While Nick and I were taking photos, our guests headed to the reception tent for the cocktail hour. They were supposed to gather around the rectangular pool — amidst round high top tables and mason jars of candles tied with red and orange ribbon — but the wet weather prevented that from happening. However, I heard they still had a pretty excellent time.

The space was decorated with red and orange Chinese lanterns, strings of white lights, baskets of greens, and fichus trees (all expertly arranged by our day of coordinator, Betsy, I must add).

Susan Savia provided the entertainment, and drinks were served alongside a European cheese spread with fresh bread, fruits, dips, and mustards (provided by The Festive Board of York).

We offered two signature drinks: Arnold Palmers from the groom and Peach Sangria from the bride. The Arnold Palmer is a blend of iced tea, lemonade, and vodka. And we mixed the Sangria the morning before the wedding. (Get the recipe.)

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No wedding photography package is complete without a few posed portraits with the most important people in your lives.

Thank you, Mom and Dad, for crafting and constructing and helping to bring all of our wedding day dreams to life.

Thank you, ladies! For being beverage coordinators, for arranging our flowers, for remembering an emergency kit, for bringing extra bobby pins and makeup, and for printing over 2,000 pages for our favors (details still to come!).

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Following our ceremony, we greeted every guest with a hug, and then we climbed the stairs and walked through the pool house to the lawn where everyone had gathered.

There were lots of hoots and hollers as we walked by our family and friends, and I didn’t hesitate dragging my dress through the mud. As we reached the bridesmaids and groomsmen, they popped open their red and tan umbrellas and waved them above us, forming the most fantastic arch. Again, it was a moment we couldn’t have planned, and it was one we won’t forget.

{photo credit to a guest}

Here is my most favorite photo of the day. The smiles on our faces reveal our pure happiness. (And Nick is pumping his fist!)

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We designed a ceremony that addressed what is most important to us in a successful marriage. It’s a union of ourselves and our families. It’s a promise to passionately and considerately love one another. It’s about sacrifice and compromise. And it’s finding comfort and completion in one another.

And to make it even more personal, we asked Aunt V to officiate. She’s a former District Judge and the very first member of Nick’s family that I had the pleasure of meeting. Unfortunately, she no longer holds the credentials to “pronounce us husband and wife,” and so we called upon another Judge (who also has a loose connection to our family) to oversee the formalities.

Susan Savia provided the acoustic accompaniment to our procession. Nick and the groomsmen walked down the stairs to “Here Comes the Sun” (unfortunately, the sun didn’t cooperate), and the bridesmaids entered to “Twas a Day” (a Susan Savia original). My dad and I walked down the slippery stairs (with just one small stumble) to “Pachelbel Canon in D,” and I saw saw my groom for the first time (an indescribable and memorable moment).

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Before our guests reached the Sunken Garden and its storybook setting, they were greeted by attendants on horseback. Lauxmont Farms is a horse farm, after all.

Our out of town family and friends took a bus from the hotel to the venue. And, yes, it was raining when they arrived.

{photo credit to wedding guests}

After they climbed off of the bus, they followed the barn wood sign that said “Wedding.” They walked the (muddy) trail and reached the stairs to the pool house. And this is where our plans changed.

Rather than taking a bottle of water and a ceremony program fan and sitting in a white wooden chair around the fountain as the sun set behind them, guests sought shelter from the rain under the reception tent. Yes, this means they saw the decor before they were supposed to, but I heard they had a pretty good time under the warm white canopy.

Our ceremony guitarist, Susan Savia, played a selection of rain songs, like Bobbie’s Song by John Denver — “I’ll walk in the rain by your side.” A few guests even took the unexpected opportunity to get a drink from the bar. And then they waited. Patiently.

Meanwhile, I had returned indoors after taking formal photos with my bridesmaids and parents. As I said in my previous post, the girls blocked my view of the raindrops hitting the window and poured me another glass of champagne.

{photo credit to bridesmaids}

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Yes, I woke up to rain on my wedding day. Every bride’s worst fear. I laid in bed for 20 minutes, listening to the raindrops hit my window, but I felt surprisingly serene.

Then it was off to Escape Salon, where all of my best girls met me for primping and pampering. The salon staff couldn’t stop talking about the weather. Three women said it rained on their wedding days, and they’re happily married. Two women said it did not rain on their wedding days, and they’re divorced. Of course everyone said it’s good luck. I always figured that was just to console the brides facing wet weather, but maybe there’s some truth to the statement after all!

Despite the many attempts to turn the weather into a positive circumstance, I could not help but pray. “Please stop raining. Please stop raining. Please stop raining.”

{photo credit to bridesmaid}

As much as I wanted to believe the rain would stop, I also knew I had to be prepared. And so I asked my bridesmaids to stop at Boscov’s on the way to Lauxmont Farms and pick up as many tan colored umbrellas as they could get their hands on. I thought these would nicely compliment the red ones we had purchased earlier that week.

And then we were off to the wedding venue! The third floor of the stone house was reserved for us, and once we reached it, the mothers and bridesmaids got to work arranging the dresses and accessories.

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I knew I would be giving gifts during our rehearsal dinner, but I did not I would be receiving gifts, too!

While we were waiting for our food to arrive, my soon-to-be father-in-law gave a touching toast. He even choked up a bit when he acknowledged that his “baby boy” was getting married.

He then turned it over to my soon-to-be mother-in-law, who surprised me with a sweet little speech. She explained that when she moved from the east coast to the west coast, Nick’s sister gave her a Tiffany’s heart necklace and said that they would always be close in heart. Mother-in-law later gifted the same heart necklace to her daughter and daughters-in-law. And now it was time to welcome a new woman into the family! I’m privileged to join a family with such strong and devoted women. And what a sweet tradition!

(Side note: When Nick was shopping for a necklace to give to me on our first Christmas together, his sister told him he was not allowed to get the heart necklace. You know what that means … she suspected we may end up together even way back then!)

Next it was our turn. Nick and I presented gifts to everyone playing a part in our big day.

I already told you about the ruby red earrings (I chose The Peach Tree) and the clutches I got for my girls. They loved both! I also slipped chapstick and tic-tacs into each clutch because I didn’t think they should be empty.

In addition to the awesome frames that Nick assembled for the guys, he also had mugs engraved with their initials. After the boys unwrapped them, we collected them back to bring to the reception the following night. Also, our dads got mugs that said “Father of the Bride” and “Father of the Groom” with the date. And we couldn’t leave the bride and groom without sweet drinking vessels. Ours said “Mr.” and “Mrs.,” of course.

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What a picturesque evening we had on Thursday, the night before our wedding. There was a slight breeze and a pleasant orange glow as the sun set over the River. (I was reminded of why we chose this location.)

We were greeted in the garden by our coordinator, Betsy, who instructed us where to put the mason jars, the bird cage, the signs, the water bottles, and the galvanized tubs. She offered to store all of the paper products — the table names, the escort cards, and the favors — in her car until the following day. Yeah, she’s awesome.

Slowly, our Bridesmaids and Groomsmen arrived. There was such excitement in everyone’s faces. And they all looked so lovely. Betsy got right to work lining us up around the fountain.

Nick and I decided to have our Maid of Honor and Best Man stand on either side of us at the bottom of the stairs and complete the circle with the rest of our wedding party. Our guitarist, the sweet Susan Savia, set up between the guys and the girls. And our officiants (yes, we had two … more about that to come) stood a few steps above us. Guests would sit to the left and right of us. Not a traditional arrangement, but it works beautifully in this setting.

(All photos from my personal collection.)

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It’s finally time to start the much anticipated wedding recaps! Much anticipated on my end, at least. I want to remember every moment, every emotion, every detail. It really is true that the day — the week, actually — will just fly by. And before you know it, you’ll find yourself where I am today: happily married and still marveling in the loveliness that was our wedding day.

Before I get started, let me offer two bits of advice that made my week much more manageable.

First, if possible, take off work the week of your wedding. I can’t imagine having to juggle job assignments along with wedding prep.

Second, find some time to relax — I mean, a bride needs her beauty rest, right? Yes, there are errands to run, projects to finish, gifts to wrap. But, if you’re lucky like me, you’ll have a whole crew of family and friends who are ready and willing to help. Don’t decline their offers!

Now let me give you the rundown on what kept me and my team busy during wedding week:

*Tied red and orange ribbons to 80 mason jars filled with river pebbles and candles (total cost ~ $1.10 per jar)

* Painted barn wood signs (thanks to my artistic sis)

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Friends! It’s been so long, and I have so many stories to share! August 28th was the most perfect day of my life — rain and all. There was spontaneous singing during the ceremony. There were bridesmaids with red umbrellas and groomsmen with mugs of microbrews. There were proud parents. There were family cookbooks for every guest. And there was an unlimited supply of love and laughter.

{credit Robert Winton}

Our honeymoon at El Dorado Maroma in the Riviera Maya was equally as memorable. We ate gourmet every meal and drank fruity cocktails every day. We kayaked, snorkeled, climbed Mayan ruins, and did a whole lot of relaxing. We were pampered from the moment we arrived until the time we left.

Stay tuned for all of the joyful details!