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The time in between taking pictures on the farm and walking down the aisle is a big blur in my mind. I remember hanging out with my bridesmaids in a bedroom, and hearing that the guys had arrived and they were waiting in the garage. I was super paranoid about hiding from Mr. Turtle. Since we had chosen not to do a first look, I didn’t want a chance encounter to ruin our moment of first seeing each other when I walked down the aisle. The only other thing I remember is a lot of, “Oh my gosh! The guests are getting here!! You guys are almost married!” And so on. Our officiant, my family’s pastor that I’d grown up knowing, came in and prayed with us. I remember him thanking God for surrounding me with such a wonderful support circle of girls and asking Him to bless my marriage to Mr. Turtle. I also remember hearing sniffles and being pleasantly surprised to realize that I hadn’t shed a tear all day!
Meanwhile, our guests were walking up the driveway, along the side of the house, and admiring the hanging display of family wedding photos that my mom and I had worked so hard on.
They were signing our guestbook, and being handed a program, which didn’t end up being the cute little booklets I’d worked so hard on, but instead a folded over piece of paper that I’d quickly designed two days before our wedding, with the help of Bridesmaid Red. My dad and brother had them printed at Kinko’s, and to my surprise, they turned out just fine! And I highly doubt our guests were sitting around wishing it was a cute little booklet.
The 100 people we’d invited were quickly filling up the silver chairs…
…as the string quartet filled the air with beautiful classical music… (which I really regret not being able to hear!)
As I sat waiting in the house, Mr. Turtle was walking down the aisle, escorting his mom…
And then it was my turn! The string quartet began to play my song…
Apparently, my dad and I raced down the aisle. I don’t remember it that way, but that’s what everyone said. (I can’t believe we neglected to remind ourselves of the most basic aisle walking advice: “Slow down!!!”) I can’t say I regret our speedy pace though. It was one of those things that just didn’t end up mattering.
My bridesmaids watched me and my dad with the sweetest expressions on their faces… 
And so did Mr. Turtle!
When we reached the end of the aisle, we did the traditional “giving of the bride,” and my dad hugged me and took his seat by my mom. The time had finally come! We were getting maaaarried!!
In case you missed out on my earlier recap posts:
And once again, all of the beautiful photos were taken by our wonderful photographer, Chloe Murdoch of Mike Larson Inc.
*Note: To answer your fashion questions, my dress was by Casablanca, the bridesmaid dresses were by Watters, and Mr. Turtle’s suit was from Banana Republic.
teared once the photo of Mr. Turtle popped up. SO genuine. love it
I regret not being able to hear our String Quartet either! I’ve been waiting to get our video back hoping I might be able to hear them then!
OMG How beautiful! I love the way you have the frames hung in the second picture!
I love everything about your wedding! Your backyard ceremony is gorgeous!
I LOVE that first shot!! You look so calm 
Everything is beatiful. I am DYING over decor and style, just gorgeous!
beautiful! If you’re taking requests I would love to hear your feelings on not doing a first look. It seems like most of the bees do first looks and I’d like to hear the other side of things
Your recaps are great! And I really like your hanging frame idea.
So beautiful! The hanging frames are such a great idea that I really wish we could do, but sadly there are not many wedding photos from Mr. E’s family.
I ended up making kinko’s printed programs for our ceremony too! I love your entry way and photos of family weddings. You look so stunning in that dress! Adore your bridal look.
you look beautiful - and I absolutely LOVE your BM dresses! what wonderful pics! Thanks for sharing!
Awww I love that sly grin Mr. T has on his face when he spots you walking down the aisle! So pretty!
@ellie rose: Aw, how sweet!!
@Mrs. Dolphin: Just another reason why I regret not having a video of our ceremony…
@SandraMarie_1986: You always leave the nicest comments!
@CorgiTales: Of course I’ll share my feelings on not doing a first look! We chose not to do one, because although I consider myself untraditional in many aspects, as far as things that were strictly related to the wedding, both Mr. Turtle and myself found ourselves to be pretty traditional. I’ve always romanticized the idea of walking down the aisle to meet my husband. Since I’d never even heard of a “first look” until becoming engaged, I didn’t want to change my mind for the sake of something that could be a trend in the long run. I view the “first look” as changing a wedding tradition for the sake of more photo ops. And personally, I felt like we got plenty of great photos of us on our wedding day doing it the old fashioned way. Our photographer scheduled plenty of time to get photos of everyone. And the ones we got of us seeing each other for the first time on the aisle are priceless to me! Whether or not to do a “first look” is totally a personal decision and both options fit different couples. But I certainly don’t regret our choice! Hope that adequately answers your question!
@Miss Elephant: If you like the idea, I would seriously consider still doing it, despite the lack of photos. My mom could not find a wedding photo of her parents, so we just used one of them together when they were young. I viewed the display as a celebration of the loving marriages in our family history, not just their weddings!
your first picture where it looks like they were laying their hands on you and praying for you is absolutely amazing! not only is the picture beautiful but what was taking place during it is also amazing! love being reminded how incredibly blessed we are with family, friends, and our men!
That little pop of pink shoe that I can see as you’re walking out of the house with your dad is just PERFECT.
your ceremony is divine. the hanging pictures, the music, the flowers, oh my gosh everything is beautiful, especially you!
I love how you displayed the old wedding photos. We are doing this at our wedding too, and while it has been a bear, I am really happy with the results.
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Mrs. Turtle, Central California Age and Occupation: 21, Art Student/Teacher Fiance's Age and Occupation: 22, English Student Engagement Date: August 16, 2008 Wedding Date: July 2010 Venue: Mr. Turtle's Grandparents' backyard, Arroyo Grande, CA About Me: I am a California girl who loves the beach and the mountains, but is quite satisfied living right in the middle where I can enjoy the best of both worlds. I am happiest when traveling to faraway places, wandering through museums, watching old movies, or baking up a storm. Mr. Turtle and I are high school sweethearts and fellow book nerds who both drive Mini Coopers and are most likely to be found browsing in antique stores. We're having so much fun planning our European garden wedding with a vintage twist and can't wait to share more of life's adventures together!
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