There is no such thing as a wedding that goes perfectly according to plan, but there most definitely IS such a thing as a perfect wedding. Our wedding weekend was the most amazing marathon two days, despite the mishaps that we came across at the time.
I am sharing this with you because I struggled for months after our wedding with feelings of failure and frustration that our day didn’t go “just so” or that my DIY ideas didn’t come off the way I’d pictured. I’m known for being organized, and I felt like I had let people down because I wasn’t organized enough. I was worried that people saw the shortcomings I did (even though I was the only one seeing all the minute details!!).
The actual day felt amazing, but then I replayed it and worried about little things that had gone awry (that, again, no one knew but me). The day I got my photos back, another wave of fear and panic hit me. I looked like that? Oh, that’s what that looked like… I wonder if people saw that. It took me awhile to get past all of that nonsense and to see our beautifully chaotic day for what it was – a perfectly crazy day filled with blessings beyond compare!
Ceremony Day
None of the guys’ tuxedos were sized correctly, one was missing, and hubby‘s tie was the wrong color.
Photographer running late and the photo list was confusing … We actually got tons of photos (with EVERY ceremony guest) and had plenty of time
Set up — There were issues, but my amazing family and friends made it look EXACTLY as I envisioned
The invasion of the gnats! — They were out in swarms at our outdoor site, and several of us had bites BUT they dissipated just as the ceremony started!
I forgot to tell people the order of the wedding procession after the groomsmen — My bad. But it all worked out and no one else knew.
Hubby‘s youngest brother didn’t know when to walk down the aisle – Again, my bad. But no one else knew and it was actually a really sweet, meaningful moment.
The music didn’t come on as we walked back down the aisle — Who cares? We were all laughing and talking anyways!
Our Sand ceremony – Guys, we didn’t put anything in our sand to keep it from getting sticky. What was intended to be symbolic of a graceful blending of our two lives became symbolic of how blending two lives really looks – messy, loud, filled with laughter and frustration, and requiring a little bit of force!
Hubbs and I were late to set up a the vineyard. …Sleep. It’s important, especially on a two-day marathon wedding weekend!! (Also, I did my own hair that day… which if I do say so myself looked rather awesome.)
No one knew what to do for set up. …But they did talk, bond, and share their testimonies with each other. That wouldn’t have happened without the extra time while we got things sorted out.
The rental place didn’t have a couple of things we had reserved. …But it ended up just fine. We didn’t end up needing it anyways!
The church where we borrowed chairs was locked. …Thankfully, a friend was a few minutes away and unlocked it quickly.
Getting tables and chairs took forever. …Okay, it only felt like forever because I was stressed. The guys rocked it.
Tables and chairs arrived as guests did. …This was the most panicky moment for me. BUT GUYS, I turned away to check the cake table, and when I turned back around everyone (guests included) had magically set everything up — they were all smiling and it looked perfect.
Our super adorable favors didn’t get handed out — …I’m in the process of repurposing them as pot stickers and tiki torches.
Tables weren’t set up as I imagined — They looked even better. I love the photos of them.
The food didn’t get prepped as planned — It took longer than we thought. So, that BBQ pork my dad made was even more beloved by every. single. person. It was seriously delicious.
I had a breakdown and got randomly sick in the middle of our reception. … This is why you don’t drink beer on an empty stomach on a hot day after being stressed out of your mind. Der.
We forgot to move our mini van to the vineyard parking lot. …My dear sweet Silver Bullet made an appearance in several photos. I’m okay with it.
My Dad didn’t get to change out of his “work” clothes. …My pops worked so hard to make my reception a dream for me that he never got to go back to the hotel to put on his “fancy shirt.” And it was alright – because our reception was perfectly laid back and again….no one even noticed. Plus, it was super funny when he wore his nice shirt to breakfast the next morning just because he “bought it for the wedding weekend”!
The water we used for the lemonade and tea smelled like sulfur. …It was fixed at some point, but honestly what else can you do but laugh when you have sulfur water, sulfur tea and sulfur lemonade.
There were not enough snacks. …Always estimate more snacks will be eaten. But hey, poor people on a budget can’t feed everyone snacks. And it was fine… (cue dessert table!)
We tore down our own reception. …And it was awesome and ridiculous. I carried tables and picked up trash in my dress. And we got one last dance under the stars. And we got to talk to the sweetest people who stayed late just for us. Perfect.
Our poor parents did WAY more than they should have had to. …we are forever grateful (thanks guys!).