our procession. Such a special and beautiful memory for us!

Ian's reaction to me coming down the aisle...by far my favorite photos...EVER!

Come, Thou fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace,
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
While the hope of endless glory
Fills my heart with joy and love,
Teach me ever to adore Thee,
May I still Thy goodness prove.

I loved sharing our own uniquely crafted vows for one another. In addition to the traditional vows, it was such a sweet sharing of the hearts, souls, and unique journey behind our story and promises we made to one another.

Ian does weddings, and when I say, "does weddings", I mean he officiates about 1 a weekend...that's A LOT of weddings, people!
Needless to say, we have seen IT ALL. Sometimes there can be so many elements going on, that the focus is lost. We wanted to make sure our focus of what this day and our lives was all about was clear. Because of this, we decided to simply celebrate in the eucharist and share an intimate prayer as our main element of unity.
Getting to pray quietly with and for one another amidst and for so many loved ones, who surrounded us, was so powerful.

After our communion we had a musical worship time where everyone was invited to sing
All The Poor and Powerless
The ceremony music was all performed live by our friends Evelyn and Lucas Cortazio
So much goodness!!!