The Big Day

Our Wedding Day was beautiful. Special. Tear-filled. Incredible. Cold.

The irony of it still makes me laugh. We held our wedding at the beach just down the street from our home at the time. It's a gorgeous backdrop and we loved the simplicity of the sand and the waves crashing behind us. The entire week before the wedding was sunny and hot. During our Friday afternoon rehearsal the sun was shining, at least 75 degrees, and breezy. The sand was warm beneath our feet and we had on our sunglasses.

Overnight, things changed drastically. The forecast had been changing for several days and we just kept praying that the rain would hold out on us. We had a welcome party at our home the night before and had a great time reconnecting with our families. The heavens let it all loose that night. It poured. It thundered. I got worried about the next day.

When I woke up on Saturday morning I remember going to the window and seeing the cloudy, gray skies looming overhead. I walked out onto the deck and was greeted by the chilly 40 degrees and damp air. My nerves and excitement about my wedding day immediately turned to anxiety over the weather. In the few hours before the ceremony, it warmed up by only about 5 degrees. Our guests all sat in their cars and waited until the last minute to head out to the beach. We scrounged up as many blankets and jackets as we could find and went on with the plan. Despite the less than perfect weather, our friends and family were troopers and surrounded us with their love and support. Thankfully, for us and for them, we had decided on a relatively short ceremony!

As I came around the corner and saw everyone standing there, waiting for me, I felt the tears start streaming down my face. Our ceremony was intimate and we were blessed to have Grandaddy (my husband's grandfather) as our minister. It was a joy to share those moments with everyone closest to us. Afterward, we spent a bit of time together enjoying food and fellowship. The outdoor reception was cut short by our numb toes and runny noses but we truly had a good time with everyone. Needless to say, it's a day that neither us nor our guests will ever forget.