Weddingbee Blog

Some of you have partners that are super-involved in all aspects of wedding planning. Others have a more laid-back groom (or bride). I would say that Mr. Hamster fell somewhere between the two, with a slight-to-moderate lean towards the laid-back variety. While this was great in some respects (“Font with serif or sans serif? Tall or short centerpieces?” “You pick.” “Sweeeet!”), sometimes I wanted his opinion. Or rather, I wanted him to want to have an opinion. Or even, I wanted him to know that I wanted him to have an opinion, which would make him want to have an opinion and thereby provide one accordingly. You confused yet? Yeah, me too.

Then we had our wedding. No one cared about our serif fonts. I’m pretty sure our guests didn’t experience greater wedding celebration happiness because our short-to-tall centerpiece ratio was just right. But I did have 20 minutes with my groom, where he was 100% involved, 100% present. Those 20 minutes were the ceremony, and he cried. He cares! He really cares! Right then and there I let go of any “want” and “want to want” thoughts lingering from the planning days. Yes, I occasionally commit the cardinal sin of teasing him about that moment, but freedom from all planning responsibilities because of a few tears? Personally, I think he got off easy.

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It was time for my walk. I was walking into that room as a “Miss”, walking out a Mrs.

Let’s set the mood shall we?

Mr. Hamster had given me full reign over the ceremony music. We had a pianist, and for the processional I wanted something that both sounded good and gave me The Chills. None of the classical numbers spoke to me; however, Coldplay’s The Scientist did. This may date us years from now, but I don’t care. This was the song.

Daddy Hamster and I stood outside the ballroom as the bridesmaids made their way up the aisle. Finally, we got the signal from our venue coordinator. With a, “You ready?” from Daddy Hamster and a nod from me, we made our entrance.

Although I knew that our guests would be standing up, it was so amazing to see them looking at us with such love and excitement. I’m fairly shy and not used to 100 pairs of eyes staring at me, so it made me a bit nervous. I alternated between winking at friends and looking down - two very different reactions, I know.

We finally made our way to the head of the room.

With a kiss and “I love you” from Daddy Hamster:

and a hug for his new son-in-law:

Daddy Hamster stepped back, and Mr. Hamster and I made our way up the stairs together.

We were ready.

We had booked our officiant a while back. Neither of us is particularly religious, but he reflected on our love and strength together as a couple, and many of our guests later told us they really enjoyed our ceremony. Of course, Mr. Hamster and I were too pre-occupied by whether to say “I do” vs. “I will” (and when) to enjoy it fully.

Witness Mr. Hamster’s intense look of concentration:

And my look of slight confusion:

Fortunately, we aced our ceremony.

We said our vows:

We exchanged rings:

Our officiant then spoke to our guests - as our closest friends and family, they would see our relationship continue to grow, going through joyous times and rough patches, transforming as our lives change and we change. He asked our guests, if they agreed to play a part in nurturing us, supporting us, sharing in our times of joys and sorrow, to respond with a resounding, “WE DO!”

And THEY DID!

The above picture is actually one of my favorites from the whole evening. It really is a true reflection of Mr. Hammy and I in our most natural state - not too serious, always quick to smile.

And then we were pronounced. I kissed my groom.

Before we started up the aisle, now as husband and wife, I looked at Mr. Hamster and swore my eyes were fooling me. Mr. Hamster was completely teary eyed. Now, he is *not* a crier. Moments of happiness? Dry-eyed. Sad movies? Stone cold. I had hoped he would cry at our first look. Nothing. Walking down the aisle? Nothing. Apparently he was holding back, and it all came out after the ceremony. Of course his guy friends teased him to no end. But you’ll be kind, right?

“Don’t cry, honey.”

We did it! We were married!

All photos by Erica Lyn

After 15 months of planning, from poring over fonts to Goccoing invitations to ordering and returning 19 pairs of shoes, it came down to this. Twenty minutes between the two of us, witnessed by our loved ones. That’s all it took. At the end of the day, it is not the handcrafted escort cards or favor tags that make the wedding a success. Brides, revel in the ceremony. No matter how involved, or uninvolved, your partner has been in the planning process, this moment is shared by the two of you equally. Savor it.

What have we done so far?

• Poured tea
• Bumbled our way through a rehearsal.
• Rewarded ourselves surviving the rehearsal with some food.
• I teased you.
• The ladies got beauteous.
• We put on our party clothes.
• We had our first look.
• We sweated it out in the park.
• The bridal party set the stage.

Up next - the moment our guests were waiting for. (The cocktail hour)