My Fairy Tale Wedding
Exactly two weeks ago, Austin and I tied the knot at Thornewood Castle in Lakewood, Washington. That day was nothing short of magical (once I officially passed off all logistical responsibilities to my trusting bridal party that morning). We had family and friends attend from every corner of the country, the most beautiful weather the Pacific Northwest has to offer, and subtle additions throughout the celebration that hinted our everlasting love...for Harry Potter (blog post to come detailing all our HP wedding touches).
Although we upheld most wedding traditions, there are many instances where we strayed. After all, it is 2018 - you could probably skydive into your wedding ceremony and no one would be offended. My absolute favorite part of the day was the "first look". Austin and I met with the photographers in a private area on the grounds and had a quiet, albeit emotional, moment together before the craziness of the ceremony began. Walking down the aisle was a serious sensory overload, so I am eternally grateful that we decided to stray from tradition on this one! Also, it made for some incredibly adorable pictures (see below).
Everything went perfectly - even "the flower girl mishap" that was honestly a comedic interlude during the processional. Austin instructed my adorable five-year-old niece, Adie, to begin tossing petals when she reached the chairs, which started about halfway down the aisle (and it was an extremely long aisle, let me tell you...). Unsurprisingly, she forgot this tiny detail during the final performance and began tossing petals as soon as she rounded the corner (which, in retrospect, would have been perfectly fine). It wasn't until Adie and the ring bearer reached the foot of the alter, mere inches away from their final destination, that she realized her mistake. She dropped her arms to her side, sighed an audible "ugh", spun on her heel, and retreated back up the aisle to pick up all the flower petals she distributed too early. Whilst reaching down to pick up the petals, her basket fell over and the contents tumbled onto the ground. I peaked around the corner to see what was the hold up and couldn't help but laugh as she sat in the middle of the aisle, arms crossed stubbornly. The show did eventually go on, but the audience got a laugh out of it, and you'd better bet I'll bring it up when it's her turn to walk down the aisle in twenty years!
The rest of the night went off without a hitch! Though the rumors are true - you don't have time for much socialization and partying. It seemed as if we were pulled away every five minutes: signing paperwork, photos, cake cutting, more photos, first dance, meeting family, photos... Thank goodness we had had a receiving line just before dinner - it helped ease my guilt of not being able to talk extensively with every single one of our 90ish guests (how the heck do couples do it with guest counts upwards of 200+; I'm stressing out just thinking about it!). But starting at dinner, I had a cider in hand, determined to get my buzz on before the night was up. After setting it down so many times, I lost that delicious half-empty bottle, never to be finished. At least there was a sparkler send-off with a gorgeous 2017 Corvette Stingray waiting for us at the end of the tunnel!
We took the Vette for a spin around town, and finished the day with a delicious midnight snack: Taco Bell!
Ceremony and reception photography by Kelli Hodges