Can you tell the chair thing really bothered me? It was silly, but standing inside watching it happen, I was like, what the fuck, get it together people!

Anyway, Mike and I were inside waiting to get started. I was really warm in my dress, and even though we had both borrowed handkerchiefs from my two grandpas to dab the sweat, I needed to take a moment to cool down. I stood in front of the fan, then sat on an ottoman and closed my eyes. When I felt relaxed and cool, Mike and I took a minute to appreciate what was happening. We looked out on our family and friends, and at each other, and took it all in.

(Photos by Photography by Arika Reed.)

We both stood at different doors and waited for my sister Emily to give us the cue (a subtle nob). I was a door where nobody could see me except her, and when I opened to door a crack I heard her telling a joke. I guess she was entertaining the crowd while I took my moment to cool. When she saw me waiting, she nodded, and we walked out. We came from different doors and met at the steps of the deck. It was then I noticed the background music we were playing pre-ceremony was still on, and it was definitely NOT playing anything from the playlist Mike had made. I caught my sister Kelli’s eye and she knew I was saying, “What IS that? Turn that shit off!” Thanks Kel! I kept smiling, and Mike took my hand and helped me down the steps, then we separated again. He walked around one side of the chairs and I the other, and we met at the altar.

(Note the HILARIOUS face my little bro is making!)

Emily started by welcoming everyone and saying some sweet words she had written about us as individuals and as a couple. She wouldn’t let us hear or read that part before the ceremony, so it was nice to have a little surprise. Then we had planned this cool thing where Em was going to ask my family and friends to accept Mike, and his to accept me. She asked for “Shannon’s friends and family to please stand” but EVERYONE stood. It was a little confusing for second, but Em rolled with it, made a little joke and pressed on. It meant a lot to hear all of our most important people accept each of us into their folds.

Then Em introduced and explained our Unity Quilt. While she explained the idea behind it, how it was created and how many people contributed, Mike and I showed it off.

She also explained our Love Letter Box, and invited everyone to contribute some advice or well wishes. Then Mike and I exchanged vows and rings. We both said the same thing, words we had written together. I went first. Em asked, “Shannon, do you choose Mike to be your husband, to love, respect and honor him through all life’s changes?” And I took his ring from her and said:

I do. Mike, I choose you to be my husband and my partner, loving what I know of you, and trusting what I do not yet know. I eagerly anticipate the chance to grow together, getting to know the man you will become. I promise to be your equal partner, love you without reservation, and comfort you in times of distress. I will encourage you to achieve all of your goals, laugh with you and cry with you, grow with you in mind and spirit, and always be open and honest with you.

I promise I will always try to give you the best of myself and love you even when you’re not at your own best. Like when the grocery store is out of double chocolate PowerBars and you take it as a conspiracy against you personally. I promise to respect you as a person with your own interests, desires, and needs, and to realize that those are sometimes different, but no less important than my own.I promise to love and cherish you through all of life’s experiences.

I take you to be my husband, knowing in my heart that you will be my constant friend, my faithful partner, and one true love. I give this ring as my gift to you. Wear it and think of me and know that I love you.

Then Em asked Mike the same question, and he responded with the same words. Only his example of me not at my own best was “Like when you get upset with me for not finding your phone fast enough in your bottomless purse.”

Don’t worry, we didn’t memorize all that. Em had it written in her book and we read. See?

Em pronounced us husband and wife and invited me to kiss my groom. Then we unveiled this funny plan I have had for a long time. Mike’s tall right? Quite tall. And I’m not. So when we’re both standing and we kiss, even when I’m in heels, he has to hunch over and I get a neck cramp. So to play up our height difference, we planned this:

(Photos by Photography by Arika Reed.)

We had hidden a tree stump behind our altar, and when Em told us to kiss, that was my dad’s cue. He hopped up, grabbed the log and put it in place, then assisted me in stepping up. Just as I had hoped, it got a good laugh from those who weren’t expecting it. And it made for a gorgeous! photo.

(Photo by Photography by Arika Reed.)

At that was it! We smiled for the people…

…and walked down the aisle together. Married!

As soon as we got to the end, people got up and we were surrounded with hugs and kisses and congratulations. Good thing my immediate family knew exactly what to do to set up for the reception. They jumped immediately into action while Mike and I mingled.

And that, my friends, was our wedding. It was beautiful and perfect and fun and a little silly and it was so personalized. We wrote the whole thing and did only the things that meant something to us. I wouldn’t have changed a thing. And I’m really glad we got tons of pictures and a video. Thanks to everyone with a camera!

And I even mentioned that I was worried I wouldn’t actually fit into it the day of the wedding—I hadn’t tried it on in months, and I didn’t want to bother getting it altered. If I managed to maintain my weight, it would be fine, but I wasn’t sure I did that (as I made zero effort to do so). I figured if it didn’t fit, I’d just improvise and wear a sundress, but of course I was hoping it would.

Fortunately, when I tried it on the Friday before, it zipped up just fine.

So on Saturday I wasn’t worried at all. After hair and makeup were done, I hung out in my pajamas for awhile. I mingled with the guests that had shown up early, and took care of some last minute details. But mostly I just waited and relaxed. At one point I was sitting on the couch in a tank top and capris with immaculate hair and makeup, thinking, “I’m about to get married. Cool.”

My sisters kept telling me I should get in my dress, but I wanted to wait. It was a hot and humid day, and I wanted to be as fresh as possible for the ceremony, so waiting to don a slip and long dress was key. Finally around 3pm, they pulled me into a bedroom to get dressed.

(Yes that’s me in my slip and bra. Hey, Erica posted it on her blog, so I figured I could, too.)

I really could not be more happy with how my dress looked. Everything came together perfectly – the hair, the makeup, the shoes, the dress. I loved it all, which I think is important on your wedding day when, inevitably, you’re the center of attention. You want to feel good. And I did.

My favorite thing about the dress is that it is so very me. Even my grandpa, a man in his 70s whom I’ve never heard comment on anything to do with fashion, said that he loved my dress and thought it fit my personality perfectly. Standard wedding gowns are gorgeous, no doubt, but the strapless-white-poofy thing is just not me. This dress? So me.

And the shoes! Oh the shoes. I thought I’d go with something bright and funky, but when I saw these 1950s boudoir slippers on Etsy, I know they were meant for this dress.

Like I mentioned, Mike’s get-ready routine was much simpler, and he got dressed even before I did. He wore dark brown pants with an orange and white gingham-print shirt. During the ceremony he wore a sand-colored jacket, which he removed for the reception. He also wore sandals. We had decided he’d wear brown Skechers, but on the way to Dad’s Saturday morning, we realized we forgot them. Rather than turn around, we decided his Birkenstock sandals were just fine.

(Ceremony look.)

(Reception look.)

After we were both fully ensembled (word?), we walked around the house and yard greeting guests. We meant for this whole thing to be very casual and comfortable, so I didn’t hide out pre-ceremony. Both Mike and I chatted with people and fielded compliments (people are so sweet when you’re getting married). Once it appeared everyone had arrived, we decided to get started.

And that is where I’ll start my next post about the ceremony itself.

(All photos, except the first one and last two, by Photography by Arika Reed.)

Cross-posted at Shan & Mike.

Have I mentioned that I LOVED my hair? Yes, I think I have. I don’t remember exactly, but I’d guess it took about an hour to get my hair perfect. It was such a peaceful, relaxing time though. I got to be away from the scramble of setting up, and I felt like I was in a little sanctuary. It was just about me for that time. Other than the few times someone popped in to run something by me, I didn’t know what was going on outside the bathroom, nor did I care. Turns out, a bunch of people showed up while I was in there, and I had no idea until I emerged!

In all honesty, the whole day was very chill. I never felt stressed or nervous or overwhelmed. But that time I spent getting myself ready was really nice.

After Andrea finished my hair (gorgeous!), I did my own makeup. I have one way I do my makeup, and I do it that way every single day (except on weekends when I avoid wearing makeup as much as possible). I don’t think others know how to work with my face, so I was totally comfortable doing it myself.

I did it the same way I do on an average day, only slightly amped up. I added a little more shading to my eyelids, a little mascara, some lip stain and Erica insisted on a little color on my cheeks (I don’t normally where blush because my cheeks turn quite rosy all on their own if I’m hot, warm, cold, nervous, sick, happy, etc).

(That photo on the bottom right is one of me looking at my camera. The photo on the screen is me posing burlesque-style in my slip. Sex-ay!)

I thought I looked quite lovely, and I’d like to thank Erica for using her editing magic to make me look nearly flawless. Even before I put on makeup, when I usually look like I could use two-weeks of sleep, she made me look pretty.

I really can’t speak to how or when Mike got ready, but I know his process was much simpler than mine. I’m imagining him slipping into his clothes and checking himself in the mirror 15 minutes before showtime. I know that’s not quite true because he was dressed and ready to go before I even got into my dress.

Speaking of getting into my dress, I’ll save that for next time.

(All photos, except the first, by Photography by Arika Reed.)

Cross-posted at Shan & Mike.

First, we had to pound some helpful signage into the ground. Didn’t want anyone getting lost! My dad kind of lives in the middle of nowhere.

(I freehanded that sign, thankyouverymuch.)

Mike and Des (stepmom) got started on the food prep while I started in on our To Do list. Slowly others from our family began showing up to help. We set up the buffet (sans hot or cold food just yet), hooked up the ice cream machine, and prepared some final decorations and details.

At about 1:00 I passed the reins to my dad. He was in charge of making sure things got done while I was in “hair and makeup.” Erica has a great photo of Mike and I running a miniature family meeting right before I was swooped away to be made beautiful. I don’t have access to you it yet, but she says we’ll get our disc-o-photos soon. In the meantime, imagine it here.

Tune into my next post all about the fun of getting beautiful for your wedding day!

Cross-posted at Shan & Mike.

Aside from the wedding, life is a bit crazy. We almost completely disconnected from the real world on our honeymoon, and it’s been tough to recharge. It’s only Tuesday, but it feels like it’s been two weeks. The minute we stepped back into real life, we ran face-first into a bunch of crap we had left behind, and it feels overwhelming. And work… I’m tired just thinking about it.

But I want to hold onto the bliss of the last couple weeks, so oooohhhmmmmmm. Bliss. Happiness. Relaxation. Breathe…you’re not in the middle of chaos right now. Things are calm and easy and not stressful.

The wedding and reception and honeymoon really were so cool. I want to go back there!

My Giraffe.

My nephew a) eating a steak, and b) sittin’ in a Bumbo. He’s losing his hair and gaining plenty of chub. I can’t get enough of him!

My (our) cake from the Family Meet & Greet Slash Shower. Read all about it here.

My Easter basket from Mike. I’m a terrible fiance and got him nothing.

You enter a bunch of information about when you’re traveling, what the weather will likely be, how you’re getting to your destination and what you’ll do when you get there. Then, whiz! bang! it pops out a packing list for you! I haven’t actually used it to pack for a trip yet, so I can’t speak for how well it performs, but I think it’s a brilliant idea.

I ran a test using the information for my upcoming honeymoon, just to see what it would come up with. Not only does it tell me what to pack, but it even suggests what I should do before leaving (like charging batteries and making sure your pets are taken care of). As for the packing list, it includes suggestions for clothes, documents, equipment, toiletries and gadgets. There are quite a few things that are unnecessary—like a sleeping bag even though I told it I’d be staying in a hotel (or actually a cabin, but that wasn’t an option). But it thought to remind me to bring q-tips and fingernail clippers, which, brilliant.

I think I still like my own method of using google docs to organize a pack list, but this is a good place to get inspiration and ideas on what not to forget. I think it’d be really good for people who hate making lists—this website does it all for you! Anybody else ever used this?

(I’m in no way profiting from Univeral Packing List. Just sharing a cool resource.)

Not my best work, but those bibs are hard to work with.

Also, I finished my dad’s christmas gift, and now that he’s opened it, I can share:

I think he liked it. The idea was to spend no more than $4.44 on a gift, and since I had all the materials for this on hand – fabric, embroidery floss, frame – it was basically free.

Next I’m working on some gifts and some decorative stuff for the wedding. And eventually the “Unity Quilt” of course.

The Giraffe’s is still being made, but we’ll be sure to share pictures when he gets it.