Wedding Recap: Ceremony

Whoops, I took an unintentional break from posting my wedding recaps! Life got a little crazy with the snow storms we had here in GA back in February, and my work schedule was all messed up for awhile there. Wednesday's kept sneaking up on me and I didn't have time to get my recaps set up...

So now where were we? I've already posted about the rehearsal dinner, salon/prep, and decorations and details. Today will be all about the ceremony! I really didn't like being up in front of everyone. Our cousin Al performed the ceremony and to be honest, I can't remember a single word he said! But I hear he was really funny, heartfelt, and awesome. I do remember that it was really windy and threatening to rain so I kept having to adjust my veil. It was super annoying. I also remember my dress being a little too long and my heels were sinking into the ground so when I walked down the aisle, I had to have my dad carry my bouquet so I could pick up my dress. All of the photos show me looking down, trying not to trip. I hated that!

Oh well. In the end we achieved what we came to do. Said our vows and became husband and wife! The real fun started after the ceremony :)

The parents waiting to be seated

my dad and I waiting to walk down the aisle

some of our guests (aunt, uncle, Chris' sister)

Al and Chris before the ceremony

more guests

Chris' parents being seated

Chris looks so serious

my cousins

the maid of honor with my sister-in-law

my turn

hmm...no tears?? (!!!!)

vows

Al must have said something funny!

sand ceremony

our first kiss!

MARRIED!

With my sweet girl!

Next week, I'll be back on track and sharing formal photos!

Wedding Wednesday: Decorations & Details

Today I'm sharing decorations and details. The entire wedding was DIY and I pretty much did all of the preparations. The day of is a completely different story. I seemed to run out of time and my lovely mom, dad, in-laws, cousins, brothers, nephews, sisters-in-law, etc. etc. set everything up and it was exactly as I hoped it would be! I couldn't be more grateful for all of the help we received in the days leading up to the wedding.

I will say that it is tough to plan a destination wedding, even when the destination is your in-law's backyard. Setting up arrangements with the hotel, the caterer, the photographer, etc. all long distance and without any knowledge of how it will actually all come together is stressful. But having help makes a big difference!

Did you know it pretty much rained and was dreary our entire wedding weekend? That's a chance you take when you plan an outdoor event. But the crazy thing was that it rained before and after all of our events, but not during. So it was dreary for the entire rehearsal dinner but didn't actually start raining until about 30 minutes after our guests left. Then it rained all the way up until it was time to start setting up the tent the day of the wedding, but none that day. It certainly looked like it was going to pour right before our ceremony started, but it just didn't. Crazy how that works!

We had the ceremony and reception on my in-law's property. The ceremony was in an open area and the reception was held about 25 yards away under a tent! Made it super easy for all of us!

the arch we were married in front of...

my mom put this whole thing together!

aisle markers made from mason jars 

hanging from shepherd's hooks

the ceremony site from a distance

the entrance table

my homemade programs, which also served as fans

place markers 

our sand unity table

Inside the tent...

this piece of art was the first thing I bought for the wedding

and set the tone for the theme - vintage & rustic

one of my favorite song lyrics that I wrote on a chalkboard

a frame with old pictures of us as babies and kids 

our photo guestbook, made on shutterfly 

I made all of the glasses for the guests with personalized handstamped tags

I found this vintage window frame with a flowerbox

so I taped engagement photos to the panes

we used vintage suitcases as a decoration

and made one a card box 

the drink table, guestbook area, and card box

personalized napkins from The Knot

drink signs and descriptions

The tables, my mother-in-law did all of the flower arrangements

with flowers from her own garden! 

 I made these burlap silverware holders and 

stamped the hearts as well as the tags

each guest had this thank you letter at their seat 

The favors table

I made homemade peach jam and peach chutney

I also made candles!

and all of the labels and tags 

I hope you enjoyed these pictures of our decorations. These photos were definitely my favorite of the bunch. It was fun to look back again at all of the details. Next up, I'll share ceremony pictures!

All photos taken by Kirstin Bimson Photography.