Husband and Wife

The Perry Hotel

Petoskey, MI

August 7, 2011

This was where I married Brad 10 days ago.

This was the aisle that I walked down towards my future. The garden was in full bloom. Family and friends traveled from far and wide to join us on this special day.

My family was there for me as I got ready. They made me laugh, they made me cry, and they mostly made me feel very blessed as the guests gathered downstairs in the garden. Brad took a walk as the ladies ate breakfast, our good friend Jenny provided a calming influence for him.

The emotions I felt as I woke up that morning were erratic. My cousin, Alex, one of my beautiful bridesmaids, repeated the night before and all morning: "Oh my God! You're getting married!!!" Those were my thoughts as I woke and realized that all of the planning was done, all of the stress would be gone, and I would be married! I also had a moment of panic that I had forgotten something, but I realized that I had it all along.

I could write an entire blog on the week leading up to the wedding. From the wedding bands that were ordered not fitting either of us, sending them back, a phone that has officially died when I needed it most, a boat that did not want to function, stress about uncontrollable situations, and more. I could go on for several paragraphs about the stress I felt. The calming influence was my family. I love each and every one of them.

Where would we have been without the support system we had in place?

  The journey to husband and wife begins....

Brad walked his mother down the aisle to her seat.

 My brother walked my mother to her seat.

The groomsmen walked out looking studly.

The bridesmaids walked out looking lovely. (Yes, Erin was in a dress.)

The flowergirl softened everyone's hearts as she tossed flower petals on the ground with a secret in her basket. 

Then the big moment...

Here comes the bride!

The waiting to walk was the longest moment of my life trying to convince my father that there was 'no crying in baseball.' The mantra everytime someone got teary-eyed around me.

Then he had to give me away. I wish that I had snuck a glance at my parents while I was up there, but they were behind me and I couldn't take my eyes off my groom.

The bridal party looking amazing!

Rev. Ed Remaly was amazing as the man to marry us. We laughed so much! The vows that Brad and I wrote added to the amazingly happy laughter.

The ring exchange went off well and Chris was able to breathe a sigh of relief as he handed them over without dropping them!

To this point, everything was going so smoothly. People were sniffling behind us, laughing, and smiling. Over Little Traverse Bay the uninvited guest of the weekend... a thunderstorm....

Someone caught Chris looking up as we were declared man and wife. At that point my aunt suggested we all take three giant steps back. Wasn't going to happen.

Then the thunder rumbled louder and I had to glance at the oncoming storm. I started praying it would hold off another ten minutes at least. It did! Even if it hadn't though, Brad put it perfectly, "It started with rain, it's only right that it rains now."

Then we got to kiss!!!!

The whole thing lasted a grand total of 12minutes. Ed was brilliant for trimming a few pieces off the ceremony because of the weather. As we gathered on the front porch of the hotel for a large group shot, the rain arrived.

I am anxiously waiting for our photographer's shot of all of the guests on the porch!

That was the prep and ceremony. The reception was everything I could imagine I wanted. I'll post about that tomorrow.