Don't forget - today is the last day to enter my giveaway! The giveaway closes at midnight tonight and I'll be announcing the winner this weekend. Good luck to everyone! I can't wait to see who wins.
And just so no one feels left out, I put together a little gift for all of you. A mix tape!
Before our wedding ceremony started we had a wedding mix playing off of our ipod and through our venue's speakers. Since we knew lots of people would probably get there before our 6:30 ceremony start time, this was our way of sharing some of our favorite lovey dovey songs with our guests and setting the mood for the whole evening. I've already shared a list of the songs we chose, but today I wanted to actually give you the mix! I really hope you like it :)
Its hard for me to pick a favorite song from this, but I'd have to go with Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea.
So happy Friday everyone! What is everyone up to this weekend? I'm going out with my bestie for dinner tonight and then working like a mad woman the rest of the weekend to finish up my final papers. I am so ready for this semester to be over!
Yesterday was our ten month wedding anniversary. I can't believe how quickly time has gone by since saying " I do." This first year of marriage has been so sweet and everyday I am glad to be married.
But, there is also a bit of a sadness in saying goodbye to being Just Married. And, I'm embarrassingly sad to say that I've come to the end of our wedding day recaps. But, just like every good story, every wedding day also ends. And seeing as how my wedding day ended more than ten months ago, I think its time for me to write this final post.
We got all dressed up, took our pictures (here, here), we said our vows, food was eaten, the cake was cut, and we danced the night away. And before I knew it, the DJ was playing our last song.
{Press play to hear our last song, The Adventure by Angels and Airwaves}
I wish I had pictures to show you, so that you could see how magical the last moments were. But, I don't. Our photographer was long gone by then. But, I don't think the pictures would do it justice anyways. Because the magic was not in the aesthetics. It was in the connection between me and Neill.
Neill and I danced together, gripping each other tight. Everything else melted away. We looked into each others eyes and sang to each other
I cannot live, I can't breathe
unless you do this with me
I cannot live, I can't breathe
unless you do this with me
I cannot live, I can't breathe
unless you do this with me
I cannot live, I can't breathe
unless you do this with me
I cannot live, I can't breathe
unless you do this with me
I cannot live, I can't breathe
unless you do this with me
And we just knew. We knew we had gotten the wedding of our dreams. We knew that all the hard work we put into our relationship had given us a strong foundation to start out marriage. We knew that we were in it together, one hundred percent. We knew how lucky we were to be there, at that very moment, together and happy and madly in love. We knew that the future was waiting for us.
Here I am
And here we go
Life's waiting to begin.
Life's waiting to begin.
Thanks so much for letting me share my wedding day with you! It has been so fun to look back on our wedding and I'm even thinking of getting a book made of all of my wedding day posts (read them all here). I know I wouldn't have even thought write this all down if not for you guys, so I'm really grateful to have this blog as an outlet.
Did you and your sweetie share a last dance? What was your last song? What do you remember about the final moments of your wedding reception?
Along with doing toasts and cutting the cake, the last real wedding tradition we chose to incorporate into our reception was the first dance. So, after cutting the cake we transitioned directly into our first dance.
In choosing what song to dance to, we decided to bare it all and use what has always been "our song" - Keith Urban's Memories of Us. Yep our song is a ridiculously sappy country song and I'm only slightly embarrassed to admit it. I remember listening to the song together for the first time - it was our first or second date and Neill was driving me home. For some reason, I made us listen to a country mix that a friend had recently given me and Memories of Us came on. Let's just say, we had a moment. It has been our song every since.
I'll earn your trust making memories of us
Regardless of how many times we've swayed to this song in the privacy of our own home, having to dance in front of so many people made Neill and I a bit nervous. Especially because our dancing skills are pretty reminiscent of a sixth grade sock-hop. To keep our nerves down, Neill whipped up a shorter version of the song by cutting out some of the middle. We figured that since we wouldn't be stunning people with any fancy footwork, we better keep it short and sweet.
Dancing to a song that we've shared throughout our whole relationship made out first dance some of the most special 180 seconds of the reception. While I do remember feeling a little self-conscious at the beginning, by the end of the song it felt like it was just Neill and I in the room. I'm glad Neill and I had this quiet time during the reception to connect (even if there were a bunch of eyes on us) because after this the party really got started.
currently, i'm a tad preoccupied with trying to figure out our ceremony music. while we hired a (hopefully) rockin DJ for the reception (cage & aquarium), we decided to diy our ceremony music. originally, we asked a friend of ours to play the violin for our trips up and down the aisle, but he has since dropped off the face of the world. (a whole other issue, really. i mean - who does that?) so now it looks like we are probably going the ipod route. i'm actually excited about this because i think it will be fun to go the nontraditional route and handpick our favorite lovey dovey songs. the problem? well umm there is sort of a lot of pressure to pick the *perfect* songs.
we have to pick songs for: the preceremony, the mini processional we're doing, and then when we walk back down the "aisle". and i just don't know! one of my favorite wedding bloggers recently posted some of their play list here - which is great inspiration! I already had "red right ankle" by the decembrists on my maybe list and i simply fell in love with "you remind me of home" and "keep it loose, keep it tight". but again, i just don't know.
One song that embodies a lot of the sentiments I feel about getting married is tracey chapman's, "at this point in my life". it has a bit of a somber tone to it, but if you listen to the lyrics is also very honest and hopeful.
part of me thinks that this would be the perfect song for me to walk down the aisle too. but, there are some concerns. firstly, its much too long. i'd have to pick a section of the song. maybe around the 4 minute mark when it starts to get more positive? i'm not sure if by picking just a selection, the whole meaning of the song is lost. secondly, i do want a little bit of a "wow" factor when i walk down the aisle. and this song, with its slow mellow vibe just might not be it.
so i'm turning to you - what do you think? be honest!
ps. - please excuse the pictures of this random lady who is not tracey chapman. lol. i picked this video because it had the lyrics in it and i wanted you guys to really get the message of the song.
Woohoo! I can't say enough good things about Tyler and Cage & Aquarium. Our wedding isn't until next summer, but I am confident that the music will be awesome!
Tyler was the first DJ we met with and both my fiance and I really appreciated how he managed to be laid back AND professional at the same time. He did a great job of explaining what Cage and Aquarium is all about, was interested in hearing about us and our musical tastes, and answered all of our questions in a thoughtful manner. He gave us a very helpful packed of materials to take home (I'm a sucker for handouts) and then, after the meeting, was extremely responsive to our e-mails. To top it all off, when we needed just a little bit more time to decide Tyler nicely extended our hold - twice!
At this point, the music for our reception is about the only thing I'm not stressing about!
