Our day was PERFECT! I could not have asked for a better wedding. What made it so incredibly special was that so many of our friends and family helped us out with so many different things.
My best friend and her husband graciously allowed me to use their house for me and all the bridesmaids and flower girls to get ready at. Farren's husband, Dayton, was a champ and made coffee for everyone and was there to help when needed. Paul's sister-in-law, Alina, did my hair and also the flower girl's hair. One of my closest friend's Rachel, did my make-up and her mother did my mom's hair and assisted with the flower girl's hair. My sister made our wedding cake. Alina, also painted us a picture of a willow tree for our guest book. Paul's mother made all of the food. Some of his family made desserts. My mother made one of our family's favorite cookies and my father did some handy-man jobs, building some things for the wedding decorations. My friends, Farren and Rachel, helped me make decorations for the reception. There were innumerable people helping with set up, decorating, clean-up, etc... I just can't possibly name them all!
On our wedding day, not only was I lucky to marry a wonderful man and my best friend, but I am lucky to be joining such a fantastic family. They are generous, kind, welcoming, and loving.
We are so blessed by our families and how fantastic they have been throughout our whole wedding process, especially the day before and day of.
Now, I want to touch on a few of my favorite parts of our wedding.
First, I loved being around my whole family and all my friends. Getting my whole family together happens very rarely, so it was very special. I loved having all my sisters there helping me put on my dress and watching me get ready. My nieces and nephews made the day so much more special too. One of my youngest nephews, Simon, came up to me and asked, "Aunt Bit, do you remember it's your wedding?" (Aunt Bit is a nickname I get that came from Aunt Vic. My sister's oldest daughter could not say Vic so it turned to Bit and stuck.) This question from this sweet little boy made me tear up. I had just had a not so fun encounter with the owner of our venue and I was getting stressed. His comment reminded me what we were really there for, my marriage. I looked at him and said, "Why yes I did! Did you?" He said, "Yup! I love you." Then gave me a big hug. From the speeches, to the pictures, to the jokes, and just spending time with each other, having my family and friends there made our day so much more memorable and special.
Second, I loved being around (and even meeting for the first time) Paul's family. They are so loving and welcoming. They were hugely instrumental in making our day possible and I can't thank them enough for their help. I loved hearing his two brother's speeches and talking with everyone. A few months ago, Paul's niece Anya, came up to me and we were talking. Close to the end of her conversation she looked at me and said, "I can't wait until you are officially my aunt!" then gave me a big hug. I teared up at this comment. It means so much to me that Paul's family has welcomed me with open arms and that they were excited for me to 'officially' be a part of their family. They have always treated me as part of their family and I am so blessed to be married into a family as wonderful as his.
Third, I loved having our first look. I know some people think it is taboo to see each other before the ceremony, but we did not care. We are fairly private people and we wanted to share in our special moment just the two of us (and the photographer.) We got to hug (not kiss... we saved that for the ceremony) and take some of the stress off the day. After seeing Paul, nothing else mattered. I did not care about the decorations, the food, or the drinks, or any of it, because at that point I realized I was about to marry the guy of my dreams and I was so excited.
Fourth (This is going to be a long one...), I loved all of the personal touches to our wedding. My sister made our wedding cake. It was simple, but I love that I can look back on the pictures and remember my sister when I see the cake. It meant so much to me to have her do it. It made it a more special part of our wedding. Paul's sister-in-law did my hair. So looking back, when looking at pictures, I will remember the time we spent bonding while she did hair trials and she was talking me out of my nerves on the morning of the wedding. My parents went above and beyond to help do things for my wedding. My father built a backdrop for us and a picture frame where Paul and I displayed baby pictures and engagement pictures of ourselves. My mother made cookies. These cookies are a Kees family tradition. Typically, they are made at Christmas, but she made them for the wedding too. My mother also made a ring bearer pillow where she used left over fabric from her wedding dress and also made special ribbon for on the flower girl baskets out of the same material. She also made my garter, which I plan to save for my daughter's wedding. Paul's mother and many of his family members made the food for the wedding. It was incredible, as always, and everyone raved about how it was the best wedding food they have ever had. My brother-in-law assisted in the ceremony. He did the reading and the message. This was absolutely incredible. He did such a fantastic job and made everyone in that room cry. He said, "If my daughter grows up to be like you, then I will consider myself a success. And if she marries a man like you, I will consider myself lucky." That will stick with me forever, that the thinks so highly of us. It meant the world to me that he was a part of our ceremony. One of the more sentimental things we did was that we had pictures of our grandparents displayed. All of my grandparents have passed, so they could not be there physically and Paul's grandparents are older and could not make a trip from California for the wedding. But I loved having their pictures there to remind us of where we have come from and that all of them would be there if it would have been possible. Also, we had lit a candle in memory of loved ones who have passed. One of those loved ones was Paul's father. He passed away this past February from a rare brain disease. It was a really hard time for his family, and for us, and knowing he wouldn't be there for our wedding was hard. One other way we honored his father was in the painting of a willow tree for our guest book. I saw the idea a couple years ago on Pinterest to have a fingerprint tree guest book and I just had to do it. After his father passed, it was necessary. His father loved willow trees and had planted them all over their property. So, we had Alina paint a willow tree, symbolizing his father's spiritual presence at our wedding, because he wouldn't be able to put a finger print on the guest book. The painting turned out amazing and it will forever be a treasured item of ours.
All of these people helped personalize our wedding so much more and made is that much more special for us. I would not have had it any other way.
Lastly, I loved getting to marry Paul. He has become my best friend over the past six years and I cannot see me being with anyone else the rest of my life. He is an incredible person. Hardworking, loyal, loving, selfless, caring, handsome, and he puts family first. I know he is going to make an incredible father who leads his family closer to God and takes care of us no matter what. I am so lucky that he loves me and chose me to be his wife.
Our wedding day was perfect and I cannot believe how fast it came and went.
Again, thank you to everyone who helped make our day special and possible.
Here are some pictures from the wedding. The first two are by my wonderful friend, Cassie, whose photography business is Cassandra Marie Photography. The one of the guest book tree is my picture, and it is unfinished. It looks way better fully completed. Then lastly, the picture of us leaving is from my sister-in-law, Lee-Ellen.
So beautiful, Mrs. C!
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