I am sad to say that my Mediterranean adventure is coming to an end. We are making our way back to the States and I am anxious to share my photos and experience with you!
But, we still have one more guest blogger to go. And, this particular guest just happens to be one of my favorite people in all the world! And not just because she looks just like me and happens to share my DNA. That’s right, my twin sister Beth has agreed to share her own personal wedding experience with us! Check out her thoughts and suggestions and a few photos I managed to snap while being her maid-of-honor!
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It was about 5pm on February 18th, 2012 and I was in an ivory dress, sitting at a table-for-two, watching the sun setting over about 500 of my favorite people in all the world. As I took in the view, I have a vivid memory of turning to my husband (of about 45 minutes) and saying, “This is better than I imagined it.”
That was a little over two years ago and David and I still find ourselves basking in the joy of that day. Simply put, it was the best day of our lives. What a life-changing commitment. What a celebration. To quote my father in his toast, “God is an excellent host, isn’t he?”
As I thought about this post and what I would say, I began to think about all of you future brides and how I hope your wedding day ends up being better than you are imagining it right now. I realize that I am just one bride with one experience. But, I wanted to share some unique things that David and I decided to do on our wedding day that we feel made it extra special. You may like them enough to use them but more than that, I hope they get you thinking about how to make your wedding day unique to you and full of wonderful memories!
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1. The First Look– I know how much my twin sister pushes this suggestion and I couldn’t agree with her more! (go figure, we agree on a lot of things) Having been in 16 weddings (yes, you read that right), I have experienced how busy wedding days can be. I loved that in the busyness of it all, David and I were able to have some intentional time together before we took pictures. It literally made the whole day seem to slow down! We prayed together, laughed, cried and shared what had happened in the day so far. I loved it because it reminded us what the day was really about. And, we got some incredible photos that we didn’t have to rush through!
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2. Personal vows– These days it is common to write personal vows to one another and read them at the altar. We liked this idea but both felt that we liked the traditional vows too. Also, we weren’t sure how we felt about sharing everything we wanted to commit to each other in front of our 500 guests. Instead, we decided to share our own written vows during our first look. It was private and incredibly special!
3. Thanking our parents– This is still one of my favorite moments of our day. David and I wanted to thank our parents for all of their investment over the years to prepare us for the covenant we were making. We surprised them with a public and specific thank you during the ceremony. After I walked down the aisle, our pastor asked them to join us at the altar. We had written specific thank yous to each of them and he read them aloud. My dad had sworn he wouldn’t cry but that moment made him cave!
4. A Welcome Video– Having been to dozens of weddings, we both knew how hard it is for the bride and groom to greet everyone. We also knew, with such a large guest list, it would be even more difficult for us. It was important to us for our guests to know how grateful we were for them and that they hear from us personally why we were making this commitment before God. So, we recorded a short welcome video that played before the ceremony began. Our hope was that it would make everything seem much more personable and I think it did just that!
5. Sticking together– This was just a quick tip a friend gave me and it was so helpful. Especially with a large reception, it can be easy for a bride and groom to get separated while talking with guests. We made sure to hold hands throughout the reception as much as possible so we could enjoy the party together and not apart. It seems simple but was really helpful!
6. Putting time and thought into the ceremony– It can be a tendency to put all of your time and thought into planning the reception. I understand this but would suggest putting considerable thought into your ceremony as well. Afterall, isn’t the covenant before God what it is really about? Don’t save your vows or the flow of the ceremony as an after thought. Put just as much time into planning the ceremony as you do the reception. I promise, it will make your day so much more special and will help you focus on what really matters. People shared more with us about how much they enjoyed our ceremony than they did the reception.
7. Not an event planner- This may sound like a silly point but I promise, in the busyness of wedding planning, it can feel like you have suddenly become Jennifer Lopez, in The Wedding Planner. Just remember, you are a bride. People are coming to celebrate WITH you. Don’t feel like you need to take on the stress of trying to please everyone. Set the day up how you want it and then enjoy it!
These are just a few quick things that really helped make our day unique. I hope that whatever you do to make your day special, that that day will far exceed your expectations!
So in the name of the best day of my life, I say Take Me Back!