I am back to reality after a dream wedding and honeymoon. I’m not going to lie, real
life is a bit of an adjustment. Even
though I miss the excitement of wedding planning, the amazing landscape of
Hawaii, and most of all, so much time with my honey, I am looking forward to
life as a wife. A WIFE! I can still hardly believe it.
Where do I begin? Our
wedding was an absolute fairy tale. It
was better than I could have imagined.
The day just flew by in the blink of an eye. When I think back to it I have to question if
it really happened. It feels like a
dream! I can’t wait to get the
professional photographs and video back to relive all of the special
moments. I could turn this into a tome,
but here are some of my favorite moments of the weekend.
We kicked off the weekend with a ladies tea at The Drake
Hotel.
My mom, who is the queen of gift wrapping, made the tables sparkle with these amazing gifts.
The flowers are handmade. Each petal was held over a candle to get it to curl! They were spectacular.
The bridesmaids received their jewelry for the wedding day, monogrammed
tote bags, monogrammed shirts to wear while getting ready, and these
purses. My mom and I made all of
them. Well, my mom did most of the work
but I did cut all the fabric and sewed one entire purse by myself! It was such a fun project! At times we thought we were crazy.
It was so special to have all of these amazing ladies with
me before the big day!
Next stop was rehearsal at the
church and then a delicious rehearsal dinner.
THE BIG DAY!
I loved spending the morning and
afternoon with all of the ladies getting ready at the hotel.
Putting on my dream wedding dress
and having my mom help me with the veil…. Surreal.
Then the moment I had been waiting
for, the “first look” with Chris. Oh
buddy was he a sight. So incredibly
handsome. Even though it was
teeth-chattering cold (thanks a lot Chicago) I barely felt it!
The ceremony was beautiful. It was extra special because Chris’ father, a
minister, married us.
One memory that will always stay
with me was seeing our Jr. Groomsmen and Ring Bearers peeking around the end of
the aisle to watch me walk down.
Then to the party! I was so excited to get my first glimpse of
the reception. It did not disappoint. It was better than I had pictured. The flowers, the lighting, the table settings,
the chandeliers, everything was just perfect.
It made every minute of planning worth it. The band was insane (they play everything and
everyone raved about them) and the food was scrumptious (the candied bacon and
chicken and waffle appetizers were crowd favorites).
I don’t think the phone pictures
do it justice. You can be sure I will be
posting more once we get the professional shots back. Oh you were here looking for recipes?
Everyone loved watching the little
ones dance. They could not have been
cuter.
Speaking of dancing…. My husband
surprised me with the most AMAZING dance routine ever to Uptown Funk. I assume once I have the professional video it
will go viral. Unbelievable.
My dad’s toast was the definition
of a tear-jerker. All of the toasts
were so special and heartwarming. Can I
please go back and do it all again?
Chris was not the only person with
a surprise at the reception. I had a
groom’s cake made in the shape of his beloved Tigers baseball cap.
I am running out of adjectives,
but it was a magical night.
Then Chris and I had THE BEST HONEYMOON EVER in Hawaii. We are pretty sure it was the best honeymoon any one has ever had. Ever.
I had some amazing food and pool
drinks that will definitely be replicated.
Hopefully they will show up on the blog.
This is a cooking blog, right? It
has been hard to tell that over the past few months. I can’t wait to start working on it
again.
Thanks for humoring this new
bride. I love being able to share some
of my favorite memories. I promise, the
next post will be about cooking. I think….
