Wedding Post #4- Getting Ready and the Ceremony

Getting Ready

I love the getting ready time before weddings. All of your best friends together, chatting with anticipation, enjoying the last few minutes of calm before everyone has to be on best behavior and interact with all the other guests. It's a little different when you are the bride! I just wanted to get the show on the road and see my sweet groom.

Things that stand out about the minutes right before the wedding:

• Suzanne doing my makeup, her makeup, her mom's makeup and trying to figure out how to get her mom's dress steamed
• Sarah being so attentive and helpful and making sure I had every I needed- everyone was wonderful, but Sarah was already dressed and ready and was so focused on making sure I was taken care of
• watching the little ones sing "Ring Around the Rosie," and chatting it up with Ella
• preparing to walk outside to take pictures and seeing the look of displeasure on Lindsey, our photographer's, face when she discovered it was raining! Thankfully it stopped quickly.
• exchanging gifts and Suzanne reading me a beautiful poem that Richard had written

The Ceremony

Richard and I really wanted our ceremony to be a worshipful experience that was glorifying to God and meaningful to us. The plan all along was to use both his pastor from First Baptist, Dr. Wilton, my pastor from Arcadia, Joey Burnett. Dr. Wilton did our marriage counseling, but about six weeks before the ceremony informed us that he could not do our wedding (his son and daughter-in-law were expecting twins, due right around our wedding). Slight time of panic! But thankfully, Joey was an absolute pro, stepped right in to do the whole ceremony, and we had the blessing of Rev. Steve Skinner, Richard's music minister, to speak and sing at the beginning.

Richard assembled the group of musicians and handpicked their selections, which they performed beautifully. It was an amazing, special time.

Things I remember from the before and during the ceremony:

• walking into the sanctuary when Min and Vin, dear Walter Reed friends from DC, were rehearsing "Shine on Us," seeing my grandfather and just losing it- one of the most emotional moments of the day- still makes me cry!

• seeing my dad for the first time and realizing he was more nervous than I was!
• watching the bridesmaids go down the aisle and thinking, "this is it!"
• the sweet moment when Suzanne took my hand before she went down and said "I love you"

• praying the little ones would go down- two out of three made it! :)

• my dad going down the aisle holding my arm with both of his, not sure if he really wanted to let go
• Richard smiling bigger than I had ever seen

• continually chatting with Richard throughout the whole ceremony
• getting chills when Vin sang "The Lord's Prayer"
• using Joey's script to make sure I didn't forget any part of the vows!

• the perfect kiss!

• and hooray, WE'RE MARRIED!