Weddingbee Blog

After our first look, we rallied the troops and headed over to our alma mater, St. Louis University, to get some photos of everyone together. Seeing as Mr. A and I met while in school at SLU, it only seemed fitting that we’d take some photos on campus. And, SLU’s campus in the Spring, Summer and Fall is just gorgeous. There are always flowers everywhere. The grounds are immaculate and when the sun comes out it’s just beautiful.

We first hit up the airplane outside of the Engineering and Aviation school. The plane is the same one that Mr. A used to fly us around in, and since two of our two of our groomsmen are pilots (plus Mr. A), aviation forever has a part in our lives.

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The decision to do a first look was an easy one. We both agreed it would be a great opportunity for us both to spend some alone time together on our big day. Plus, it set the stage for what would end up being a fantastic day. Those 30 minutes with him were wonderful.

We opted to just do the first look right outside of our hotel. It had that urban feel, and we had the Arch in the background if we wanted to use it (you’ll see it sneak in the back of one or two shots).

The anticipation built as I took the elevator down. I rode down with Lisa, our photographer, and Kevin, our videographer. I remember them both chatting with me, but my mind kept drifting and my heart beating out of my chest. The walk from the elevator to the front door was the. longest. walk. of. my. life. Honestly. I could not wait to see Mr. A. I know I had just seen him a few hours before, but this time it was different. We were closer than ever to being married, and that sort of excitement just filled both of us up.

I turned the corner and there he was (well, it was his back). My steps were short and quick as I held my gown in one hand and my bouquet in the other. And, then. “Tap, tap” on the shoulder I went. I was trying so hard not to cry. I definitely teared up (as evidenced by my hand up at my nose). Warning: Photo overload.

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It was finally time to put on the dress!

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While us girls were getting all made up, the boys had other ideas. They spent the morning doing ‘guy’ things. Which really just consisted of hanging out, eating lunch and watching some sporting event (or guy movie) on TV.

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Being the type-A planner I am, I timed our day to flow smoothly, giving me and the Mr. some time to sleep in (yes, I slept until 9:00 a.m. on my wedding day). Our ceremony wasn’t until 4:30 p.m., so we had plenty of time to relax. My wonderful hair and makeup artist did not arrive until around 10:15 a.m. When she showed up, Mr. A took off to go hang out with the guys, and my four beautiful bridesmaids and mom showed up to get all pretty for the big day. Holly quickly put my hair up in curlers to set, and while they cooled, I spent some time with my mom in the other room organizing all of the little details for my photographer to snap photos of. And, before I knew it, it was my turn to get my hair and makeup done.

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{And, I’m back, with wedding recaps on the way after the new year!}

The last stop on our honeymoon was the one I was most looking forward to. Santorini. This island has been on my bucket list since 7th grade. I could not wait to get here.

After packing up in Mykonos, we hopped on the FlyingCat 4 for a quick boat ride to this volcanic island.

We were fortunate to arrive to our resort, Astra, just before sunset. And, since we had this outrageous view from outside our room we enjoyed a little champagne and the prettiest sunset I have ever seen in my life.

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After a few days in Athens, we headed to Mykonos to get a taste of the Greek Isles. We arrived just before sunset, and were given a bottle of Greek white wine and fresh fruits.

The resort we stayed in was about a 20-minute bus ride from the busy spot on Mykonos, so we opted to do dinner each night at our resort and venture out during the day. Day one was spent strolling around the island, visiting the beautiful, old windmills, peeking in a few shops and enjoying a true Greek lunch. For the record, our version of a “Greek salad” is not what an actual Greek salad is. Nothing seriously beats fresh cucumbers, ripe tomatoes, green bell peppers, olives, capers, red wine vinegar, olive oil and feta cheese. A HUGE block of feta cheese. Way better than any Americanized version of a Greek salad.

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So, hey there hive! I promise I am alive and well, and with honeymoon photos and stories to share!

Mr. A and I decided to leave for our big Greek trip the Monday after our wedding, giving us all of Sunday to recoup, relax and pack. We jetted off about noon on Monday and set off for a lovely 11 hours of flying (that, trust me, was worth it). We arrived in Athens around 3 PM and were shuttled off to our hotel, the Athens Gate Hotel, which was in a wonderful location. With the weather beautiful, we took a quick stroll around town, then headed back to the hotel for quick nap. That flight surely took a lot out of us. We woke up just in time for dinner and to get a wonderful view of the Acropolis.

Can you tell we’re a bit jet-lagged?

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What that title should really say is how married life, and well, life in general, can sweep you off of your feet and take over. Since the wedding, we have been non-stop. Settling in, working more than ever, graduate school. It is amazing that nearly five months of marriage can go by, and it still feels like you got married yesterday. Where, oh where did that time go?

So, while I gather my thoughts, and work up the nerve and emotion to recap the remainder of my planning, our wedding, and honeymoon, here is a sneak peek of our wedding day as captured by our fabulous videographer, Kevin Von Qualen. Not only did he work his magic putting together one beautiful video, he so kindly put together a second highlight the joys of our reception.

Wedding:

St. Louis, Missouri - Super 8 Wedding Film from Kevin Von Qualen on Vimeo.
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Oh, hello there! Remember me? I sure hope so.

In case you’re wondering, life does not slow down after the wedding (and if it did for you, kudos). Things have been “go go go” since the second we landed back in the States.

BUT, let me tell you. Married life is wonderful. Although, very much the same as it was before we got married, there is just something different and exciting about actually being married.

So, how was everything, you ask? Wonderful. And, perfect. And, beautiful. And, while I wait on all of our pro pics from our wonderful and fabulous photographer, Lisa Hessel, I have an array of honeymoon photos to sort through and share. Because, I seriously got camera happy. So, honeymoon recaps will start soon.

In the meantime, here are a few teaser pics from our wedding thanks to Lisa (with a final reveal of my wedding dress).

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Seriously. Where have the last 19 months gone? It crept up on me faster than I could have imagined.

I have enjoyed every second of our long engagement: the highs, the lows, the ability for both Mr. A and me to truly enjoy each other during this time. No rush. No stress (well, maybe a tad, but really, very little).

And, I’ll be honest. It still hasn’t hit me. Maybe it’s because these 19 months have felt like eternity (until the last few). Maybe it’s because I can’t believe I’m actually marrying my best friend today. But, I do know that I’m excited. I’m excited to see Mr. A for the first time in my dress. I’m excited to step onto the campus in which we first met. I’m excited to walk down the aisle, pass by our friends and family, and meet the Mr. at the end. I’m excited to see all of our planning pay off, and see it all come together. And, most of all, I’m pretty excited to spend the day as a new wife. A wife to the sweetest guy I know.

To the hive: Thanks for following along. Thanks for your love and comments and feedback. Thanks for being the wonderful group of women (and men) that you are! I cannot wait to share all of the details from our day!
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This was another one of those last minute things—especially since our venue already sort of has bathroom baskets (i.e. tampons and pads). I wasn’t going to make bathroom baskets either, but then I got inspired by the travel aisle at Target. Oh Target, why do you do this to me every. single. time?

We stuck with the basics:

• Mints
• Listerine strips
• Lint roller
• Hair spray
• Gel
• Hand sanitizer
• Deodorant
• Tide To-Go stick
• Tums
• Ibuprofen
• Tissues

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I went back and forth between making goody bags for our out of town guests. And, I finally decided to go for it when I had a grand idea. Instead of using gift bags from Target, why not put all of the goodies in reusable grocery bags so guests can take the bags home, rather than toss them. I bought 30 red reusable bags from One Bag One Earth and filled them with an array of goodies.

Momma Argyle was nice enough to pay for all of the stuff in the bags, and she surely didn’t want me to skimp. So, we ended up with:
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I ordered this ring for Mr. A.

Source

It’s cool, and a tad nerdy, and quite awesome, if I don’t say so myself. It fits with his personality perfectly. And, it’s made with titanium and meteorite. Cool stuff.

It came in about a month ago, and of course, the first thing we did was have him try it on. Except it didn’t fit.
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I said I wouldn’t DIY anything? Oh right, I lied.

I got inspired. I couldn’t help it. I totes fell in love with this (minus the flowers):

Source

So, I had to make some. NOT for all of the tables. Oy, that’s enough to make my head spin. Instead, I’m making them for just 1/3 of our tables—just enough to give some visual interest, and add color.

And, as much as I’m not a DIY-er, this was somewhat of a fun project. How’d I make them?
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