Weddingbee Blog

Now that our families were all together, it was time to celebrate! With food, drinks, and ridiculous amounts of joy!

(guest photo)

Kicking off cocktail hour with “I Got Mine” by the Black Keys was an excellent choice on our DJ’s part. When those bluesy rock-n-roll guitar riffs blasted out of the speakers announcing the start of cocktail hour, Mr. PaC and I turned to each other with huge grins. It became our cocktail hour anthem…and favorite phrase for a few days. We gave DJ Z free rein to do what he does best: read the crowd and select a pitch-perfect song. Did he ever nail it!

(guest photo)

Following the recessional, the wedding party, parents, and my grandparents gathered in the tea room at the rear of the garden. Champagne was poured and distributed to happy hands. An informal receiving line started up. It was hugs and champagne all around!

Proudly watching the scene, champagne in hand

“Cheers!” and clinking champagne flutes filled the air.

Chatting with my new in-laws!

My grandfather, dad, and new husband

Playful Mr. PaC peeking around the corner at our photog-guest

An otherwise frame-worthy shot, except he stuck his tongue out! Oh, what the heck. Let’s frame it anyway!

A great one of us with my cousin who manned the video cam (darn date/time stamp!)

(above three images: guest photos)

Sesame-crusted Japanese tuna on rice-paper crisp with wakame and wasabi sour cream

If it hadn’t been for cocktail hour service in the tea room, we would have missed out entirely on our delicious hors d’oeuvres. One appetizer, the sweet potato cheddar pancakes topped with citrus-cranberry relish, was such a hit that a tray never made it out to us in the tea room! I don’t even know what it looks or tastes like as it was added to the line-up after our tasting. Someone needs to please have a wedding at Greenville Country Club AND invite us so we can remedy this!

Beef filet canape on grilled flatbread with bleu cheese crumbles (photo shows mushrooms)

Indian chicken with mango chutney on a crisp potato wafer

(above three images: personal photos from our tasting)

I’m making you hungry, I know.

We were eager to join our own party. After all, it was already off to a great start!

Beautifully displayed cheese and fruit hors d’oeuvres

The reggae melody of “Groundation Chant” drifted across the garden and a chill vibe seemed to settle in. We were very present, very relaxed as we bobbed our heads to the music and slowly danced in place.

Giggling mother-of-the-groom and family friend

A handful of our friends, all married now!

No sooner did we (and our entourage) join cocktail hour…

…than our guests hooted and hollered like a bunch of rowdy high schoolers encouraging us to kiss. We did not hesitate to oblige them.

The now-empty champagne flutes were exchanged for our signature cocktail: the Orange Crush.

Showing the details of my gown (below) to the married ladies

We mingled.

And posed for a few pictures.

A great one of me and my sister!

Two cheers for Orange Crushes!

(above 11 images: guest photos)

Sensing cocktail hour was coming to a close, I grabbed my bridesmaids to bustle the gown before the introductions and our first dance. Thankfully, the bustling went smoothly and quickly! BM R was able to find all the hooks before our guests began filtering inside.

We queued up out of sight and waited for what was next: the formal introductions!

(all photos by Heather Fowler Photography, unless otherwise noted)

Catch up on our PaC recaps!

Days Before

• In the days leading up to the wedding, I wanted to be sedated.
• I walked the line between calm and stressed for the better part of our rehearsal day.
• “Don’t panic” and its friends were what Mr. PaC kept telling me on the way to our rehearsal dinner.

Wedding Morning

• Best wedding morning advice: wake up slow and tackle the day at your own pace.
• Once at our venue, our DIY projects were assembled with our own two hands.
• The girls get ready with champagne and chocolate-covered potato chips.
• The guys are ready…and waiting.
• She’s mine! All mine! (The dress, that is.)
• Brown-eyed girl (and guy) portraits.
• Something old and new, borrowed, and blue.

Portraits

• My sneaky groom has a secret heart when it comes to surprises.
• A first look for the two of us plus more couples portraits in the garden.
• With brother and sister standing by, we took our bridal party and family portraits.

Ceremony

• After fretting about rain, the sun came out just as our guests arrived for the ceremony.
• Maybe I was just a little amazed at how beautifully our ceremony had started.
• After waiting 19 long months, here comes Mr. PaC’s girl!
• We spoke of love and some verses in our ceremony.