Our entire wedding day was wonderful: from the minute I woke up, thinking, "I'm getting married today," to the salon where my girls and I got all prettied up, to the limo ride to the church, to finally putting on my dress and veil for my big walk. It's the stuff dreams are made of, and yep, I'd had many a wedding day dream before that day. Someone had told me to take deep breaths and try to remember to live in each moment leading up to the ceremony, because from the time I would leave the bridal room to head to the sanctuary, the day would be in fast-forward. And she was so right. The rest of the day really was in fast-forward, but I tried to still take little snapshots in my head of the moments that were passing quickly. Some of my favorite moments of the day:
- Having a very grown-up conversation with my 5-year-old flower girl in the bridal room before we put our dresses on. I can't even remember what we were talking about, but she was so darn cute.
- My dad seeing me in my dress for the first time, and feeling like his little girl in that moment.
- Hearing "Canon in D" begin on the organ, and walk through the church doors.
- Kissing Alex as my husband for the first time, and lifting my hand to his cheek as we kissed.
- Hugging and kissing my mom outside the Sanctuary moments after the ceremony - I think she was the first to tell us "Congratulations"
- Snapping photos on a bridge downtown, my girls and I with parasols - the pics turned out adorable, and it was so fun!
- Waiting in the back hallway behind our ballroom at the Westin, knowing the DJ was about to introduce us and I was about to see the ballroom all decorated - my hard work on display!
- Our first dance - Frank Sinatra's "The Way You Look Tonight" - hearing the words and feeling like every one of them was spot-on. Oh, and being twirled in my ballgown.
- Tasting our cake when we cut it - so yummmmmmy. Buttercream on white cake, a classic. Then there were the chocolate/peanut butter and lemon/raspberry layers too...
- Alex's dad's toast, which he began by simply saying "Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton" to a crowd full of cheers. And then he went on to wish us a life full of children, "sooner rather than later" - ha!
- Doing the Gator chomp with my dad right before the father/daughter dance.
- The Couple's Dance, where all the married couples dance and the couple that has been married the longest is the last one left - both sets of my grandparents were the last couples dancing, at 59 and 63 years of marriage.
- As I was about to toss the bouquet, my videographer realized my photographer was outta site - she was with the groom and groomsmen snapping some shots outside - so the flower toss song that I had chosen had to play twice. Good thing I liked it!
- Leading a conga line around the ballroom (things you think you'll never do...but it was fun).
- Looking around the room and realizing that all of our favorite people were under the same roof, probably for the only time ever. And feeling so loved.
- After the last song ended and we were heading downstairs to make our exit, I was so sad our wedding day was over. But as we were making our way down the stairs, Alex gave me an awesome surprise: he had booked us First Class seats on our flight to Jamaica the next day! Perfect timing, hubs!
- Getting into Alex's car to leave the Westin, and waving goodbye to the faces of family and friends all around.
- After our exit, we went to the Westin rooftop for some photos, and that's where we both really started to crash. It had been a long day. The moment we got into the elevator, alone, just the two of us, husband and wife...it was okay that it was all over. It had been a pretty perfect day.
This year that started off with our wedding and reception had been a wonderful one, and full of lessons, too. We have come so far in just 12 months. I love Alex more now than I did on our wedding day, and will love him more tomorrow than I do today. Cheers to our first year, and here's to a lifetime more. I love you, Alex!
