Weddingbee Blog

Our pastor requested we get back to the church an hour prior to the ceremony so we could fix up any last minute things and be hidden away so the guests wouldn’t see us. So, girls and I stood around in the room we’d dressed in earlier, biding the time before the ceremony started.

I fixed my hair and added my veil. We double checked our make-up. Everyone joked about how happy they were that I was marrying Mr. Cannon and not one of my ex-boyfriends. We laughed and goofed off. Everyone played with the scepter I had made for Cherry Bomb, in case she pulled off the flower girl thing. (She did not. She ended up spending the ceremony in my MIL’s lap. But, she also made it through without crying, so it was still a win.)

It felt like that hour flew by and took forever at the same time, but finally it was time for the ceremony to start. The way our ceremony was set up, our pastor and the men were already at the front, and us ladies walked up the aisle alone, one by one, with the exception of myself, who was escorted by both my mother and father.

I look kind of weird in that picture—maybe smug or something? (Maybe constipated?) Really I was attempting not to cry, as I was getting pretty emotional over the whole thing. I was thinking about the huge commitment I was about to make and trying to will myself to keep it together. I also look like a giant there. I am taller than my parents, but I swear I’m not really THAT tall. Jeez.

When we got to the front I gave my parents quick hugs as they went to take their seats, and my dad attempted to run off before I gave him a hug. I’m sure it looked nice and awkward as I pulled him back before he got out of reach. Mr. Cannon smiled at me in a reassuring manner, sensing I was trying not to cry and also feeling dumb about my awkward dad hug.

All of my ceremony pictures are taken at a distance as my pastor has pretty strict rules about keeping photographers at a respectful distance during the ceremony. His feeling is that the wedding is a religious ceremony and the focus should be on the sanctity of the ceremony rather than on the pictures.

It was a pretty typical wedding ceremony. The only thing that was slightly unusual was that we sang a hymn. I personally love singing, and have always especially loved singing hymns in church. I actually first got interested in learning to read as a child so I could sing along with my mom. So, I really wanted us to sing a hymn. We ended up doing Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee because 1) I like the lyrics and 2) it has a familiar tune, so I figured it would be easier for people who didn’t know the song. I don’t know if very many people sang along, but I really enjoyed having it in there.

I would like to say that I soaked in every moment of the ceremony, but to be honest, it flew by so quickly I barely had time to register the fact that we were actually married. I was also so worried I was going to screw something up that I was kind of on edge the whole time. But everything went smoothly, and before long, Pastor Bob declared us man and wife, and introduced us as Mr. and Mrs. for the first time.

You might notice that I left out a picture of our first kiss. There is photographic evidence that this kiss occurred, but I refuse to put it on the internet to be mocked because it was, like seemingly every aspect of our ceremony, incredibly awkward. It’s definitely ironic because Mr. Cannon and I pretty physically affectionate in public (not in a making out way, but in a frequent little kisses and hugs way). But I guess when you throw us up in front of a room full of people we know, we completely forget how to kiss. Luckily, I don’t think there is another time in our lives that a room full of people will be so invested in seeing us kiss. If anyone was concerned about our weird first kiss, hopefully the fact that we had a baby nine months later convinced them that we do actually like each other and find one another attractive.

Once the ceremony ended we raced up the aisle to some triumphant music.

It finally hit us that we were actually married and we had a little moment.

Then we stood outside to form a receiving line. It was great to know that we got to talk to everyone as they left the ceremony, but I will admit it’s a little overwhelming to talk to so many people all at once. But, I highly recommend a receiving line just for the peace of mind of knowing you have talked to all of your guests, no matter how briefly. I was also handed back my sleepy Cherry Bomb when my MIL came out to join us in the receiving line.

After chatting with us in the receiving line, all the guests stood outside the front entrance of the church, waiting for us to make our grand bubble exit. I have to say, it was one of the things I had looked forward to the most. I was absolutely in love with bubble exit pictures, and one of the reasons I picked my photographer was because of her awesome catalog of bubble pictures. She didn’t disappoint! The bubble pics are some of my favorites. In fact, I couldn’t pick just one to share with you all, so here are three of them.

Of course, our bubble exit was actually a fake-out. Our guests continued on to the reception after that, but we looped back into the church and picked up our family members for some quick formal family portraits.

Was anyone else amazed at how quickly the ceremony flew by? Or have an EXTREMELY bad first kiss?

All Photos by Mary Wyar Photography