The first blog post post-wedding:

Some reflections on the wedding day…
It was a long morning. That day I went to bed around midnight. Awoke at 4am, thinking about things I should do when I get up. Decided to just wake up and do those things. Blogged. Went back to bed at 5:30am. Woke at 7am. And stayed awake.

I had told the girls that at some point I was going to cry that day. I was feeling some kind of emotion, a mixture of happiness, excitement, anticipation, concern, weariness, and something else. It was a strange emotion. But nevertheless, I was feeling it. I came close to crying several times early that morning and it finally came out around 10am. I called a good friend and she prayed for me while the tears flowed. And then they stopped. And I felt good. And that was all the crying that was done that day (at least by me).

The morning seemed to take so long. I had to make some last phone calls, make sure me and the girls were fed and hydrated, get the apartment set up for a home-salon, and just try to remember to breathe. Lyh informed me later about a flower crisis that occurred in Boston which caused a bit of a flower crisis in Katherine’s bouquet, but with some quick thinking and wonderful creativity, Lyh pulled only what he can do and gave me a gorgeous bouquet – probably better than I had initially envisioned! I was the last to get my hair and make up done and got into my dress, veil, and jewelry around 12:30pm.

The Arlington Water Tower served as the location for our first look. Jules had to shoo away all the groomsmen to give me and Will some private time =P  (Will told me during our honeymoon about a hiccup regarding the colors of the tuxes and a last minute visit to Men’s Warehouse.  Good thing I didn’t know about this one that morning!)

The first look was awesome. Will had his back to me and I couldn’t stop grinning as I walked up to him. We were getting directions from Dan and Jules about when to walk, stop, turn, etc, which just built up the excitement. I couldn’t wait for us to see and hug each other. I wanted to see him in his suit and boutonniere and hear about how he was doing. It was a great moment. We took pictures around the Tower. It was windy! My veil almost flew off a couple of times! I had written Will a poem, which was written in two parts on two different days, December 28, 2005 and August 22, 2008. (We began dating on June 15, 2005). For some reason (probably a God-reason) I just had a feeling we’d be together for a while (if not til death do us part). The poem was about how God brought us together in some crazy only-God-could-have-planned-it way and how God was now going to make us husband and wife. I’ve been waiting a long time to read it to him and knew I’d only read it on our wedding day…and here it was! (If you come by our apartment, you can get the privilege to read it!)

Our bridal party and immediate family joined us later for pictures. It was fun walking along the street, getting honks and shouts of congratulations from strangers (Arlington police too!) A little hiccup happened at this point, but with nothing to change what happened, an “oh well” attitude was adopted and all was well!

Now, pretty much once the first look began…everything passed in a blink. The ceremony was very touching. My dad choked up more than once and it took a lot from me to not tear up. The floral and stage decoration was beautiful. The church was packed all the way to the rear doors! Dad’s sermon was personal, vulnerable, clear, and relevant. An aside: he mentioned the book “Love and Respect” in his sermon. A woman came up to Will at our reception and told him that she prayed to God asking him what she should give us as a wedding gift. She felt God telling her to give us the book “Love and Respect!” And her prayer was confirmed during the sermon! (And we’ve each read the first few chapters while on the plane to/from Jamaica!)  Another hiccup occurred regarding my gown’s train, but the girls told me what I needed to hear and all was good.

The church reception was great. Michell and her team did a wonderful job. Charlotte’s cake was so professional! I ate about 1 bite of cake, 3 grapes, and 1 glass of punch, but I was more excited than hungry. It was hard to believe that everyone was here because of us! All eyes were on us! It was a strange feeling that all these people (~350!) cared and loved us!

Our evening reception was so much fun. Our slow dance went well – no crushed toes! And our group dance was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! I was soooo thrilled we could do that as a group together! And I think the guests enjoyed it too! I can’t wait to see a full video of it!  Another hiccup regarding music, but we let the professionals deal with it and they came through!

We weren’t sure if we were going to allow guests to share stories about us. It was kinda a last minute decision that Will said I could make. And boy, am I glad I decided to do it! It was so touching to hear the different ways we’ve been a blessing to you – in big and small ways! We had a lot of laughs hearing those memories. And no, we did not have a list of ways to kiss planned out. We ad libbed along the way!

Again, it was so nice to have friends and family from many places and times in our life all come together to celebrate with us. We hope you had as much fun as we did!

We spent Sunday unwrapping gifts and just enjoying being at home together! And the Celtics helped make it a good Sunday.

We woke at 2:30am on Monday to go to the airport.

Jamaica was superb. The weather was warm, the food and drinks were plentiful, and spending quality time with my husband was priceless. We spent the days waking late, eating at the resort grill, buffet or their formal restaurant, laying on floats in the ocean, sipping tasty drinks on the beach, going on a sunset catamaran cruise, swimming to a cave, water skiing (or for me, attempting to), watching a steel drum band, playing pool, watching the Celtics, and all while never leaving the resort grounds. It was the most relaxing vacation I have ever been on! No decisions! Well, actually, our toughest decision was weather to have a couples’ massage at 1 or 1:30pm. Talk about difficult!

By the end of our trip, we were both ready to come back home. A honeymoon is nice, but unfortunately, it’s not real life. I was ready to come home to our home – go grocery shopping, watch TV, cook/eat breakfasts and lunches and dinners together, and say goodnight without one of us having to leave to go back to our own homes!  And I get to come home from work and say, “Honey, I’m home!”  (Though I don’t think I’ve ever called Will “honey”…haha!)

The wedding day and night was beautiful.  And you plan all of that because you believe the marriage is worth it.  And, so far, it is.