I recently received a sweet email the other week from a 'newlywed'. Katie and Cory were married May 2010 in Louisville, Kentucky. Yes I think you should be newlywed's for a while, after all 10 years together is still young compared to 50! This is what Katie had to say about their wedding day.
From the Bride: If I’m going to tell you about my wedding, I want to start with the word cherish.
Cherish came to English via the French verb “chérir” with little change in meaning. The Oxford English dictionary defines it as “to hold dear, treat with tenderness and affection, to make much of.” I cannot think of a better word to associate with our wedding. It was a day to hold our family and friends dear, to treat each other with tenderness and affection, and a celebration to make much of.
I spent eight months preparing for our wedding. I planned, crafted, sewed, made invitations, made playlists, and occasionally cried over the guest list that grew exponentially. The day came and I went through the regular preparations—hair, make-up, gown, veil, etc. Our “first look” moment was sweet and had exactly the calming effect I intended; the bridal stage fright I’d had from the moment I got engaged disappeared. We took photos outside, on the first sunny and comfortable day in weeks, with our relatives and laughed with our families. We went into the church for the ceremony, which featured misty-eyed parents and grandparents, a corny joke from our pastor and friend that still made us laugh, and a wedding ring that wouldn’t go over my knuckle (I wriggled it on when everyone closed their eyes for prayer). I don’t even remember what song played as we walked back out of the church, partly because I was preoccupied by the whole being married thing and partly because I was making a conscious effort not to trip over my own feet or dress. Then there were more photos, goofy faces from our ringbearer, a quiet moment together, and we went in for the reception. We ate and then someone—my dad, probably, stood up for the first toast.
Then the day turned from memorable to unforgettable. We hadn’t planned how the toasts would go; we figured our siblings and parents would say something and then we’d move on to the next thing. Instead, we sat listening to at least ten different people who stood and offered us support, kindness, wisdom, and the occasional goofy story from childhood.
All those months of preparation were devoted to planning a big party for the people I love, but nothing could have prepared me for the great outpouring of love that we felt on that day, not just from each other, but from the people who came. That atmosphere of friendship and joy is what I will always remember from our wedding, even if my dress was completely perfect and my husband isn’t so bad, either.
Katie's advise for other brides: When receiving opinions and pressure from people- listen, smile, acknowledge their idea, then do whatever you like. I figured this out halfway through planning my wedding and it definitely helped keep my head on straight! I got a few great ideas from people by listening, but also left more than a few ideas out. Most of them were good, but not right for our wedding.
I also reminded myself frequently that the wedding was to celebrate our marriage's beginning, and that our marriage, not a perfect day, was the point. To further this end, I read articles and books on marriage prep and I made a point to have at least one day a week with no planning and plenty of relaxed time with my husband-to-be. It helps keep perspective!
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Thank you Katie for sharing the story of your wedding day and for the great advise! Your wedding looked beautiful and so much fun!
Wedding dress: Pronovias/La Sposa, purchased at a small shop’s sample sale.
men’s suits: Pronto Uomo, from Men’s Wearhouse
Ties: Croft + Barrow, from Kohl’s
Junior Bridesmaid’s dresses: made by the Brides mom
Bridesmaid’s dresses: David’s Bridal, in Mermaid. They had pockets!
Invitations: Designed by the Bride
Centerpieces: designed by the Bride, with number cards from inspired by ProjectWedding
Brides shoes: Seychelles, purchased for $15 at TJ Maxx
Brides veil and fascinator: designed by the bride, with a piece of netting purchased from Veil Lady and a vintage brooch
