For so long, I’ve struggled with this post. Most likely because I had struggled to define what a “wedding” truly was.
Our wedding was August 5th.
The ceremony was Matt and mine.
We chose the readings; even though Matt is not religious, he let me include some bible passages and he chose some poems. My family was included in the ceremony, even though they could all not be part of the wedding party.
Matt read “These I Can Promise” and I cried when I read back “Love” by Roy Croft.
(I didn’t make it past the first line without starting to cry.)
We exchanged rings, kissed, and held hands.
But that was only the first 15 minutes of the “wedding”- the part that was for us.
The rest of the wedding was for a memory…
The dresses… (The girls wore vintage slip dresses, handmade by Amanda Rose.)
The fans…
The flowers…
The venue…
The little pieces I made, even the photographer missed- the remembrance candles, the table numbers, the guest book… Everything our wedding was about was for family (and friends, you are our family, too).
Our wedding wasn’t just about the vows, the dresses, the rings, the flowers… It was about the people who came to it, who love us, who are our Family. We put so much of ourselves into designing the perfect evening for our guests *because* we were not only celebrating our union, but those people who came to share it with us. At least, this is how I felt through the whole process.
And that’s what made it a little heartbreaking when people who were expected to be there didn’t show up. And I don’t just mean friends and family from out of town- Matt’s own grandparents and my uncle didn’t come. They didn’t just not show up- their RSVP was a decline. It’s easy to say it’s their loss- the other guests would say they missed great food and a beautiful party- but it is our loss, too. However, I have become more thankful for the people who chose to be part of our lives and appreciate us ever more so.
There were so many ups and downs, excitement and disappointments, happiness and tears that were unexpected. But in the end, it was a labor of love, in many different ways, and what memories were made to look back on!
