Mrs. Unicorn, Atlanta, GeorgiaAge and Occupation: 22, Retail Sales ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Graphic DesignerEngagement Date: November 27, 2011Wedding Date: September 2012Venue: The FarmAbout Me: I’m an impatient, impulsive person with a creative side and a flair for the dramatic. I’m very much a DIY sort of girl, and I have the messy craft table to prove it. I worked at a veterinary clinic for the better part of seven years before diving headfirst into the totally different world of sales. I must say, the change has been one for the better; I no longer have clients that bite or scratch, nor does my workplace smell of kitty litter. My true passion, however, is aerial acrobatics and dance, and I hope to open my own studio one day. Mr. Unicorn doesn’t bat an eye when he comes home from work to find his fiancée hanging upside down from a pole. Together, we enjoy shooting things (with a camera), playing Xbox games (my strategy consists primarily of button-mashing), and enjoying the company of our spoiled pit bull named Leeloo. We are planning a fall wedding with lots of DIY details and a rustic-chic vibe. Our budget is tight, but we know we can work around it to plan the wedding we want.
And now you get to hear all about the Unicorns’ rehearsal…or lack thereof.
You see, after all my careful planning, Mr. Unicorn managed to derail my idea of how the rehearsal dinner ought to go.
Allow me to explain.
I’m sure y’all remember my diagrams detailing the EXACT order in which the bridesmaids and groomsmen were to walk up and down the aisle for the wedding. My original plan was to have them do a couple run-throughs before the rehearsal dinner. Sounds perfectly reasonable, right?
Apparently, Mr. Unicorn disagreed. For whatever reason, he got it into his head that he wanted to make a huge production of it. He wanted us to wait until all the guests arrived before calling our bridesmaids and groomsmen down one by one, in no particular order, to receive their thank you gifts.
Rather miffed that my very specific plans for the rehearsal were falling to pieces, I reluctantly agreed. Though, if looks could kill, there is a very good chance Mr. Unicorn would not have made it to the wedding day.
Once the guests arrived, Mr. Uni gave a little speech thanking everyone for coming. He thanked our parents, and we presented them with thank you gifts. Then he explained that food would be served after he introduced each bridesmaid and groomsman. Let me do the math for you: that’s 13 introductions.
Needless to say, by the end of it, everyone was eyeballing the barbecue with hungry looks. As soon as Mr. Unicorn finished his presentation, the horde descended upon the buffet line like locusts, and any attempt to divert their attention was in vain.
Some of the groomsmen trying on their new hats! / Personal photo
Mrs. Armadillo, Houston, TexasAge and Occupation: 23, Graduate StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Armed Security OfficerEngagement Date: September 28, 2011Wedding Date: March 2013Venue: First Presbyterian Church/Bay City Civic CenterAbout Me: I’m an oldies-loving, board game-playing, coffee addicted fine arts junkie from Southeast Texas in pursuit of her master’s degree in communication studies who met the goofy, strong, artistic, and unexpected love of her life in the beautiful piney woods of East Texas. Serendipity threw us together again and again (and again) on our college campus before we eventually stuck, but when we finally did submit to destiny, we hit the ground running and never looked back! We’re planning a religious, small town, budget-friendly, DIY-infused “winter becomes springtime” ceremony and reception to celebrate the beginning of our lives together with the people we love the most, and are pouring our hearts and souls into making sure our wedding represents us as a couple down to the nitty gritty details and balances tradition with the quirky individuality that is uniquely and unequivocally “us”!
(WARNING: This is kind of a lengthy post with our ceremony readings, vows, and etc. If you’re not into these kinds of posts, feel free to skip this one. In a nutshell, we went totally old school with our ceremony but used a couple of slightly less popular scripture readings.)
After we made it to the front of the church, Pastor Mark wasted no time in jumping right into the ceremony. We stood there patiently, our fingers nervously intertwined as we gave each other sideways glances. It almost felt like I was back in junior high trying to catch the attention of the cute boy across the classroom—except the cute boy had already asked me to marry him, and we were moments away from being husband and wife!
Pastor Mark began with a brief statement on the gift of marriage:
“We gather in the presence of God to give thanks for the gift of marriage, to witness the joining together of Justin and Rachel, to surround them with our prayers, and to ask God’s blessing upon them so that they may be strengthened for their life together and nurtured in their love for God…in marriage, husband and wife are called to a new way of life; created, ordered, and blessed by God. This way of life must not be entered into carelessly or from selfish motives, but responsibly, and prayerfully. We rejoice that marriage is given by God, blessed by our Lord Jesus Christ, and sustained by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, let marriage be held in honor by all.
Let us pray: Gracious God, you are always faithful in your love for us. Look mercifully upon Justin and Rachel, who have come seeking your blessing. Let your Holy Spirit rest upon them so that with steadfast love they may honor the promises they make this day, through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.”
After his opening statements and prayer, Pastor Mark addressed each of us so that we could give our declarations of intent.
Mrs. Genie, Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 23, Admissions AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, BiotechnologyEngagement Date: July 3, 2010Wedding Date: July 2012Venue: Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community CenterAbout Me: I am bibliophile and Disney nerd who is marrying her science genius high school sweetheart in not one, but two, weddings! When I am not working or wedding planning, I am usually found reading a book (or my Nook), weeping at an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, or frolicking in Disneyland. Mr. Genie is usually found rolling his eyes at my eccentric behaviors while playing Diablo III, solving great big science problems, and introducing me to highbrow television like Breaking Bad. We are getting married in a traditional American wedding, jetting to Costa Rica, and coming back for a traditional Bengali wedding one month later! I can’t wait to share all my plans with the Hive! "You ain’t never had a friend like me!"
After all the traditional parts of the wedding reception, it was time to dance! I just wanted to let loose and dance with our friends and family, and be silly, and prove that a big old wedding dress wasn’t going to stop me! Plus, this cutie was ready to get on with the dancing, too.
I asked BM Pow to help me put together a fun dance playlist, since she is on the up and up about contemporary music. For the classic tunes, I left it up to Matt with very few songs on the “no play” list. That list consisted of “Celebration,” “YMCA,” and various line dances. And I didn’t really care if people requested songs. At this point, I had sort of washed my hands of “planning.” I just wanted to dance!
Mrs. Lyre, PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 31, LibrarianFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Government EmployeeEngagement Date: November 11, 2011Wedding Date: January 2013Venue: Atrium at the Curtis CenterAbout Me: I’m a book loving, photography obsessed, artsy/crafty bride to be, who was dating all the wrong men, until I met the right one, and where one story ended - our new life together began. He’s a video game loving, quirky t-shirt wearing, movie quoting geek who stole my heart, and welcomed me into his. Together we are a happily co-habitating couple, who live in South Jersey, and are planning a wedding in Philadelphia in January 2013. We love to cook, share a bottle of wine, and watch way too much TV; we laugh all the time, don’t sleep nearly enough, and cannot wait to begin our lives as husband and wife!
Right after our ceremony ended, Mr. Ly and I headed outside to take some photos of just the two of us. I was hoping to get some sunset photos, but I think the timing was just a little off. There was still great light outside and we took our gender reveal photos that we were going to use for our thank you note once we found out if Baby Lyre was a boy or girl.
I hunted long and hard for shoes I wanted to use for the shoot—they had to be distinguishable boy or girl shoes to make the photo work. In the end, I found some cute blue sneakers and some sparkly pink shoes. I think the blue shoes actually photographed better, so lucky us that Baby Lyre is a boy!
We took a few pictures of just us in the park, before adding the shoes into the mix:
For some reason, we took a lot more shots with the pink shoes than the blue ones. We have two shots with us holding the blue shoes, and at least six shots holding the pink ones. Maybe our photographer thought we were going to have a girl?
Mrs. Toadstool, Obregon, MexicoAge and Occupation: 23, Research AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Sales ManagerEngagement Date: October 1, 2011Wedding Date: December 2012Venue: Hacienda los AgavesAbout Me: I’m a born and bred Mexican girl with a severe coffee addiction, an obsession for books and an aversion for exercise. I like to plan things, so this wedding’s my dream project---I just need to remind myself from time to time that I’m the bride and not just the planner. I recently realized brown’s my favorite color as I was trying to incorporate it in every aspect of our wedding and I'm dreaming of an autumn vibe since we don’t have that around here. I’m marrying my best friend and partner in crime on the day of our nine-year anniversary! He’s an awesome, smart, fun guy who is patient, and crazy enough to spend the rest of his life with me. We’re planning our not-so-dreamy dream wedding in December in a non-traditional way and making it our own.
For some reason I really wanted to follow the “somethings” tradition. You know: Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. Do I think it’ll bring me luck? Not really, I just wanted to follow it. But at the same time I never obsessed over it…I didn’t look up and down for the perfect and meaningful “something old” as other brides do, or look for for anything specific, really. I didn’t stress over it and just thought things would fall into place, and they did.
Something new: My dress.
My dress was custom made by local designer Marisol Naserau, inspired by Alcanar by Pronovias. On my last dress fitting (over a month before our wedding), I didn’t love my dress, thinking it wasn’t as flow-y as I wanted it to be.
I never put the dress on after that appointment (since it’s laced-up it was going to fit and we knew the length was right by then), so when I pinned the crinoline inside the dress for pictures and finally looked at it, I just gasped. The crinoline I got was bigger than the one I tried on and it looked gorgeous. It was just perfect.
Mrs. Otter, Indianapolis, INAge and Occupation: 22, Freelance Social Media ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, CVS Shift SupervisorEngagement Date: November 11, 2011Wedding Date: April 2013Venue: Mustard Seed GardensAbout Me: I'm a born and raised Hoosier girl, but a diehard Michigan Wolverines fan. I have a tendency to take too many photos and spend full days having TV marathons. Mr. Otter and I met in high school, started dating a couple years later, and moved in after a month of being official. He is easygoing and makes plans on a whim, while I'm color coordinating my planner and organizing everything in sight. He hates glitter, but it's my favorite thing. I have tattoos and he still won't get one, despite my attempts to convince him. We're planning a small, rustic, and (hopefully!) peony-filled wedding to get our married life started. (And yes, there will be glitter involved!)
Hive, I have to tell you. As much as the emotions hit when I was wide awake at 4:00AM, they hit hard when I had my veil put in. I’m not sure what it was about the veil rather than the hair or makeup or people going back and forth from room to room, but for some reason when I put that veil on, I just felt like a bride. In that moment, I felt another rush of emotion—this is it. This is me, getting in to my dress. Right now. I couldn’t believe the time had finally come!
(All photos by Stacy Able Photography.)
And for honesty’s sake: I have to say that in this photo, I just wanted to open my damn present (hence the veil in but no dress look that I have going on). See, I knew that in the other room, Mr. O had already opened his gift, and I was anxious to open mine. But nooo, I couldn’t open mine until I was in my dress, and I couldn’t be in my dress until everyone ELSE got dressed. I believe it was at that point that I started saying “get dressed, get dressed, you guys, come on, get dressed.” I knew the moms would change in the bathroom, and I knew K (mom of the little ones and also one of my favorite people in the whole world) would also change in the bathroom. The ladies though? STRIP! We’re all ladies, and quite frankly, I wasn’t interested in seeing lady parts or who was changing where, I just wanted everyone to get dressed.
Mrs. Hawk, Richmond, VAAge and Occupation: 26, FinanceFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, District SupervisorEngagement Date: March 13, 2011Wedding Date: May 2012Venue: The Chapel of the Sir Christopher Wren Building, 2007 Legacy HallAbout Me: I’m an Arizona-born girl who has spent the majority of my life living below the Mason-Dixon line. The South has definitely earned a special place in my heart (alongside my Virginia born and bred fiance, of course!). We are planning a traditional Christian ceremony at my alma mater in historic Williamsburg, Virginia, followed by a rocking reception filled with Southern cooking and vintage/shabby chic details. When we’re not wedding planning, we enjoy spending time with our three dogs, going for runs together, watching plenty of football (or baseball depending on the season), and sampling new wine.
As I sit here, it’s hard for me to grasp that an entire year has already passed us by. It’s almost as if I blinked and suddenly catapulted from May 19, 2012 to May 19, 2013, but it’s such a strange juxtaposition, feeling at the same time that we’ve been together forever.
I still remember those feelings of anxiety and nervousness as I primped and put on my dress…
Mrs. Toadstool, Obregon, MexicoAge and Occupation: 23, Research AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Sales ManagerEngagement Date: October 1, 2011Wedding Date: December 2012Venue: Hacienda los AgavesAbout Me: I’m a born and bred Mexican girl with a severe coffee addiction, an obsession for books and an aversion for exercise. I like to plan things, so this wedding’s my dream project---I just need to remind myself from time to time that I’m the bride and not just the planner. I recently realized brown’s my favorite color as I was trying to incorporate it in every aspect of our wedding and I'm dreaming of an autumn vibe since we don’t have that around here. I’m marrying my best friend and partner in crime on the day of our nine-year anniversary! He’s an awesome, smart, fun guy who is patient, and crazy enough to spend the rest of his life with me. We’re planning our not-so-dreamy dream wedding in December in a non-traditional way and making it our own.
I arrived with my parents and siblings at the venue at 2:00 PM.
Since we didn’t have a wedding planner or DOC, everything was up to us. The day before, Mr. Toadstool and I took my dress and all the decorations and store them at the venue, so I had to take everything out and tell my mom and sister how to set some things up, tell the people setting tables which table linens I wanted, and figure out a table for our fingerprint guestbook.
Meanwhile our photographer Alberto and videographer David started working on something I really, really wanted, getting pictures of my dress. So we took it out of the bag and they proceeded to shoot it while I ran around directing the people setting the tables.
At one point, my dad, who was looking at Alberto and David work, asked me (with a crazy laugh): “Are you that ugly, they’d rather photograph the dress without you in it?” Leave it to Daddy to make the joke of the day.
Mrs. Genie, Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 23, Admissions AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, BiotechnologyEngagement Date: July 3, 2010Wedding Date: July 2012Venue: Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community CenterAbout Me: I am bibliophile and Disney nerd who is marrying her science genius high school sweetheart in not one, but two, weddings! When I am not working or wedding planning, I am usually found reading a book (or my Nook), weeping at an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, or frolicking in Disneyland. Mr. Genie is usually found rolling his eyes at my eccentric behaviors while playing Diablo III, solving great big science problems, and introducing me to highbrow television like Breaking Bad. We are getting married in a traditional American wedding, jetting to Costa Rica, and coming back for a traditional Bengali wedding one month later! I can’t wait to share all my plans with the Hive! "You ain’t never had a friend like me!"
We had chosen our first-dance song a long time before the wedding. We waffled between contemporary singer-songwriters and old classics, and decided on “In My Life” by The Beatles. When I read the lyrics, the words seemed so appropriate for us. We’d been together nine years by then, and had just promised each other the rest of our lives.
We sort of did the middle-school sway and sang to each other, but Mr. Genie, an alum of cotillion classes, added in some turns and fancy moves at the appropriate places. I was completely happy to follow and also not be worried about choreography. It was much like dancing at home, which was comfortable and easy.
Mrs. Otter, Indianapolis, INAge and Occupation: 22, Freelance Social Media ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, CVS Shift SupervisorEngagement Date: November 11, 2011Wedding Date: April 2013Venue: Mustard Seed GardensAbout Me: I'm a born and raised Hoosier girl, but a diehard Michigan Wolverines fan. I have a tendency to take too many photos and spend full days having TV marathons. Mr. Otter and I met in high school, started dating a couple years later, and moved in after a month of being official. He is easygoing and makes plans on a whim, while I'm color coordinating my planner and organizing everything in sight. He hates glitter, but it's my favorite thing. I have tattoos and he still won't get one, despite my attempts to convince him. We're planning a small, rustic, and (hopefully!) peony-filled wedding to get our married life started. (And yes, there will be glitter involved!)
Well, hive, you may have noticed in my last post about gifts that everybody was already dressed…Oops! I might have skipped a post or two about getting dressed in there somewhere, so here’s the first!
While the girls were getting pretty allllll morning, the guys were hanging out at the Otter apartment, watching TV, and playing video games. They had pizza delivered for lunch and then came to the hotel. From there, it took them a good 10 minutes to get themselves ready for the day. TEN MINUTES! Compared to the ladies, they had it so easy! No hair, no makeup, and they could totally destroy their room because the purpose of keeping it nice was for them.
(As a funny note, though: notice the Aldo box in the shoe closet? Yeah, BM Blondesquared really wanted that and it got left behind. Oops!)
Mrs. Otter, Indianapolis, INAge and Occupation: 22, Freelance Social Media ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, CVS Shift SupervisorEngagement Date: November 11, 2011Wedding Date: April 2013Venue: Mustard Seed GardensAbout Me: I'm a born and raised Hoosier girl, but a diehard Michigan Wolverines fan. I have a tendency to take too many photos and spend full days having TV marathons. Mr. Otter and I met in high school, started dating a couple years later, and moved in after a month of being official. He is easygoing and makes plans on a whim, while I'm color coordinating my planner and organizing everything in sight. He hates glitter, but it's my favorite thing. I have tattoos and he still won't get one, despite my attempts to convince him. We're planning a small, rustic, and (hopefully!) peony-filled wedding to get our married life started. (And yes, there will be glitter involved!)
PREZZIE TIME! Hive, I love prezzies. I also participate in Chrismukkah, because, as Seth Cohen explains, it is “eight days of presents, followed by one day of many presents.” But that’s a story for another time.
After the guys got ready and I officially became a bride, the guys were kicked out of the room so Mr. O could open his gift in private.
Mrs. Lyre, PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 31, LibrarianFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Government EmployeeEngagement Date: November 11, 2011Wedding Date: January 2013Venue: Atrium at the Curtis CenterAbout Me: I’m a book loving, photography obsessed, artsy/crafty bride to be, who was dating all the wrong men, until I met the right one, and where one story ended - our new life together began. He’s a video game loving, quirky t-shirt wearing, movie quoting geek who stole my heart, and welcomed me into his. Together we are a happily co-habitating couple, who live in South Jersey, and are planning a wedding in Philadelphia in January 2013. We love to cook, share a bottle of wine, and watch way too much TV; we laugh all the time, don’t sleep nearly enough, and cannot wait to begin our lives as husband and wife!
Our ceremony was quick and traditional. We met with our rabbi (if you’re looking for a rabbi in PA to do an interfaith wedding, or any wedding, really, I highly recommend Rabbi Bleefeld.) a few times before the wedding so he could get to know us and personalize the ceremony a bit. He gave us one crucial piece of advice for the ceremony that we both took to heart. He advised that as soon as the ceremony started, we look at each other, and no one else, the entire time. He told us some stories about brides who were more concerned about where the photographer/videographer were throughout the ceremony, and didn’t pay attention to the real reason why they were there. He advised us that there’s nothing like being able to recall the way your beloved looked the moment you were married, and we didn’t need to look at him, or our guests, or anyone besides each other. I am so very glad we took his advice, because there is nothing that I remember more vividly about our ceremony besides what Mr. Ly looked like in those moments where we were married. I did not see guests come in late, my photographer lying on the floor to get some of his shots, or my MOH run out in the middle of our ceremony (surprise: she’s pregnant too!), all I saw was the face of my love as we promised each other to love, honor and cherish each other for the rest of our lives.
So all of our photos are us, looking at each other. And I love that. If you can take this advice and look at no one other than your partner for your entire ceremony—do it. You’ll never regret not looking anywhere else.
(Also, sorry to jam all these photos into one post. I didn’t want to do more than one ceremony post, but I love ALL these pictures. I couldn’t choose. So very pic heavy post ahead.)
The rabbi started the ceremony by welcoming our guests, mentioning those in remembrance who have passed, and offering up a bit of his rabbinical advice about marriage.
Mrs. Gray Wolf, Washington DCAge and Occupation: 26, Business Development ExecutiveFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Research ScientistEngagement Date: November 11, 2011Wedding Date: February 2013Venue: Whittemore HouseAbout Me: I'm an ultra-organized, pun-loving, list-making, cheese-enthusiast bride-to-be. Although my day job is in cubicle land, I'm happiest in the modern art wing of a museum, having recently earned my Masters in Museum Studies. Shortly after a chance meeting five years ago, I moved in with Wolfman and haven't looked back since. We love music, movies, TV, and all things pop culture; we have an unspoken competition to be the first to share the latest YouTube sensation or indie song. Together, we've filled quite a few pages in our passports, but also love quiet nights in with a Game of Thrones marathon and our French Bulldog, Tonks (Harry Potter, anyone?). I'm planning a small, cozy winter wedding---think mercury glass and candle light---in the heart of DC. Our venue is a historic home with a lot of political charm, but needs a bit of work to be wedding-ready.
Now that you’ve seen what dress I chose (and I’ve gotten so many lovely comments about it!), I wanted to take a brief pause in the recaps to sort of finish up the weddingdressnarrative. If you recall, I was close to renting a gown from Rent the Runway, but ultimately decided not to and chose a dress from a designer I found on Etsy.
Mrs. Genie, Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 23, Admissions AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, BiotechnologyEngagement Date: July 3, 2010Wedding Date: July 2012Venue: Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community CenterAbout Me: I am bibliophile and Disney nerd who is marrying her science genius high school sweetheart in not one, but two, weddings! When I am not working or wedding planning, I am usually found reading a book (or my Nook), weeping at an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, or frolicking in Disneyland. Mr. Genie is usually found rolling his eyes at my eccentric behaviors while playing Diablo III, solving great big science problems, and introducing me to highbrow television like Breaking Bad. We are getting married in a traditional American wedding, jetting to Costa Rica, and coming back for a traditional Bengali wedding one month later! I can’t wait to share all my plans with the Hive! "You ain’t never had a friend like me!"
Mr. Genie and I quickly ate and then went from table to table to greet everyone and take a few pictures. Pictures were not in the plan, but who could resist? I’ll spare you, since you don’t know any of those people, but it was nice to wander a little bit and make sure everyone was having a good time. I recommend building in a little bit of time if you can, and expect to take pictures. They may be the only ones you get with those groups of people. Mr. Genie was such a chatterbox and social butterfly that we almost didn’t get to every table before we were called up to cut cake.
Before we cut the cake, Mr. Genie said a few words to thank everyone. He said such nice things about being welcomed into a big family and thanking everyone for coming. His kind words made me really proud of him, but also elicited an emotional reaction from my bridesmaids.
Mrs. Armadillo, Houston, TexasAge and Occupation: 23, Graduate StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Armed Security OfficerEngagement Date: September 28, 2011Wedding Date: March 2013Venue: First Presbyterian Church/Bay City Civic CenterAbout Me: I’m an oldies-loving, board game-playing, coffee addicted fine arts junkie from Southeast Texas in pursuit of her master’s degree in communication studies who met the goofy, strong, artistic, and unexpected love of her life in the beautiful piney woods of East Texas. Serendipity threw us together again and again (and again) on our college campus before we eventually stuck, but when we finally did submit to destiny, we hit the ground running and never looked back! We’re planning a religious, small town, budget-friendly, DIY-infused “winter becomes springtime” ceremony and reception to celebrate the beginning of our lives together with the people we love the most, and are pouring our hearts and souls into making sure our wedding represents us as a couple down to the nitty gritty details and balances tradition with the quirky individuality that is uniquely and unequivocally “us”!
Up until this point in our big day, I only had the minor urge to cry once (while reading Mr. A’s love letter to me.). However, I was resolved to hold back the waterworks for as long as possible because I just really hate crying in front of people and didn’t want any of those ugly cry pictures (I’m not a pretty crier) in our wedding album. The song I had chosen for my entrance, however, was one that I knew would get people emotional, especially my family—whose little girl had grown up and was now transforming into being a woman and wife. No one except for Mama Dillo, our pianist, and Mr. A knew what I was walking down the aisle to until this exact moment, and the feeling I expected to have as the doors flung open and I made my descent with Papa Dillo in tow was not even close to the exhilaration, emotion, happiness and something that could only be described as utter bliss that I actually felt. In that moment, I was in Heaven.
Our pianist started to play the faint, yet immediately recognizable tune of “When You Wish Upon a Star” in the effortless and emotional arrangement heard here (seriously, you’re gonna want to play this one):
I’ll admit, when the doors first opened, my eyes fell upon Pastor Mark, probably because he was front and center. I quickly found Mr. A, though, and his soft and highly emotional smile put the hugest grin on my face.
