Mom and Dawn prepared a ton of food and Peter's mom Joanne brought the beautiful cake. Everyone was incredibly generous and Peter and I were so thankful for the gifts. In addition, it was great to see so many lovely ladies that I hadn't seen in way too long.
The next big happening was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. Out of all of the wedding events, this was the most nerve wracking for me. After checking into the hotels, everyone headed over to the MSU alumni chapel. Miraculously, everyone was pretty calm.
We went through our service twice and after that we were much more calm in knowing exactly what we were supposed to be doing, when, and where. We were definitely happy to have that over with. Now onto the food! We had our rehearsal dinner at this cute little one-of-a-kind Italian place in downtown Lansing called Emil's. The food was delicious and it gave everyone a chance to talk and relax for the day ahead. At the end, Peter and I gave our parents engraved picture frames to use for our wedding photos. They were all very helpful in making our wedding day happen!
Our wedding day started with me and the girls making a meijer run to get some breakfast foods and some snacks for the day. After that my hairstylist Heather came to help us get ready. A girl has to look her best (especially on her wedding day) so of course this beautifying process took several hours:)
After a minor sewing repair to the veil, we were off to the chapel! Since the veil had to be sewn slightly after my hair was done, Liz had the unenviable task of trying to get my veil on. I think this time with Heather's counter pressure, we were successful :) After the boys were done creating an extra handkerchief, we were ready to go.
After waiting downstairs for what seemed like an eternity they finally let me come upstairs. After not tripping too many times coming up the stairs I finally reached the main floor to begin the processional. Right before she opened the doors, the wedding consultant helping us asked if this was my song. Honestly, I had NO idea! I remember hearing the harpist play a bunch of songs and I really liked one, but I couldn't remember how it went. After waiting a bit we figured it was time, and my daddy escorted me down the aisle :)
Thankfully we both made it down the aisle without tripping although I did almost fall on my face going up the final stairs to meet Peter.
After the going through the hands ceremony...
Our vows...
Exchanging rings...
Lighting the Unity candle...
YOU MAY KISS THE BRIDE!
This past (almost) year has gone by so fast! We are both so grateful for each other and are enjoying our life together in AZ. We will update more on the things we've been up to in the past year to bring you all current.
Thanks to Beth Shelton and Darren Oxford for the great pictures!
Much love,
Erin
