My mom Joni and maid of honor Krista showed up bright and early with coffee, sparkling cider, and pastries. My mom even made us custom champagne glasses with the names of all the bridesmaids on them. Shortly after my hairdresser Charissa arrived and it was time to start hair and make up.
At 9:30 it was time to head to the wedding venue to get changed into my dress. My mom and her boyfriend Larry surprised me with a limo! It was scheduled to take my maid of honor Krista and I to the venue first and then it came back to get the bridesmaids once they were ready to go. We enjoyed it, and it was nice not to have to worry about driving anywhere.
Next, it was time to slip into the dress I was going to wear to marry the man of my dreams. Krista was there to help me put it on, Charissa to touch up any make up crisis, and of course Eryn to capture the special moments.
Then it was time! It was time to meet my groom for our "first look." A first look is when the bride and groom pick a special location and see each other for the first time before the ceremony. It was a private, special moment for us only seen by each other and the photographer. Adam stood with his back facing me and I walked up behind him, tapped him on the shoulder, and we got to meet face to face. I was racing with emotions, seeing my future husband for the first time and boy did he look handsome!
After our first look we were ready for the bridal party and family photos. Our photographer Eryn Kesler did an amazing job keeping everything organized and flowing smoothly. I really appreciated that! If you'd like to see more of her work check out her webpage (www.erynkeslerphotography.com). Our bridal party consisted of thirteen people, including us, the ring bearer and flower girls. The bridesmaids were: Krista- MOH, Brittany- bm, Jessica- bm, and Monica- bm. The groomsmen were: Andrew- Best Man, Marshall- gm, Brooks- gm, and Jake- gm. My nephew Kameron was the ring bearer and Adam's little sister's Grace and Sara were our flower girls.
Finally at 1pm on July 14, 2013 at the Historical Red Cross Building it was time to say I do to my Adam. The day was HERE, it was TIME and I was ready. We were only engaged for five months, but let me tell ya, it felt like the time crept by. I couldn't wait to spend the rest of my life with the man God had chosen for me.
Our pastor Dave had us write our own vows and we were so happy for this. It allowed us to really think about what we were promising to each other and to God. Of course I cried when Adam spoke his, and hopefully I made him a little teary too (even if he didn't show it).
AHH I'm officially a Mrs! This moment was just amazing and spectacular! We had worked so hard emotionally and physically to make it to this moment, and we did it. All of the hard work paid off. We couldn't have done it without the love of Jesus and our family and friends, so THANK YOU!
At the reception we had a wonderful time visiting with family and friends. It sure was nice to have everyone you love all in the same room! We did the traditional wedding dances... Our first dance was A Thousand Years by Christina Perri, the Father-daughter dance was Daddy Dance With Me by Krystal Keith, and the Mother-son dances were Through The Years by Kenny Rogers and All To You by DJ Keo.
At 4pm my husband wisked me away to Cannon Beach, Oregon for a few days to celebrate a mini honeymoon. We decided to wear our wedding attire all the way there, I mean it was our only day to wear it! Adam's parents arranged for us to stay at Hallmark Inns & Resorts and when we arrived the receptionists upgraded our room to a King suite! We got there around 6pm and decided to grab some dinner before we settled in. We went to The Wayfarer restaurant and it was delicious.
I couldn't have asked for a more special day and I'm thankful for each person who helped make it that way. We are blessed with supportive families who love us and each other.
I love sleeping next to Adam at night and waking up to his handsome face every morning. I still can't believe how much my life has changed in the last year. All I can do is constantly be thankful to Jesus! We are working through the kinks of being newlyweds and we are having a good time. We say it's like we're pistons in an engine, we work together...when he's down, I work to bring him up, and when I'm down, he works to bring me up. Adam is very attentive and works very well addressing my needs and I hope to be as good as him someday. We try our best not to bring work home and we plan our days so that we can spend our nights together having fun. That means doing little things like planning our groceries and dinners so that there are NO store trips after work...that's mostly for me because it's a personal pet peeve of mine to make trips after work, I like to have the food and dinner plan ready to go so I know what we're going to make. No guessing and stressing!
We're working on our third month of married life and I know it's going to continue to fly by. Now I'll sign off leaving you with a sunset view from our honeymoon hotel room...
*If you'd like to see all of our wedding photos visit this website www.adamandnicole.erynkesler.com
