Weddingbee Blog

Well, hullo there! We’re the Lovebugs!

On Sunday morning, at about 3 am, when we finally crashed into bed, I couldn’t sleep. I just lay there for hours next to my beautiful new husband, turning over the day in my mind, in sheer wonder. I didn’t even want to sleep. I just wanted to keep cycling through the moments in my mind, one more spectacular than the next.

Our wedding was the most exquisitely perfect day of my life.

And then yesterday, when we got back home, I opened my inbox to see some seventy-odd well-wishes from the hive, and that was truly the crown jewel of the experience.

I can’t even begin to describe how smoothly everything went, how much love was poured on us, how gratifying all our hard work was. I will - just not right now. In the meantime, I have something much, much better than my limited words could ever express. I have a handful of teaser photos, emailed to me yesterday from the incredible, unbelievable, utterly amazing Chris Richards, showing precisely how the day felt:

The hour before the ceremony, Chris spent some time with both myself (as I valiantly braved the world of DIY makeup) and Mr. Lovebug (as he paced, sat, stood, and paced some more.)

Chris told Mr. LB to do his best Bond, James Bond.

Mr. Lovebug got to have a little pre-game cuddle with Chaucer the ring bearer (who performed like an absolute champ and stole everyone’s hearts). Can’t wait to show you more of his big moment coming down the aisle.

Meanwhile, back in the bridal chamber…

All my girlfriends were actually in the room at this moment, all wearing their backstage passes, all giddy with excitement for me. Friendship has never felt so palpable as it did for that half hour.

I know everyone wanted me to go wider on the ribbon, but I really liked how the bouquet handle came out.

When it was time to start the ceremony, Kathleen Sedberry, the (incredibly sweet/helpful/awesome) catering manager of our venue, gently knocked on my door and said very quietly and simply, with a smile: “They’ve just walked up.” It was my cue, and it was the most peaceful, calm, and yet intense moment of the day so far. I stepped out of my room, and Chris snapped this shot of her fluffing my train as the music started. He was literally inches away from us when he took it, that’s what so spectacular. That, and the wind. Wait till you hear about the wind…

The entire ceremony, the wind was blowing like mad. And right before I walked out, a huge branch broke off one of the trees, causing this really intense, dramatic moment. Everyone just sort of froze. At the time, the wind annoyed me. But everyone said it made the scene so dramatic and cool.

I read my vows from the ceremony book I made (didn’t get to blog about it yet). I don’t know if it shows up in the smaller sized photo, but there’s a single tear on my cheek (which is what happens when your husband surprises you with self-written vows more perfect than you ever could have imagined).

The moment. It was so strange, switching over my engagement ring to the other hand before the ceremony. One of those “Wow. This is really happening.” moments.

During cocktail hour, Chris, Mr. LB, and I snuck off and roamed the grounds, just goofing around and taking any fun shot that popped into our heads. We couldn’t stop laughing, my lipstick was long since kissed off, and I didn’t even care.

This was the first time I walked with my dress on the street. The dirty, icky street. It was soooo hard to do. I knew it was going to get filthy. But then I just kind of had to give in and go with it. And from there, it only got worse. It got dipped in a fountain, dragged through a garden, stepped on, yanked - at the end of the night it ended up in a dive bar called “The Red Garter Saloon”. Oh yeah. I got my money’s worth outta that thing.

The Inn is known for its stunning landscaping. Everything about the whole day was so vibrant - I love how this shot captures that.

Yeah, I pretty much don’t even have words for this one. 

And finally, my favorites. The library shots:

Once I’d draped myself across his lap, I couldn’t get back up. I practically had to be rocked back into a sitting position.

We randomly picked books off the shelf for this shot. I grabbed something insanely fitting, like “In Search of the Other” or something - it was unreal - there’s a detail shot of it to come.

I couldn’t believe the way he was looking at me. It was the way he looked at me the night we met. Just took my breath away.

Pretty ridiculous, right? And this is but a tiny taste. During dinner, Chris uploaded pics from the ceremony and cocktail hour, and ran a slideshow (on this awesomely huge flatscreen) out in the courtyard outside our reception. He put up about 50 of the best shots so far, and people were literally gasping at how incredible they were. One after another, just mind blowing.

And the best part is, working with Chris was like hanging out with a really cool, hip, edgy friend. His humor and easygoing manner are exactly the energy you want to be around on your wedding day. Tucson has no idea how lucky it is to have him.

I can’t WAIT to show you how everything came together. All the details, all the stories behind what made the day so special…

But in the meantime, I have a 5pm flight to catch.