Happily Ever After

So, I am officially a Mrs. now! I am so excited!!!

The scoop:

Chris and I got married November 10, 2012 at Oak Mountain Park. (Where the hell is Oak Mountain Park you ask? Pelham, Alabama.) We had a private ceremony with just us, and the photography duo of Kim + Adam! It was a beautiful BEAUTIFUL perfect fall day. The sun was bright and shining, and the leaves were all sorts of amazing colors! Kim and Adam came to our house around 12:30pm. Kim saved my ass and helped me get dressed and put my bouquet together. Apparently, I was putting way too much into it and she slapped it together in under 20 minutes! She then whisked me away so that Chris wouldn't see me in my dress and we headed to Oak Mountain. Adam hung around while Chris got ready, and they left shortly after.

Kim and I arrived at the park and picked out a spot for our ceremony near the lake, with the mountains in the background. She then hid me in the woods, while we waited for the boys to get there. We had our first look photographed, and it was nothing short of amazing. I almost felt nervous walking about behind Chris. I wanted to look perfect for him, and have him excited that he gets to spend the rest of his life with me!

After our first look, we then started right into the ceremony. It was a short, sweet ceremony that lasted all of about 10 minutes. Enough for us to get all the important stuff, like the blessing of our rings and us committing our lives to each other! We also had this read:

Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in the wrong, but in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.

Oh, how I love that verse! It is so important to remember!!

After the ceremony, we took some sweet pictures by the lake, then in the woods. Unfortunately, I checked my phone for the score of the game while we were switching locations...and we were surprised to find out Alabama was losing to Texas A&M 20 to 7?!?!?! WTF?!?!?! So, we were in a race to the hotel room that Chris's parents to graciously got for us for the night! We tore each others close of as soon as we got into the room....so that we could change and get downstairs to watch the game of course!!!! I am sad to report that we lost that night. I would have been upset, if I hadn't have just married the love of my life! Nothing was bringing me down, not even my boys losing!

After the game, we had dinner at Ruth's Chris. You see, this place holds a special place in our hearts. It is the place that Chris took me for dinner after he proposed to me, February 11, 2010! We enjoyed the best steaks that we EVER had in our lives! Then, we watched Auburn lose to Georgia, and it was wonderful. (Shame on me, I know!)

Afterwards, we hung out in the hot tub for a little bit then called it a night. It was the perfect day.

So...how did we get to the point of having a private ceremony with no guests? I am not going to lie, of course when I was a little girl, I dreamed of a princess fairy tale wedding. Not everything turns out like you think it will. Chris and I had planned on getting married a year earlier, but it just didn't happen. Truth be told, looking back we are both thankful that we didn't. Our relationship is much stronger now than it ever was in 2011. We are in a difference place, and A LOT of things have happened since then.

Chris has expressed his disinterest in having a large wedding with lots of people, and lots of money. It was his idea to get married on our own, and have a reception later. At first I wasn't so sure about the idea, but agreed to it because I felt like if we didn't do it this way, we would never get married at all!

Now, I am happy that we did this. It was a perfect day. I wasn't stressed about anything other than trying to look perfect for Chris! We didn't have a set schedule to follow, or people to please, or any of the usual wedding day crazy. It was sweet, simple, and all about us and our love. Nothing else mattered. It was perfect. We had a photographer, so we will have our pictures. Since it wasn't crazy all day, I remember every detail. At the end of the day, we have pictures and we are married, what more can you ask for? Now, in a few months we will have a laid back reception to celebrate with our family and friends. And you are darn tootin' I will be wearing my wedding dress again! Not many can say they got to wear it 2 times!

Professional pictures to come later!