Just Grand: wedding day redux

The day began with rain; but ended with sunshine, dancing, and an impromptu cabaret.

Looking back, everything feels like blur, but it was so wonderful. We spent every minute surrounded by our amazing families and our closest friends who have become our family. I can honestly say that was the best part of our entire day.

I spent the morning getting ready with my bridesmaids, listening to Adele, and trying to breathe. My lovely friend Sarah did an amazing job on our hair. She has been doing my hair in her kitchen sink for 4 years now; but she recently moved with her husband across the state. We miss them like crazy, and I'm so glad she was able to take care of me on my wedding day.

The ceremony was beautiful and so us. My dad walked me down the aisle to the theme from Somewhere in Time. I was so nervous, but I just never took my eyes off of Kyle. Our dear friends and former roommates, Arielle and Darion, sang Beautiful Surprise by India Arie; then Morgan (bridesmaid and BFF) read an excerpt from the book The Princess Bride, followed by Jeff (groomsman and BFF) reading a portion of 1 Corinthians 13 (Love is patient, etc., etc.). The message and prayer given by John, the campus minister at GVSU, our alma mater, was meaningful and so personal (and short!). The ceremony ended with Arielle and Darion singing Stand by Me by Ben E. King, and the new Mr. & Mrs. walking up the aisle to the theme from Superman. (Seriously.)

Then, we had fun in downtown GR taking pictures with the lovely Wendi & Bonnie of Wendi Curtis Photography. I currently only have a handful of the literal hundreds that she took, so I'll post a few more of our favorites when we get them.

The reception was wonderful and just so much fun. We walked in to Everybody Needs Somebody to Love from The Blues Brothers (Thank you, Dan Aykroyd.) and were met with insane amounts of excitement and applause. My dad recited a poem he had written, and we listened to amazing toasts given by Matt (best man and brother) and Shannon (maid of honor and BFF). I seriously cannot say enough how great it was to be surrounded by our beautiful family and friends. We felt so much love and support on that day, and always. We're truly honored.

Kyle and I danced our first dance as husband and wife (!) to Lucky by Jason Mraz (Kyle's pick). Then, we danced with our parents to Landslide by Fleetwood Mac. Kyle also sang to me a song he wrote, just for us. (I'll see about getting that video put up.) Later on, Morgan saved the day by making sure I got to dance to some Springsteen. (Because what's a wedding without Thunder Road?) We spent the rest of the evening dancing the night away with the greatest people on earth. Oh, and eating cake. Seriously delicious red velvet cake with 4 pounds of cream cheese frosting. Yeah, awesome.

As the evening began winding down, some of our friends serenaded us. Leave it to actors--everything has to be a performance. =) Our friends and family are seriously so talented. Arielle and Darion sang a song from Wicked (guilty pleasure #484832), and Morgan sang a bit of Elton John.

We really hated to see the day end. It was so crazy, beautiful, and slightly messy. Not everything went as planned, but in the end, it didn't even remotely matter. A group of us lingered outside of St. Cecilia's around midnight, not wanting to say the last goodbyes. Many of our friends were leaving for grad school or returning to their various lives around the state and country, so it could be a long time before we're all together again.

I'm just so freakin' grateful for our family and friends. Our parents, bridal party, family, and friends are without a doubt the most wonderful people on the whole freakin' planet. As I said to Arielle, we only invited family to the wedding. Truly, our closest friends have become our family, and family is what matters. Period.

And that was our beautiful blur of a day. I wouldn't change a thing.