This is what the Chapel looked like when we pulled up. What a gorgeous, gorgeous sky! I think we arrived around 4pm for our 4:30 ceremony, and there were already guests outside – yikes! I would have liked to arrive a few minutes earlier (per our schedule!), but we were able to sneak in through a side door, so it was okay.

While we waited downstairs (everyone together), guests were treated to a few surprises upstairs. Ladies were invited to take a bell to ring at the end of the ceremony…

…and gents, a boutonniere to pin on for extra festiveness. I made all of the boutonnieres out of velvet ribbon and hand wrote the tags – DIY instructions coming soon!

I designed our two-sided, single sheet ceremony programs in Illustrator and had them printed through UPrinting.

We had five helpers at the front of the Chapel — my brother in law, John’s brother in law, our friend, and two of my cousins — and between them, they handed out programs, facilitated the bells and bows, and helped guests to their seats.

Soon enough it was time for us to line up. When I was standing next to my Dad in the narthex, I felt the first flip in my stomach. I got another one when the string trio began to play the first song of the processional (more about our music here).

After the last bridesmaid had begun her walk down the aisle, the doors to the sanctuary closed, and my Dad and I moved into position.

I had specifically asked that the doors not be opened until about fifteen seconds into my song, so that we would hit the top of the aisle at the right point in the music. My emotions started to build, and I couldn’t help smiling, while we waited behind the closed doors. When the doors finally opened, I could hear an audible intake of breath from our guests. (That sounds horribly vain, but it’s true!) I think it was in part because I was wearing a blusher veil, which is so unexpected these days but so me, and my Dad looked stunningly handsome in his dress whites (military uniform).

I had my eyes locked on John’s the entire time we walked down the aisle, but when we reached our guests, I had to start taking deep breaths in and out to try and control the impending flood. Once we got a little closer, I could hear the entire row of bridesmaids and entire row of groomsmen sniffling, and that finally opened the flood gates for me. We all had tears rolling down our faces throughout the beginning of our ceremony, so much so that our pastor had to remind everyone to take deep breaths before he began.

After Carl’s welcome, our readers took the stage. You can read more about the selections we chose here. They all did a wonderful job!

Besides my grandmothers, and John’s relatives who came from as far away as Taipei and Shanghai, our most special guest was our pastor, Carl. He’s the pastor of our church, and has had such a huge impact on our lives and our life together since we met him two years ago. We were so excited and grateful when he agreed to fly north to lead our ceremony. We were equally as devastated when we found out two months before our wedding that he had been diagnosed with cancer. He had surgery about a month before, and happily, was recovered in time to still make the trip. His presence was one of the most special parts of our entire day – our wedding would have felt entirely different (at least to John and me) had he not been a part of it. His address was perfect.

The next part of our ceremony was our congregational hymn — “Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee.” It was one of my favorite parts! John and I both like to SING hymns, and apparently it made quite the impression on our guests! :)

Next were our vows. We chose to recite personal vows as well as the classic vows — you can read more about our decision here! You can also hear a bit of our vows in our highlights film. For our ring exchange, we used these words: John, I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you in the name of God.

The final component of our ceremony was communion. There’s more about our decision to serve it here, but let me say again how glad we were that we did; many guests told us that it was their favorite part of the day. We served our parents first, and then my grandmothers at their seats.

All that was left at that point was the kiss! Went off without a hitch, and then we were up the aisle as Mr. & Mrs.

And out onto the steps, where our guests were waiting with ringing silver bells in hand!

And finally into our oh so elegant chariot for the day. It would have been nice to rent a vintage Rolls Royce, but my beloved SUV did just fine when the budget came up short :)

With cheers and clapping, we were off to the reception!

P.S. I adored the pom poms, courtesy of our bridal party!

Photographer: Tanja Lippert / Videographer: Inkspot Crow Films / Day-of-Coordinator: Diana Chouinard of Jubilee Events / Ceremony Venue: The United States Coast Guard Memorial Chapel / Ceremony Officiant: Rev. Dr. R. Carl Frazier from First United Methodist Church, Cary / Silver Bells: Factory Direct Craft / Velvet Ribbon and Bouquet Trim: M&J Trimming / Flowers: Blush Floral Design / Hair and Makeup Artist: Tia Reagan / Bride’s Gown: “Brisa” by Christos / Bride’s Earrings: “Toulouse” by Nina / Bride’s Necklace: Blue Nile / Bride’s Veil: Chaviano Couture / Bridesmaid Dresses: “2834” by Dessy / Groom’s Attire: Tuxedo by Tommy Hilfiger from Macy’s / Groom and Groomsmen Bow Ties: Bows N’ Ties / Groom’s Suspenders: J. Crew / Groomsmen Suspenders: The Grunion Run

As we rounded the corner to the straightaway to the house, we could see the gents milling about on the lawn. Butterflies! They gathered in the back as we pulled into the driveway.

(Since some of y’all were wondering in the comments on my last post, Tanja did not spend any time with the guys while they got ready — John’s preference and time/distance constraints — so she headed over to the house early to do portraits with them while the girls finished up makeup!)

Handsome man! Apparently Seth was crucial for both bow tie tying and boutonniere pinning.

All are best friends from high school or earlier — our friends are a truly marvelous blessing!

Love this one – our handsome dads!

A few minutes later MacKenzie came to retrieve me, and I headed around the corner for our first look. I just did a quick search and apparently I never shared my thoughts on first looks on EFM (??), but basically, I strongly dislike contrived situations where people tap each other on the shoulder — just a personal preference. So, I simply rounded the corner of the porch to where John was waiting, both of us grinning like fools.

For us, the first look wasn’t the overwhelmingly emotional part of the day that it is for some people — more joyful — but we were glad we did it and it worked well with our timeline.

Going through these photos again just makes me appreciate Tanja’s genius even more. She is amazing, y’all! And these are all film – just beautiful.

My beautiful sisters.

More beautiful sisters! You may recall my struggles with bridesmaid dresses, but everything worked out in the end!

We were running a bit behind to head out for the church, but just before we hopped in the cars I made a last minute request to Tanja.

I needed a photo with “my” house, and she was so kind to oblige. Maybe, just maybe, this portrait will one day be hanging on the walls… and I’ll be living inside :)

Photographer: Tanja Lippert / Videographer: Inkspot Crow Films / Day-of-Coordinator: Diana Chouinard of Jubilee Events / Flowers: Blush Floral Design / Hair and Makeup Artist: Tia Reagan / Bride’s Gown: “Brisa” by Christos / Bride’s Shoes: “Paladin” by Nina from 6pm.com / Bride’s Earrings: “Toulouse” by Nina / Bride’s Necklace: Blue Nile / Bride’s Veil: Chaviano Couture / Bridesmaid Dresses: “2834” by Dessy / Groom’s Attire: Tuxedo by Tommy Hilfiger from Macy’s / Groom and Groomsmen Bow Ties: Bows N’ Ties / Groom’s Suspenders: J. Crew / Groomsmen Suspenders: The Grunion Run / Groom’s Cufflinks: Keys and Memories

Oh my! Apologies for the belated posts. I was planning to have them go up one after another, but things on the home front (hint hint) took an unexpected turn toward busy last week… Also, I meant to recap in only three posts, but I’m already on the third post and John and I haven’t even seen each other yet. Sooooo, please indulge me — I only get one wedding :)

I stayed up a little later than I would have liked the night before our wedding, but it was for a good reason – I had finished all of my notes for special people (parents, bridesmaids, readers) earlier that afternoon, but I hadn’t had a chance to write John’s. We have written some pretty epic letters throughout our eight-year history, and I knew that I couldn’t just dash this one off as I was getting dressed for the rehearsal. So yes, even though it cost me a half an hour of sleep, it was worth it.

But oh my, morning came early! I am not one of those people that normally hops out of bed chipper, and when the alarm went off at 6:15, even the excitement of W Day didn’t stop me from hitting snooze once or twice. When I did roll out of bed, I simply washed my face, tucked the last few things in my overnight bag, and hopped in the car with my mom and sisters.

A few minutes later, still in the gray of the morning, we arrived at the Steamboat Inn, where Tia, our hair and makeup magician, was waiting for us. (She was looking chipper enough for all of us!)

Once we had set down our things in the spacious room, she immediately went to work curling our hair in big metal clips one by one. In between turns on the chair, we scavenged breakfast from upstairs (I had half a tomato asiago bagel with cream cheese, a hard boiled egg, and some fruit) and chatted. My special playlist was perfect!

John’s two sisters arrived around 7:45 and were slotted into the hair lineup, too. As soon as all of the curls were set, Tia immediately went to work on our faces. The funniest part? She decided that we all needed eyebrow tweezing, and it was the first time for four out of six of us! My brows have never looked so good… I just wish she lived in North Carolina for maintenance!!

In between turns in the chair, we pooled all of the bridesmaid jewelry options and picked pieces for each lady. I also laid out all of the “details” Tanja might want to photograph — invitation, save the date, ring bearer bowl, clutch, shoes, etc. — and snuck away for a few quiet moments to transcribe my toast and vows onto index cards.

Marget made those gorgeous maps — aren’t they lovely?

In case you can’t see, we decided on simply “grateful” (and our wedding date) for the inscription on our ring bearer bowl.

Beautiful Brisa and my pretty shoes!

I also found a moment to check Instagram, and happened to see a photo of downtown Mystic posted by MacKenzie just a few minutes earlier. After a few exchanged texts, we met up outside our suite and they had a chance to greet everyone before heading over to the house to shoot some B roll.

Tanja arrived to begin shooting at 11, and we all ate lunch at around noon – a platter of wraps and chips (and cookies!) from a gourmet market down the street. I was hungry, and would have eaten more had Tia not been itching to start on my makeup! :)

Let me just say this for the record — Tia is a master at her craft. We basically nodded at each other and said things like “loose curls” and “soft swoop” and “pretty eyes” for a few minutes, and then a half an hour later, I had exactly the look I was wishing for. She is so kind and funny, too!

After I slipped on my gown (with a little help — and a few tears — from mom), it was time to open John’s present. The sentiment of his note was so sweet, but what cracked me up was that he had written it on a notepad from his company! Not the most romantic choice of stationery, but I’ll take it.

His gift was oh so sweet, too — a five-diamond necklace which I happily traded for the pearl one I had been wearing.

I remember getting excited at that point, though hilariously not specifically for the wedding, but more because I was about to step foot on “my” property for the first time!! (If you haven’t read the story of this house, you must do so now!) Of course, I was thrilled about seeing John, too, and got more and more excited as we stuffed my tulle into the station wagon and made the quick drive through the streets of downtown Mystic…

To be continued! :)

Photographer: Tanja Lippert / Videographer: Inkspot Crow Films / Day-of-Coordinator: Diana Chouinard of Jubilee Events / Hair and Makeup Artist: Tia Reagan / Save the Dates: Minted / Invitations: Magpie Paper Works / Invitation Calligraphy: MM Ink / Ring bearer bowl: Paloma’s Nest / Bride’s Dress: “Brisa” by Christos / Bride’s Shoes: “Paladin” by Nina from 6pm.com / Bride’s Earrings: “Toulouse” by Nina / Bride’s Necklace: Blue Nile / Bride’s Veil: Chaviano Couture / Bridesmaid Dresses: “2834” by Dessy

With a rehearsal under our belt, it was time to greet our guests and kick off our wedding weekend!

We knew more than a year in advance that we wanted to host our rehearsal dinner at Abbott’s, a glorified lobster shack in a tiny coastal town near our hometown. It is QUITE the local landmark. It’s also a favorite with John’s family, and definitely delivers an authentic New England experience.

Some of you who know me may still be confused by this choice, as the great irony here is that I do not enjoy most seafood and do not eat lobster. But, I enjoy a beautiful coastline as much as anyone else, and Abbott’s certainly has that in spades. I also enjoy a good hot dog, which, FYI, is what I ate that night :)

When they say waterfront, they truly mean waterfront.

Arranging things with Abbott’s was simple and pleasant. I think they usually charge $100 to reserve exclusive use of the tent and the tables under it, but they actually didn’t charge us anything! We opted to have guests order off the regular menu, through the line at the window, and put everything on a tab, because their event menu doesn’t include crowd favorites like their lobster roll. Abbott’s not only agreed to stay open later for our guests (even though the rest of the restaurant would close at 6pm), but let us bring in our own drinks, alcohol, AND dessert. Highly recommended!

We sorted out most of the reservation specifics in the fall, and I always intended to craft a few items to jazz up the evening over the ensuing months. Well, those items got tacked onto the to do list for sure, but projects for that other large event looming in the distance (ahem, our wedding) kept taking precedence. Somehow we found ourselves at August 17th with exactly zero projects started, which is about when I sent a desperate email to Marget wailing for help. Kind soul that she is, she hopped right back on the project bandwagon (less than a month out from her own wedding!) and whipped this party into shape. Maybe she was in withdrawal?

Photo by Nancy Ray

John’s sisters and their beaus (and parents!) got everything in order before we arrived, including tablecloths, daisy and apple centerpieces, and that amazing chalk illustration by Marget. It was such a relief, after all of the wedding prep, to walk into something simple and perfect without having to lift a finger!

Thank you again for helping me choose my dress! (Photo by Nancy Ray)

We spent the first half hour or so doling out lots of hugs. It is so amazing to see all of the people you love in one spot! On that note, let me say that the guest list for the rehearsal dinner was harder, I think, than the list for the actual wedding. Since John’s parents were hosting, we wanted to keep it on the smaller side, but when you start counting up those actually involved in the ceremony (26) plus other immediate family members who were traveling in from out of town (20) plus general out of town guests (14), things get overwhelming quickly. We hope we avoided most hurt feelings, but there were definitely some cringe-worthy moments!

These peeps were definitely on the list. So thankful for our siblings!! (Photo by Nancy Ray)

But, the hugs made up for it. Those, and the happy tears from my mom and her best friend from college when they saw each other.

Anyway, as dads do, ours kicked things off with some welcoming words.

Photos by Nancy Ray

After lots more chatting and some cajoling, guests began to move through the line. Meanwhile, I pretended I might order something other than a hot dog.

A Continuous Lean

A Continuous Lean

Once back in the tent, we trotted out the real star of the show — our custom lobster bibs!

Photos by Nancy Ray

These beauties were also designed by Marget. I think the price for 50 was about $150, which is NOT cheap (we ordered from here). I seriously considered forgetting them toward the end, but I’m glad we didn’t, because I think they helped our dinner feel like an event. Even though it sounds silly, I think they also helped bring together all of these people from different parts of our life, something like an ice breaker.

We finished dinner with THE BEST apple pie. One of the nicest ladies at my childhood church owns an orchard and is a revered pie baker in my town, and a few years ago, I learned to make pies from her. She used to sell them regularly at holidays but has pulled back in recent years; however, she agreed to make a special batch for us, for which I was so grateful! Yum yum!

The last event of the evening was a presentation from my Dad. As some of you may recall from my sister’s rehearsal dinner, my dad has been collecting our “refrigerator art” since preschool, and for this special occasion, he assembled my most epic pieces into a scrapbook! The best part? For some of the more… abstract drawings, he apparently asked me at the time of creation what they were, and then wrote down my description on the back. Such a thoughtful gift! Love him.

I’ll be back with our wedding morning adventures soon!

Except where noted, photos are personal or from family + friends!