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

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

As you may recall, John and I are getting married at the Memorial Chapel at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. It looks like this: Ahhh, so beautiful. Aside from being gorgeous, however, this lovely spot holds much significance for me. It’s on the base where my Dad went to school as a cadet, and where he worked as an active duty professor for more than twenty five years — from before I can remember to after I graduated from college. So many of my memories from growing up involve the Academy, from football games on Saturdays to sponsor cadets that became bonus big sisters, Easter egg hunts on the lower field, many windy Saturdays on the sidelines of the softball diamond eating extra box lunches (my Dad was the assistant coach), countless days spent in the auditorium amusing myself through my older sister’s musical rehearsals, trips to have lunch with Dad at the Officer’s Club (famous among my sisters and I for its “fancy bathroom”), and accompanying him to work when we stayed home from school (when he took us into the classroom with him, he would sometimes introduce us as the “visiting expert on Play-Doh” — a funny joke when you’re a Western Political Theory instructor). I also love that we’re holding our ceremony at the Academy because in a small way it’s a gesture of appreciation for all who serve in the military, including my Dad, several other family members, and one of my and John’s best friends from high school. I am so proud of my Dad’s service, and all those who serve, that I always knew I would want him to wear his uniform for my wedding. And wear it he shall! It won’t be the first time he’s worn it for a wedding, either: Some