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| The skies have opened |
The skies opened and it began to rain. It wasn't pouring, but it wasn't just a drizzle either. I started freaking out a little (no, a lot), thinking I had jinxed myself for being so arrogant toward nature and weather. Multiple times in the planning process I had said, "The wedding is in August, it's not going to rain." We waited about 5 minutes in case the rain decided to let up, but it didn't, so we started out wet procession down the aisle.
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| Guests question how waterproof their shelter is |
The wedding party was hidden behind shrubbery, so I couldn't see what was going on, but as each bridesmaid walked down the aisle, there were eruptions of applause and (dare I say it) "woo"ing. I hate when ceremonies are messy or too informal, and I had no idea how I had ended up with a guest list of "woo"-ers.
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| Bridesmaids tread carefully |
Soon it was my turn to walk down the aisle. The aisle included wooden stairs and a grassy slope, and my dress clung to the wet terrain. My dad kept telling me to slow down, and I wanted to somewhat jokingly tell him, "I'm getting married, you can't tell me what to do anymore!" but of course I was crying and couldn't say anything. Not to mention, focusing on getting down the aisle without falling or getting stuck in the grass was enough of a challenge. I could here people laughing at me, which I thought was a little unfair, but I also got the applause and "woo"s. Caitlin later told me that they were laughing because I looked so cute crying, and I also later learned that the applause was directed toward each bridesmaid for successfully making it down the slip-and-slide hill.
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| Father walks a tearful bride down the aisle |
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| Ken's all like, "Dang, that's my girl!" |
The ceremony was a blur, but here is what I did notice: I couldn't look at Ken at all or I would completely lose it. I am a big crier. The audience was covered by plant matter under a pergola, but it did drip through a little and picked up throughout the service as the water kept coming down. In the end, everyone was wet. Elyse Gellert played a piece ("Be Thou My Vision", my favorite hymn) on violin, Ken's father read a bit of Song of Solomon, and the audience erupted with laughter after the line "For, lo, the winter is past; The rain is over and gone." My grandmother read a poem, which had made my cry during the rehearsal, and then Pastor Tim (from my home church in Northport) got down to business.
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| "I can do this!" |
Pastor Tim made some clever jokes about the rain, and then asked me if I wanted him to skip the homily due to the weather. I didn't answer. I didn't want him to skip it--I wasn't going to wear this dress again anyway, so what did it matter if I was getting ruined--but I couldn't answer for this wet audience. Tim then turned to the guests and asked the same questions. "No, do the homily!" they said, and then chanted "Homily! Homily!"
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| The young ladies are given colorful umbrellas |
I don't remember much of the homily, because the more I listened to anything, the more I cried. We finally got to the vows and blessing of the rings, and I kicked myself for opting for so much "repeat after me" in the service. Why did I think I could say so many words out loud in what was sure to be a heightened emotional state?
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| Ashley chokes back tears during vows |
When all was said and done, and sealed with a kiss, we marched our way to the reception area that was technically outside but covered.
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| Happily Ever After starts NOW! |
