Wedding Ceremony

on november 18, 2017, ryan and i got married at his family's church in pompton plains, the evangelical lutheran church of our saviour. the whole morning was spent getting ready and anxiously anticipating the day ahead. once everyone was ready to go, ryan, his groomsmen, and my bridesmaids took the first limo ride from the hotel over to the church. then, the limo came back for me and my family. in the limo on the way over, we blasted "thunderstruck" by acdc in honor of a tradition my dad and i had: before every travel softball game, when we would be pulling into the parking lot for the fields, we would blast it to get excited for the game to start. it was only fitting on my wedding day.

of course, it was raining. my aunt deserves a huge "thank you!!!" for assembling our uncles and cousins to escort us in with umbrellas. go aunt jeannie! once we got in the church, i gathered in the back room with my bridesmaids and got ready to go. a few short minutes later, "a thousand years" by the piano guys started playing and the processional began. it's hard to recall my thoughts leading up to walking down the aisle. i don't think it felt real until i could see ryan at the other end. 

the ceremony lasted about 30 minutes. my cousin, gracie, and ryan's cousin, margot, both did excellent readings. pastor wendy had an amazing sermon; she actually incorporated ryan's love of making beer into our ceremony! my cousin, mitchell, played "history in the making" by darius rucker, which was done beautifully. then, it was time for our vows, which we each wrote. before we knew it, pastor wendy pronounced us "husband and wife"! 

there wasn't a single thing i would change about the ceremony. the church felt welcoming and the pews were filled with smiling people. the white flowers and greenery lining the aisle were simple, yet romantic. before it started, ryan's groomsman, matt, entertained the guests by playing his acoustic guitar. we also had pastor wendy make an announcement encouraging guests to be "unplugged" and fully present by putting cell phones away. this made it so special to walk down the aisle and see faces instead of screens! throughout the ceremony, there were some happy tears, but mostly joy and even some laughter. it was simple, sweet, and perfect. 

more photos to come soon!