To The Moon & Back
I woke up the morning of our wedding in my parents’ guest bedroom. Jacob and I had decided to spend the night apart to somewhat follow the tradition of not seeing each other the day of the wedding. It felt strange waking up without him next to me. You see, when Jacob and I became engaged we were so eager to get married that we ran off to the courthouse a month later. I was happy with our courthouse marriage, but my mom (thankfully) talked me into having a traditional wedding as well. Our compromise was that it would a very simple wedding and take place three months after the courthouse wedding.
I wandered out to my parents’ living room and plopped myself down in front of their TV; Fixer Upper was on. Soon my mom moseyed out of her bedroom and handed me a note. In it, she told me how much she loved me, how proud she was of me, and that I had chosen wisely in deciding to marry Jacob. It turned an ordinary morning into the start of our wedding day.
I remember being surprised that I wasn’t tired. I had been SUPER sick the week leading up to the wedding. I just laid in bed and Jacob woke me up every few hours to take medicine. I was so out of it that one of the times Jacob brought me my medicine I yelled, “It’s called FATHER OF THE BRIDE.” I still have no idea what I was talking about. Thankfully, I woke up the morning of the rehearsal dinner feeling better.
We had our rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding at Four Peaks Brewery (where Jacob and I met). I remember turning around at one point and seeing my friends sitting with Jacob’s friends, my mom laughing with Jacob’s mom and grandma, and my dad deep in conversation with Jacob’s dad. It felt right and my heart felt happy.
After a few episodes of Fixer Upper, my bridesmaids started to show up and we began getting ready. My side of the bridal party included:
Maid of Honor: Julia Hutchings - My longtime best friend who I met when my brother dated her sister. Man of Honor: Derek Velaski – My longtime best guy friend who I met in high school when we both saw the same kid fall down the stairs. Bridesmaid: Robyn McLaughlin – I actually met Robyn through Derek. She is close friends with Jacob and we all attended church together. Bridesmaid: Sara White – My amazing sister-in-law.
Bridesmaid: Courtney Konves – My cousin and one of my dearest friends.
Bridesmaid: Tosha Gillispie – My college roommate and bestie.
Flower Girl: Maecyn White – My sweet niece.
Ashley, my longtime friend, did my makeup and I did my own hair. The only hiccup while getting ready was that when I went to put my earrings in, my holes had closed. My maid of honor, Julia, re-pierced my ears right there in my parents’ living room.
Getting ready with my bridesmaids and flower girl was a very special time. It felt somewhat like the end of an era. When I looked at Courtney I remembered all the times we spent the night at each other’s houses growing up. One night my aunt Leslie and I decided to perm Courtney’s hair. Five hours later Courtney had slightly wavy hair. When I looked at Tosha I had flashbacks to all the times we had gotten ready for parties together in college. I wondered how many pieces of each other’s clothes had gone home with the wrong person when we moved out of our college apartment. I glanced at my sister-in-law doing my niece's hair and remembered all the times she straightened my hair for me (using an actual iron!) when I was in Jr. High and High School. All of my girls hold a very special place in my heart and it only felt right to have them by my side on this special day.
Finally, it was time to put on my dress. I found my wedding dress on Pinterest as Jacob drove us home from our engagement. I pinned it thinking it would only be inspiration for the style I was looking for. On a whim I decided to check to see where the nearest shop selling the dress was… there it was… four miles away from my parents’ house at Grace Style and Bridal and costing only slightly more than my dress budget. And… they could have it in my size before our quickly approaching wedding date!
When we were all ready we headed to our venue to do the first look. We had both our ceremony and reception at Webster Farm, a small farm just two miles north of my parents’ house. I am so thankful for that venue. It was truly a dream. When we arrived the farm was almost set to go. Jacob and I always said “I love you to the moon and back” so we found wooden rocket ships to use as our centerpieces. We had flowers done by Zuzu's Petals, where my 5th/6th grader teacher, who also happened to be our landlord, worked.
My college friend, Misha, of Egan Eyes Photography, did all our photos. Jacob and I did our first look and then we joined with the groomsmen and did all of our bridal party photos. Jacob’s groomsmen included:
Best Man: Chris Leigh – Jacob’s childhood best friend.
Best Woman: Meghan Gray - Jacob’s longtime best female friend.
Groomsman: Mark Gallaher – Jacob’s dad!
Groomsman: Rich Gray – Jacob’s longtime friend and Meghan’s husband.
Groomsman: Chris Roehl – Jacob’s longtime work friend. Groomsman: Matthew Fundis – Jacob’s friend who he met at work.
Ring Bearer: Crewe “Nuggy” White – My hilarious nephew.
Ring Bearer: Clark Gray – Our pseudo nephew (Meghan’s and Rich’s son).
Slightly before guests were set to arrive my bridesmaids and I all went into the bride’s room. We did a quick toast and took shots. My niece came and sat down next to me. “Let’s take a picture,” she said. We took ten. In what felt like the wink of an eye it was time to head down the aisle…
I loved standing in the doorway watching as our bridesmaids and groomsmen passed by on their way down the aisle. Apparently, my niece and nephew had a little scuffle as they went down the aisle and my niece threw flowers in my nephew’s face. He became so upset that he threw down the sign he was supposed to be carrying. I could hear the laughter from my suite.
I didn’t think I would cry at the wedding, but as I walked down the aisle with my dad and saw all the people I loved I became very emotional.
Our ceremony was perfection. Since Jacob and I were already legally married, my oldest brother, Graham, preformed the ceremony. It was romantic, goofy, personalized, and best of all, quick! It meant so much to have my brothers heavily involved. Bradley, my other brother, sung You’re The Reason I Come Home.
After the ceremony it was time for food, drinks, and dancing. Our wedding was catered by Olive Garden and the bar was run by Hey! Bartender. My dad’s friend’s wife was our DJ. Meghan made our wedding cake and my aunt Lesley made pies!
Some of my favorite moments of the evening were…
The toasts – you always know what someone means to you but it is very special to see what you mean to someone else. It was also wonderful to see how our friends and family had grown to love one another.
My dance with my dad. He holds such a big place in my heart. At the end of the dance we both pretended to cast a line.
The garter toss – when they announced it was time for the garter toss Jacob took off running. I was so confused! He returned a few seconds later with his cowboy hat on. He needed to be fully prepared I guess!
My friend’s little boy was CONVINCED I was Elsa from Frozen. He kept coming up to me all starry-eyed wanting to dance. It was so sweet.
After the wedding Jacob and I headed to Arizona Wilderness to enjoy a few beers with friends. It was so fun to be out in public in my dress. Everyone was so nice and a few people bought me beers… everyone should do this! Haha!
I would describe our wedding as “Homegrown”… it was simple, personalized, and we personally knew the majority of the vendors. It felt like a dream.
*All photos are credited to Egan Eyes Photography.
