I don’t know exactly what to call this post so here is my overview/recap of my wedding day. 

While I am writing this it is June 12th 2016, which means Jacob and I have been married for about a month and a half now. The past 1.5 months have been amazing, fun, crazy, and most importantly extremely blessed. I can honestly say our wedding day was the best day of my life. Before our wedding, I would always hear people say “my wedding was the best day of my whole life”, I never really understood how ONE day could stand out so much in someones life enough to say it was the BEST day of their entire life. Now being on the other side of the alter I can 100% say our wedding day is and was the best day of my entire life. I wish I could relive the day over and over and over and over and over again. 

The night before our wedding I rented a house for all the girls to stay in. (Side note: The house is actually a friend of mine, she is a food photographer and stylist and you should totally check her and her work out!). My sister and I were the last to arrive at the house because we had last minute errands to run (of course). When we arrived, we all sat around on the couch, talked, laughed, and of course ate ice cream. I took a bath with some special Chinese herbs because I was still getting over my sickness, and we all did face masks, and I even tried my first lip mask. It was a pretty funny sight to see. Thinking back on that night, I start to cry. It was so much fun to be with all my closest girlfriends, dancing around the room in my sisters arms, and taking photos of our crackling faces. After exhausting all of our energy all of the girls fell asleep except for my sister and I. I needed to still copy down my vows into my book and my sister was writing her speech. I was not planning on practicing my vows with anyone but as I sat there with my older sister I felt like I needed to share them with her. My sister and I are only two years apart and shared a room until I was a freshman in high school. She has been there through every heartbreak and success and there is no one else I would want to practice my vows with, then her. We both cried our eyes out, talked about the journey we have been on together, and with our fiancés. Someday my memories will fade, they will become blurry and not stitched together very well, but that night, the night before my wedding, I hope I never forget, I pray that it will always be ingrained into my brain. 

Friday April 29th 2016,

I woke up at around 8 AM, mixed with emotions. I could not believe it was actually my wedding day. We had been waiting for this ONE day for sooo long. I laid in bed for awhile, thinking about the day ahead and trying to take in the moment I had always dreamt about. Shortly after, everyone was up and ready to start the beauty process. Showers, curling irons, and makeup galore were surrounding all of us girls. We had an iPhone in a coffee cup trying to emulate the loudness of an actual speaker, I wanted to make sure everyone could hear my favorite One Direction. Once we all had our hair and makeup done we took a few photos and then it was time to head to the venue! The “getting ready” process took a few hours but felt like 30 minutes. I could NOT believe it was time to drive to the venue, to actually go get married!! My sister drove me to the venue while the other girls went to pick up some food. When we arrived everyone was setting up and I jumped into help and direct. My AMAZING friend (Megan Walsh) arrived hours before the wedding to help the set up process and make sure everything looked perfect (she is a perfectionist, like myself). I could never thank her enough for all of her help on our wedding day. When our families arrived they were so helpful and started to join in on the set up. Once everything was set up it was time for some photos. We did as many photos as we could before the ceremony without seeing each other. When our photos were done, the bridesmaids went inside to cool off and I stood behind the wooden gate door awaiting my groom. Jacob and I did not want to see each other before the ceremony so with the help of his groomsmen we were divided by a door, unable to see each other but still able to hold each others hands. The moment Jacobs hand reached out and grabbed mine I started to cry. It felt so good to finally feel him and talk about the day we were in. After we both caught our tears Jacob prayed over the rest of our wedding day, our marriage, and myself. It was so hard to let go of his hand, I wanted to stay in that moment forever, but we both needed to go inside before guest arrived. Once back in the bridal suite I touched up my hair and makeup, and my mentor Robin prayed over me with the help of all my bridesmaids. Again this moment was so amazing and special, I feel like every tiny little thing about this day was so special so sorry if I sound like a broken record. The girls headed out to meet the groomsmen and I stayed in the room to have some alone time before heading out. My nerves were so much better then I thought they would be, and my emotions were completely under control. Shortly after my dad came and got me and we headed around the building to get ready for the isle. As we stood behind this wall (so nobody could see us) I felt really great, I am normally a huge cry baby but I was totally fine, which I was so surprised about! Once all of the bridal party were at the alter it was time to walk out. I am not kidding you, the FIRST step I took out of the gate, where I could see Jacob I lost all control. I had the worst crying face on, I had to tell my dad a few times that I might need to stop to gather myself because I was honestly losing it, haha. 

The moment walking down the isle was so magical, I wanted to look around at everyone but my eyes were fixed on Jacob and getting to him. This is one moment in particular I wish I could do again and again. The act of walking down the isle to your future, your everything, surrounded by everyone who loves and supports you. The ceremony went flawless, we wrote our own vows, took communion together, and did an act of submission to each other by washing each others feet. I was beyond giddy waiting for our mentors to say the final “kiss the bride’ line, I was literally bouncing up and down like a child. I just wanted to be his wife already, I wanted to seal it with that kiss and be pronounced husband and wife. After the long awaited kiss and “I do’s” Jacob and I walked back down the isle, together this time, as husband and wife. IT WAS AMAZING. Our guest headed over to cocktail hour while Jacob and I took photos and signed our marriage license (also a SUPER cool moment). Once photos were done by our amazing photographer Ashley, we met back up with our bridal party to dance our way into the reception. THIS moment was so surreal. We talked, laughed, and danced with our best friends, just us, no one watching, just our little gang, celebrating and having the time of our lives. Jacob and I are beyond blessed by the most amazing friends and family. The type of people that would drop anything at 3 AM for you, the kind that would do anything to help you no matter what the cost or inconvenience. They are amazing people. Anyways, we danced into our dinner tables and before we ate some amazing food, Jacob and I had our first dance! We actually went to dancing classes, which was so much fun, and had our dance down pretty well. Jacob was a little nervous about messing up but we didn’t, yay! After we went around and talked to as many tables as we could, it was so nice speaking to all of our guests, but pretty quickly after we had to head back to our tables because it was time for the father daughter dance and mother son dance. We both chose songs that meant a lot to our parents or spoke something very true about our relationships. For my dad it was one of his favorite singers and song, and for Jacob and his mom it was a song titled “she loves me like Jesus does” which reigns so true to them. After our dances we did the anniversary game, toasts, and the cake cutting. Jacob and I said we were not going to get it on each other but of course we both did it anyways. Got to keep each other on our toes, right? haha. After cake we headed out to dance the night away, literally! I did not get off that dance floor for anything, haha. We did pause the dancing for the garter and bouquet toss, which both were caught by some of my oldest friends. Ali, who I have known since before Kindergarten and James who I played in band with since elementary school! Like I said we literally danced the night away and all of a sudden it was time for the last few songs. It was insane how fast the night went! I guess we were just having too much fun, haha. We sang our last few songs and then headed to our car to drive off as newlyweds! 

I could talk forever about our wedding day, not because I want to brag our cause I want attention but because it was one of my first real signs of the blessings God can pour onto you. Let me explain this a little better. We got married the last weekend of April in Phoenix Arizona, I was always prepared for it being miserably hot, everyone getting sun burnt, and sweating all of my makeup off. Then the week of the wedding it kept saying it was supposed to pour. Everyone was gearing up for it to rain, and I had the weirdest peace and this sense of knowing that it was just not going to rain. Yes, the forecast said rain and most brides would be extremely worried and stressed but it literally never fazed me. The day of the wedding came and the weather was perfect, the best it had been it weeks! Not a single drop of rain, a few clouds in the sky to shade our skin, not hot at all! I am serious it felt like a sunny 75 with a cool breeze. IT WAS AMAZING. That night around 1 or 2 in the morning the rain hit and then a huge storm came the next day and poured ALL day. To some people they would say we were lucky but to us, we knew it was God. I truly believe God poured a blessing on us and had the storm wait literally by 3 or 4 hours because we waited for this marriage. Jacob and I have always kept God at the center or our friendship, relationship, and now marriage, and I do believe God rewarded us for our faithfulness to him and each other. Yes, it was just a storm but he knew how bad I wanted my wedding outside and under those big trees, and he was true in his promises that he will bless those who are true and faithful to him. 

I could go on and on about the blessings we had on our big day from our friends, family, and our Heavenly Father, but instead I will leave our wedding video down below so you can see a little into our wedding day. If you have read this far, thank you! If you are not married yet I pray that you will wait and never settle for less then what you deserve. And if you are married please come back to my blog again, I will be telling lots of funny newlywed stories and would love to swap advice and encouragement. 

XOXO,

Karlie Colleen 

Wedding Film: Something New Media