Alright, so here I am, my first entry as a married woman! It’s kind of strange to think about! While there were several problems, nothing too disastrous happened and everyone had a good time, and there was fun to be had by all.

So, here are the pictures!  Enjoy!

Thanks to an army of friends and family, I was able to relax somewhat during the hours after the rehearsal and leading up to the ceremony.  They took care of all of the decor and made my day look fabulous.

A popular trend that Patrick and I opted for was the DIY officiant.  Thanks to websites  like The Universal Life Church, anyone can get ordained. We had our friend Paul, who also happened to introduce us back when we all were sophomores in high school, perform our ceremony.  Paul is on the left, and Stephen, Pat’s best man, on the right.

Now here is a tip that I think gets a little touchy…Patrick and I opted to do our photos before hand, as seen here.  We did this for a few reasons, first the emotional aspect.  Regardless of what many say, your wedding is about you and your partner.  We thought that the bride’s reveal was to be a personal one between the two of us.  Additionally, there is the practical aspect of it.  We were able to do many photos before the ceremony, cutting the between time down, and allowed for people to eat sooner, and we both looked fresher with hair and make up intact!

Then came time for the ceremony.  We saved money and skipped the band, opting instead for an ipod.  I selected Brian Setzer’s “Here Comes the Broad” from his album Wolfgang’s Big Night Out.  It starts out traditional and then midway through changes to a fabulous swing number.  I began by doing the one together step, and then as the music changed, sauntered the rest of the way down the aisle.

Our reception was filled with great music, once again thanks to our ipod, and yummy cupcakes provided by Cupcake Jones.  Cupcakes are another fabulous budget option – about half the cost of what a normal fondant covered cake costs.  Midway through the reception I changed into another dress – a vintage 1950s tea length lace number I purchased from Carla at Bohemian Vintage.

We had a fabulous time, and I am really pleased with how everything turned out.  It’s been a long and at times hard road dealing with divorced families and far away friends, but it all came together in the end.

I just got our film from our dual lens camera back today, so I hope to post about Disneyland soon!  Meanwhile, I hope you all have a lovely Christmas!

Photos by the amazing Ivar Vong.