Our Wedding Day
Well this is going to be a fun blog post.
Andrew and I got married on October 1st and I have been looking forward to sharing a recap of our magical day. People always say your wedding day flies by, and boy oh boy, were they right. I wanted to preserve moments and memories from our special day in this blog post so we can always look back, reminisce, and celebrate our marriage. The whole day made my heart was so full and I had a permanent smile on my face from beginning to end.
Before the big day, I spent almost a year and a half planning and went through probably ever emotion imaginable. Planning a wedding is a lot, and doing it from a different state was even more challenging. There were tastings we couldn’t attend, fittings I had to do alone, and vendors we never got to meet until that day. But, I’m proud to say that Andrew and I did it all, with plenty of help from friends and family.
The morning of our wedding, I felt a combination of calm and excitement, which is not really like me. I had done all the planning I could, so there was nothing else for me to stress over. We arrived at the venue at 10:00am and many people started helping with set-up. I am very grateful for the friends and family who spent time steaming linens, decorating the ceremony area, organizing chairs, and making the space a truly beautiful sight. They created an environment that was whimsical, magical, and beautiful.
I started on my hair and make-up right away, with my bridesmaids following suit shortly after. I was looking forward to a little pampering time and knew that leaving that to the professionals was the way to go. We spent the morning jamming to tunes, snacking on a small food spread, and getting ready together. It felt wonderful to spend that time with my friends and reflect on how important they all are to me.
Around 1:30pm, Andrew and I had our first look. We cried, laughed, and exchanged personal vows and words with each other. Afterwards, we quickly took pictures with our families before transitioning to wedding party photos. One of my favorite behind-the-scenes moments from the wedding day was before the ceremony, I unfortunately noticed some dirt and dust on the train of my dress. I have a photo of many of my bridesmaids with little Tide-To-Go wipes trying to help clean it off, and it was another moment of pure gratitude for their help.
When 4:00pm rolled around, it was time for our ceremony. My uncle, our officiant, started first. Andrew then walked my mom and his mom down the aisle, followed by our wedding party. Then, our flower girls - both of our grandmas, accompanied by Andrew’s dad. When it was time for my dad and I to walk, I felt a little nervous. But once we stepped out, I just focused my attention on Andrew and it felt like an out-of-body experience.
The whole ceremony sped by and Andrew and I just kept our eyes on each other. It was a short ceremony - just what we wanted - but unbelievably meaningful. Once we were announced as husband and wife, and had our big kiss, we joyfully walked back down the aisle to “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers.
While the cocktail hour kicked off, Andrew and I signed our marriage license and took a moment to ourselves. We did join the cocktail hour after a little while, and I enjoyed being able to chat with people one-on-one. Some of my favorite aspects of our cocktail hour:
Food - Andrew and I love watching movies. Many of our date nights are at the theater, and we enjoy comfortably lounging on the couch watching new and favorite movies. This also means that we eat quite a bit of popcorn. So, for our cocktail hour, we decided to serve a few different types of popcorn that our guests could enjoy.
Guest Book - This is probably the thing I am most proud of! I was racking my brain for so long, trying to think of a guest book idea that made sense for us. What we thought up was a coffee table book full of pictures from our many adventures and trips. I left some pages blank and adhered some plastic sleeves. For a few months, I had been compiling post cards from many of the places depicted in our guest book. So, guests could write their well wishes on a post card of their choosing then place it in the sleeve.
Photo Booth - Very early on, I had thought about getting a photo booth for our wedding. I personally love them, and I thought it would be a fun, interactive activity, especially for those who might not want to dance. We were able to get a photo booth through our DJ, and started it during the cocktail hour for our guests to enjoy. It went down during dinner, but picked right back up afterwards.
The reception began when we were announced as newlyweds and Andrew quickly thanked everybody in attendance for joining us that day. We transitioned to dinner, which was beyond delicious. We opted for an Italian bar (we love pasta) and I am so pleased with how it turned out. Something that was important to us was being able to actually speak with our guests, as bride and grooms are notoriously and understandably pulled in many directions on their wedding day. So during dinner, we popped around to each table to chat and spend a little time with everyone.
Then, the dance party began. Andrew and I shared our first dance to “Music to My Eyes” from A Star is Born (I told you we love movies). My dad and I danced to “Father and Daughter” by Paul Simon, and Andrew and his mom danced to “93 Million Miles” by Jason Mraz. Then everybody joined us on the dance floor. We spent the rest of the evening, laughing and dancing with our friends and family, with a quick break for dessert. Baking has been a big part of our relationship, so Andrew and I decided to bake our own wedding cake. That meant a lot to me and it’s an aspect of our wedding that I’ll always cherish. We also served a dessert bar for our guests, consisting of lemon and raspberry tarts, red velvet and lemon blueberry mini cupcakes, bit-sized brownies, and beautifully decorated cookies. We ended our wedding with some more dancing and a sparkler exit.
Overall, our wedding felt very US. There were so many elements that felt like an ‘Andrew and Jordyn wedding’. We recognized some traditions, but also made the ceremony and reception our own. We incorporated some of our favorite things and made sure we were enjoying ourselves. It was our wedding after all!
Our wedding day would not have been possible without our friends and family. Those who planned pre-wedding events, those who listened when we (mainly me) needed to vent or talk through ideas, and those who spent plenty of time helping with day-of set-up. We’ve been lucky to receive so much love and support, and I want to make sure that I end this blog post with a huge THANK YOU to them all.
Overall, I am so pleased with how our wedding day went. The day wasn’t without its hiccups, but I’m looking at those moments as extra sprinkles of memories and laughs we can look back on. But so, so much went right. The ceremony and reception were full of magic and smiles, which we will carry into our marriage as husband and wife.
Venue: Pine Creek Farm and Nursery
Wedding Dress and Alterations: Blue Sky Bridal, Winsome Brides
Hair and Make-up: Blush and Braids Beauty Bar
Catering: Neighborhood Grills Catering
Florals: Scattered Seeds
Photographer: Celine Leina Photography (day-of photographers - Cat and Gwen)
DJ and Photo Booth: Sounds Unlimited
Desserts: Mini cupcakes from The Cakewalk Shop