It’s certainly crazy to see how much two, even three years can change a person’s life. The beginning of 2017, I never imagined that I’d be married two years later. Life was extremely different.
I was a senior in college, I was struggling to cope with a relationship that ended with someone I still cared deeply for, and I was lost in my identity.
In the midst of this breakup, I reconstructed myself and found what I truly needed. I gained a high confidence in myself, more compassion, and a level footing of where I stood in life.
Somehow in this mix, I met Stephen and a new love begin within half a year.
I had to hold myself back with all the photos; they were so difficult to choose from to post!
Everything About This Day was Absolutely Wonderful.
My brother got married about 6 years ago; for his wedding, we had to clean up the venue [sweeping, putting up chairs, packing food, taking decorations down] after the big event was finished!
After spending all day at the venue, we were all so worn out! It became such a burden to have to clean up everything. They didn’t have staff to clean up; it was just the family having to do the dirty work. It was a beautiful wedding, but for the price of it, we didn’t have any other special services.
Luckily, for the venue we picked, no clean up necessary!
The venue had its own staff and catering onsite. Also, they had people to direct the parking lot, move the tables as we transitioned from the ceremony to the reception, and cleaned up once our wedding ended. It was a wonderful venue.
My mom put together the table arrangements and decorated them; here’s some of the small details.
It was one of my favorite features when booking the venue; I knew how much time and effort was put into pulling this event together. The Heritage Wedding & Event Venue was beyond what we asked for. The owner was so kind by letting us decorate the day before to decorate; the original plan was to decorate the day of the wedding. That would have been a wreck.
My mom was the detail micromanager and producer; she redecorated the fireplace about 3 times until she was satisfied! That took about an hour or two because she thought something was missing.
[Sidenote: My father / the officiant decided to point out that if you read the fireplace backwards, it reads “Ohio.” That was everyone’s mental thought during the whole wedding, haha.]
The Getting Ready Pictures.
Our photographer, Heather Michelle Photography, did a “first look” with the bridesmaids. I hadn’t thought of this moment, but it was super sweet!
Bridal Party Pictures.
Stephen and I decided to not do the first look moment; we wanted the full effect whenever the ceremony began. So, we did our bridal party and groomsmen pictures before the ceremony.
The flowers were from Amazon, who knew!? I think the biggest shock is that the bridesmaids’ dresses are from Walmart. Yes, I typed that correctly. Honestly, they look like they could have come from any place for wedding attire; my bridesmaids loved them for their comfort and how well they fit them!
Ceremony
My dad knew how nervous we would both be, so he added a little humor to lighten the tension. Also, the ceremony was brief — which we were super thankful for.
Group Pictures
Heather was super with taking pictures – especially since they were in the dark! Usually, the photos would take longer than necessary, but ours had to have been less than 45 minutes total. My favorite ones were the ones taken in the dark since it was something different from the usual wedding photos.
The pictures taken in the dark have to be my favorites.
The Reception
I was somewhat nervous that the reception would be a little awkward. I’m not much of a dancer, but my family is, luckily!
The wedding cake and cupcakes were catered by Little Cake. The Heritage had the ice cream stand option, it was my favorite! I don’t like cake, so I did have to take a bite just for looks. I didn’t make a face when doing so. Haha.
I was here for the ice cream cart.
It’s mainly my side of the family dancing, but at least they all had fun!
We played a little game, the one where the bride and groom hold up a certain item to represent themselves to answer questions. My sister asked the questions that she found and made up for us to answer.
The question in this photo probably was, “Who would use all the hot water?” The answer is Stephen, my immediate answer.
The Send Off
I think the wedding itself lasted for about 3, almost 4 hours. It wasn’t too long, but gave enough time for people to enjoy themselves and have a nice Saturday night out. We used sparklers, a classic.
Maybe I didn’t hold back completely, but I couldn’t help it!
I hope everyone else enjoys the rest of their Tuesday!
Congratulations! Your whole wedding looked beautiful! ❤️
Thank you so much! <3
Aw! Such beautiful photos! Time flies by! But the important thing is that now you have someone you love to spend it with! Love the lace dress by the way!
Thank you! It seems like time is going by even faster as we’re getting older! Have a great day! <3
Omg, you are gorgeous!! The dark pictures are amazing! It looks like the perfectly planned wedding, very individually unique and just long enough for eve6to party ! Thanks for sharing these ! I’m staying tuned for your further adventures ❤❤❤
Thank you for being so sweet! I look forward to yours as well! Just to let you know, I’m taking a couple weeks away from Instagram so I haven’t been on to see any posts; I will catch up whenever the break is over! <3
👍👍❤
Oops, long enough for everyone to party
Haha, I got what you meant! 🙂
Oh my gosh, Stephanie. You look absolutely stunning in your wedding dress! I can’t believe those bridesmaids dresses are from Walmart, they’re really pretty and I love the color. Your mom did so well with the decorating. I didn’t even see the backwards ‘Ohio’ until you pointed it out LOL but I see how it couldn’t leave your minds after someone pointed it out.
The photos in the dark really are so beautiful and unique. I get why they’re your favorites!! You both are glowing with happiness, ugh!! Love is so magical!!!
Thank you so much, Hunida!! <3 <3
I'm still stunned too about the bridesmaids' dresses, but it's definitely somewhere to look into for future references! It was so funny when my dad pointed that out, haha.
Thank you once again! I'm certainly a huge fan of love and its sappiness! Haha 🙂
Wow wow oh woww! YOU are stunning!! These pictures are breathtaking, and I just adore your colors. It’s evident there is just so much love! <3 And major congratulations. Thanks for sharing your story with us!
Thank you so much for reading and commenting, Mackenzie!! You are so sweet! 🙂