What is Marriage: One Whole Year

It feels just like yesterday that I woke up with all my closest friends and started the day that would end with a husband. But unbelievably, it's been a whole year.

One Last Wedding Tip

As a final homage to six months of marriage, here's one last wedding thought:

No matter what you do, or how your makeup looks, or what florist or vendor might be calling, carve out a few moments with the people who matter most. You'll remember them for the rest of your life. 

With Dad, it was his great toast and this hug.

With Mom, it was a quiet moment in the bedroom upstairs.

With Ellen, it was when I decided that despite being fully dressed, I had to take it all off and go to the bathroom anyway.

With Slifer, it was when he came out of nowhere to throw that wad of tissue over John's shoulder during our vows.

Our Vanderbilt friends hid us in a corner while we ate everything in sight.

Tara brought me wine before the reception and made sure my hair didn't look crazy. I saw Carolyn right after the ceremony with tears in her eyes. Tally came to say hi before going to play in the park across the street. My big sister was there just like always.

I could go on and on.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for being amazing. 

xo.

Wedding Planning Tips

Hi, friends! In honor of being married for a whole half year, a wedding post.

The best five lessons I learned about planning a wedding:

What is Marriage 3: Six Months!

Yesterday was our 6 month wedding anniversary. I promise not to count the months for the next 50 years, but during the first year, everything feels like a milestone. John and I spent the day together and went out to dinner, which was low key and perfect. I can say without hesitation that these have been, truly, the best 6 months of my life. Thank you, jysc, my love.

This week, I'll post a few wedding planning tips in honor of the halfway point. Cheers!

Our Wedding {Final Farewell}

Dear Friends,

Here are the final photos from our wedding. Thank you for letting me share them with you. More importantly, thank you for sharing the best year of our lives with us.

xo!

Our Wedding {Reception 2}

Slifer's toast. You can tell how sweet it was by the looks on everyone's faces. 

Our Wedding {Reception 1}

Hello friends!

So many of you played a huge role in making this past year special for us, and these photos are a constant reminder of that. It's so nice to share them with you!

"For the first time as husband and wife..."

I love that my dad and I are making exactly the same face.

Our First Dance was "I Want You to Want Me," which was an early inside joke (pre-dating!) that later became our token song. 

Our Wedding {Decor}

I had a really good time planning and designing our wedding. My family thought I was a little crazy when I insisted that we stick to a certain (early) timeline, but I'm really glad I followed it; it made the weeks around the wedding pretty stress free! I was busy beforehand, but it never became unmanageable. 

Our Wedding {Party}

I knew this before the wedding, but my friends are seriously amazing. My bridesmaids are the most warmhearted, fun group of women. 

Our Wedding {Ceremony 2}

Our longtime friend Sue helped my vision for flowers become a reality. I told her I wanted them to look slightly wild, with lots of peach and yellow and soft orange. Not only did she do a gorgeous job - she was also a joy to have around. It makes a difference to surround yourself with sunny people during a time that everyone seems to think should be stressful. 

John and I are both classical musicians, which is probably why we didn't want that style for our ceremony. We had been thinking fun, laid back, and "bluegrassy" all along, but when I decided to walk down the aisle to a folk song, it sealed the deal. I remember being surprised to hear singing when I walked out expecting instrumental - and laughing in the back of my mind, thinking if this is what will "go wrong" today, it's fine with me.

Our Wedding {Ceremony I}

Hi friends,

Hooray, we have our wedding photos! Once Like a Spark did a beautiful job of capturing the day, and I'm so excited to share it with you!

John's Birthday!

Last year on John's birthday, we went horseback riding! 

These photos of baby John are what inspired the surprise. It was the only time he had ever been on a horse, and he had always wanted to ride again. 

And here's one of my own childhood pony rides. Notice that while I just look like a girl riding a pony on a rope, John manages to look like a tiny cowboy. He is so proud of that get up.

Happy birthday, Husband. Here's to growing old together.

Our Wedding {Kid Photos}

John made a slideshow for the Rehearsal Dinner using photos from our childhood. Here are some of my favorites!

Just driving my airplane.

Our Wedding {Rehearsal Dinner}

On Friday night, everyone headed to our Rehearsal Dinner at Rose Hill Estate. People tend to have tunnel vision looking towards a wedding reception as the big event, and it's true that the wedding requires tons more work. It was so special, though, to have everyone at the more intimate Rehearsal Dinner. To have best friends and family all together over cocktails and a nice meal is unforgettable.

{Leading up to} Our Wedding

After our friends arrived in Aiken, we wasted no time. We made pedicures our priority before having dinner Thursday at Tako Sushi. Next, we had a party at the bridesmaids' house - a huge cottage we rented at Rose Hill Estate. It was so much fun to stay together and share a house! Highly recommended. We used the cottage for a shower, sun bathing, and even the Farewell Brunch on Sunday morning after the wedding.

Fun Fact

John and I were dressed in identical clown costumes as children.

As you can see, I ditched the bowtie, and yes, those are McDonaldland Cookies on my tray.

{The week of} Our Wedding

I'd like to do a little series about our wedding. It's a way to record a big moment in our life, and most importantly, a place where our future children can read about the way I felt to marry their father. :)

Our wedding week was a thrilling blur of errands and checklists. It was so fun to be at home for longer than the usual 2-3 days with my parents and brother. I had to make endless to-do lists, because I was constantly too excited to remember what I needed to do next.

The Royal Schmedding

I have a confession to make.

While the rest of the world has been preoccupied with William and Kate's wedding, I've been thinking about my own. I had a great time hanging out in SC with my mom, dad, and little (but super tall) brother. There are lots of questions to answer about this thing: hip vibe vs. old-fashioned charm, firehouse vs. plantation, church vs. Polo Field!

I never considered myself a huge "wedding person," but here's my second confession: I was so excited after finding good sites with Mom that I thought I would burst. It's so exhilarating to think about John and our life together - so why not celebrate it with a really special day?! We're on the same page when it comes to style and design, which makes it an absolute pleasure. 

Sneak Peek - Near our Wedding Site