Are you changing your name? Yes. Anyone else out there currently have a surname that can also be a FIRST name? Do people with whom you have worked for years sometimes accidentally call you by it?
The Tuesday after our wedding, Ben and I had left the frigid Midwest behind and were more than ready to board our cruise ship in Long Beach, California. Our itinerary was as follows: stop in Ensenada, Mexico on the way out, spend four nights at sea, have a day each in Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island, and then head back to California over the next five nights. The height of overconsumption relaxation! The whole two weeks were glorious, but here’s a quick rundown of particularly notable moments.
ENSENADA: We did a wine tasting excursion in the morning (amazing and cheap), and hit up a local place known for their ceviche in the afternoon. So delicious.
Before we figured out how to turn off Ben’s weird face-tune filter
My dad and I danced to “You Can Close Your Eyes” by James Taylor, and Ben and his mom danced to “In My Life” by the Beatles. Both highly recommended based on length as well as non-sexual language.
Looking around the dining room, I was so pleased with the work that our venue coordinators, Suzi and Amanda, did in setting up the decor according to my insane and tedious specifications.
The ceremony was done—we were married! As our guests filed out and ran toward the beer, Benjamin and I swung around and headed back up to the altar for our formal family photos. We were short on time at this point as there was a mass in half an hour, so we powered through the various permutations of family and party.
Details of note: MOH dress from J. Crew, boutonnieres from Dilly Lily
Three of my former students (now in college) with whom I was particularly close made it to the ceremony, so I insisted that they each come up for a quick picture to put on the ‘Gram.
As I’m nearing the end of my time here on the ‘Bee, I can’t help but get a little sentimental and sad that our wedding day is over. Sheesh, Eel, it has only been six months since your wedding. Major eye roll.
While our wedding day wasn’t perfect and there were things in hindsight I wish didn’t happen or we could’ve changed, they in no way took away from the amount of happiness we felt on our wedding day. This may sound odd, but when I look at our pictures, I feel a little sad wishing we could go back and do it all over again.
On the other hand, I am so happy to have these pictures as I am able to relive each moment and even some of those that I may have missed.
My favorite recap posts are ALWAYS the details posts. I love seeing the hard work of planning come to fruition in the little details that not all wedding guests may notice, but truly make the entire wedding picture complete.
Ceremony decor
Admittedly, the details of our wedding were a labor of love by our wonderful friends and family with a little help from me. We have amazing people in our life who volunteered to help us throughout wedding planning, which not only saved us money, but also helped turn my vision into reality. We could not have had the wedding we did without their help, so for that I am extremely grateful.
It was time for my favorite part of the night—our reception! I wanted to be sure to save plenty of time for dancing, so we had an informal program throughout our plated dinner service.
After having a bit of a restless night, I woke up on W.M. (Wedding Morning) well before my alarm. I spent some time alone in prayer, took a long shower, and blow dried my hair at a leisurely pace. It felt lovely to not be rushed.
My shoes—and sixpence—were also ready to do this thing.*
A little before 9:00 AM, my mom arrived and we walked across the street to get pretty while my sister finished up with the bouquets. I had my hair done first, and Krista, my stylist, gave me the nicest compliment ever when she exclaimed, “What product did you use today?! It feels like a different head of hair!!” (The product in question is Living Proof’s Full, a thickening mousse that really does wonders. HIGHLY recommended.)
