It has been a long time since I blogged about our wedding adventures (almost a year!) and I think a big reason for that is because the whole experience was pretty mellow throughout and also I wanted to keep many details a surprise for family and friends.
But of course now that is has all happened, I'm thrilled to share all the happenings around wedding planning and how we were able to pull off a perfect wedding! When I say perfect, I'm really not exaggerating, everything could not have gone better, there is not a thing in the world I would change or would want to be different. For this post, I will keep it focused mostly on the wedding day in general and hopefully will talk about finer details in posts to come.
We were incredibly blessed with the most beautiful weather - not just on our wedding day - but the days leading up to and following Saturday. I'm talking crystal clear blue skies, warm weather in the upper 60's, simply spectacular!
Prior to the wedding weekend, I had written a timeline for our parents and bridal party to lay out the day and give as much information as possible so that everybody felt comfortable with what to expect. With that said, we hit our times on point, never ran late and never felt rushed. Our bridal party included 3 bridesmaids and 3 groomsmen, who were our family members and close friends. Having an intimate group surrounding us kept everything so calm and enjoyable.
We had our hair and make up done at a local salon and went back to my parents' house (my childhood home) to get dressed. Since we decided to get married in my hometown, I really wanted to get ready in the place where I grew up, and it was very special. Since we were running on time, even running early at points, I joked that I was actually bored just waiting to get dressed. But when the photographer and cinematographer were ready for the "getting dressed" shots, I was so excited and eager to become the bride I had always dreamed of becoming.
Dave and I decided to wait to see each other until we were at the church, but I always loved those "first look" pictures so my dad and I were able to do that. Having my dad see me in my wedding gown was so moving, it is a moment that I will treasure forever.
When we made it to the church, we were actually early, I was so excited to actually be early to my wedding! But by that point I was so eager to see Dave that I was about to run into the church LOL!
Once our parents and bridal party entered the church, the doors closed and Dad and I waited to enter. It is a little nerve-wracking just as you're about to walk down the aisle and my dad joked that he had nothing witty to say at that moment, but just to have fun. At that moment the doors opened and I saw my angel and best friend waiting for me at the altar. As I walked toward him and felt the love of all of our family and friends surrounding us, I can say I was filled with more happiness than I ever imagined was possible.
The ceremony was a beautiful experience, I will always remember looking into Dave's eyes and exchanging vows, I had waited my whole life for this and I wanted to enjoy every second of it.
We had a string quartet playing at our wedding, a dear friend arranged a lovely selection of music that included traditional pieces such as Canon in D and the wedding march but also contemporary pieces including A Thousand Years and our recessional All You Need is Love. Everything felt like a dream, it was so beautiful.
Once the ceremony concluded it was on to pictures at our wedding venue, the Forsgate Country Club. We had the most incredible weather for pictures, as I'm typing this, we're eagerly waiting to see our pictures and video from the day! I had a cathedral veil, which was acting stubborn at times, but I definitely wanted a long train with some drama in the back (more to come on bridal style).
Probably one of our favorite memories from the day was during our photo session. The venue arranged for us to have golf carts to drive around in and me and Dave ended up driving around the grounds having the time of our lives, it was simply magical and so special to have a few minutes just enjoying the day together.
We had a few minutes to enjoy cocktail hour with everyone but soon enough we were whisked away to line up for introductions. We chose the song Shut Up and Dance for our parents and bridal party and us to enter to. My friend had suggested it awhile back and it is such a fun song that gets everybody in a great mood and as we entered, it was simply epic.
Our first dance was I Want to Know What Love Is by Foreigner. Since I was a teenager, I have dreamed of that being my first dance song and on our first date, that song came on. Perhaps it was a sign of what was to come :) It was so special and better than I ever dreamed.
A piece of advice that someone told me before the wedding was to stay together as much as possible during the reception. Prior to that I was surprised to think we wouldn't be together the whole time but sure enough it is very easy to get pulled in different directions. So we tried to hold hands as much as possible so we could always physically stay together but also made a point to talk to family and friends together so we didn't separate. And our families were so wonderful and made sure we sat down and ate which was greatly appreciated.
Overall the whole day went without a single hitch. For those who know me, weddings and all things bridal have been a passion of mine for so long. The process of planning a wedding was fantastic but with so much anticipation and expectations leading up to one day, I have to admit I was nervous it wouldn't live up to all that I was hoping. But it truly did, it was more amazing than I could have ever imagined and now I get to look back on the most wonderful wedding with my husband, my best friend, my everything. I am so thankful for him and our families, friends and vendors who made our wedding day the happiest day of my life.
I definitely want to go more in depth on specific elements of our wedding day but for now I felt it was important to put into words how the day as a whole went. Even a week later, bits and pieces start to feel fuzzy in my memory and I don't want to forget a single thing.
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| Ashley Bartoletti Photography |
