Woo Wedding Part 2: The Reception

Now for Part 2! 

After the ceremony, we all traveled back toward the Bay Bridge, to a country club called, Prospect Bay.

The thing that caught my eye about Prospect Bay was 1. the really pretty scenery and 2. the room lined with huge windows to look at the really pretty scenery.

See what I mean!? Gorgeous!

The theme for the reception was very rustic. Lots of wood and candles and chalk.

Once the bridal party was announced, Johnathan and I went straight into our first dance. The song was "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain. We were beyond nervous! Neither of us are really into dancing and so my mom's best friend (also maid of honor, so cool!) helped us choreograph something simple for us to practice. Even if we looked ridiculous, it was a fun time!

Next came the toasts! My parents started it off and were on a mission to make everyone in the room cry. 

They did such an amazing job hosting our wedding. Johnathan and I will forever be thankful for everything they did.

I LOVE this picture of them! 

They are so cute!!!!

Emma, my Maid of Honor, was pretty nervous about her toast. She was really determined to have the best one of the night and you could really tell she worked hard on it. I giggle just thinking about it!

Jordan, Johnathan's Best Man, did an awesome job with his toast. It was great to see how many people truly love Johnathan's friendship.

Dinner was served. If you were cool, you had ordered the chili! Which ended up being the most scandalous part of our wedding! What chili?? People don't eat chili at weddings!! It's our wedding and we will do what we want!

Johnathan and I decided to combine the Father-Daughter and Mother-Son Dance. For two very important reasons. 1. Two whole songs are just too long and you completely lose the attention of your guests and 2. On the wedding day there is so much focus on the Bride and I really wanted to make sure that Johnathan was just as important. So we danced together to show that both of these relationships are meaningful.

The next dance we planned was a Bridal Party dance. I anxiously awaited this one because it seemed like so much fun and my parents had the same thing at their wedding. Basically how it works is, the Bridesmaids danced with the Groomsmen that had walked them down the aisle. This dance was special to us because it was our way of honoring those closest to us. We had been working so hard to plan this wedding and we were finally there. Let's celebrate!

The floor was then opened to all of the guests! It was a blast! We played the Shoe game, had a married couples dance and of course the bouquet and garter toss.

Time for the cake!

Our cake was a three layered chocolate cake with butter-cream icing. My friend from high school made it for us and she did an amazing job!

After some more dancing the party started to wind down. I changed for our last dance. We danced to "Never Stop" by Safetysuit. 

Our reception was special. It was really a great celebration with everyone we loved! We left exhausted and filled with joy. Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with us!

There were so many special moments that I didn't even mention here. I will hold this day close to me forever!

Guys! This is day two of seeing photos that Anna took! Are you hooked yet!? Just this past week, Anna sent Johnathan and I a flash drive with both our engagement and wedding photos on them! She is amazing! Go check her out! I know you want to!

http://arpasiphotography.com/

P.S. Dearest Husband, we are loved! 

Woo Wedding Post 1: The Ceremony

It's been almost two months since our wedding day. It's unbelievable but we also feel like we have been married forever. I have loved every minute of these past two months! We just recently received our wedding pictures and we are in love! I have been dying to get them back but I was also dreading writing my wedding posts. The day was too perfect and too special that I didn't think I would ever be able to get it into words. It is all very overwhelming! So in order to save my sanity, I've decided to split my posts into three sections; The Ceremony, The Reception and then The Honeymoon.

The Ceremony

It was perfect. It was us. It was exactly what we wanted.

During planning, I had decided that I wanted the ceremony to have Irish traditions. I thought it would make it a little more personal and fun. We had bagpipes, bells, a handfasting ceremony and blessing stones. Don't worry, I didn't totally ignore Johnathan's Chinese heritage. That was celebrated the night before at the Rehearsal Dinner. 

The bagpipes marched my dad and I down the aisle. I think it was surprising and wonderful!

The church was absolutely beautiful! We held the ceremony at First Baptist Church in Easton, MD. It is where Johnathan has been attending church since he started working on the Eastern Shore and we love the community there.

Almost all of our decorations where crafted by my friends and family. But I really have to give a shout out to my Mother-in-Law. She went above and beyond to make the day beautiful.

One of my favorite parts of the Ceremony was our Ring bearer and Flower Girl. The Ring bearer was my little cousin, Alastair. He took his role extremely seriously and everyone in attendance wanted to take him home with them.

He pulled our Flower Girl down the aisle in a wagon. I can't get over the cuteness!!

Our Flower Girl is my little cousin, Sophia. She was nine months at the time and full of adorableness.

Now time to meet our army!

First the Groomsmen. 

From left to right; Jordan (Brother-in-law), Jarrett (Groom's brother), Joel (Groom's brother), Joe (Friend from church), Rob (Friend from high school), Jared (Friend from church), and Rola (Friend from work). 

Thank you guys for standing behind my man on his big day!

Here come the ladies!

From right to left: Emma (Best friend since ever), Meagan (my sissy), Brooklyn (Friend from college), Jess (Groom's sister), Carly (Friend from high school), Kendra (Friend from college) and Becky (Friend from college).

You girls loved me more than I deserved! Thank you for being the best friends a Bride could ask for!

Our handfasting ceremony was a way for us to represent our reliance on each other. Johnathan's sister, Jillian, read an Irish blessing while the Best Man, Jordan, tied our hands together with a ribbon.

The pastor that married us was Johnathan's Uncle Brent. We will always treasure the fact that he was able to be such a huge part of our joining. He did an amazing job. Thank you!

Finally, the moment Johnathan and I had been waiting for so long, he pronounced us Man and Wife!

We look a little happy, don't we!? 

I loved our ceremony. I loved how it really showed who we are as a couple. It was amazing and beautiful and I will remember it forever!

Now that you have seen the pictures our photographer, Anna, took, you can see why we are obsessed with her! We will never be able to thank her enough for all that she did for us. She got there early, worked her butt off the whole day and spent every second making sure we were happy. Please please please look her up! You won't ever regret having her around!

http://arpasiphotography.com/

Come back later to see what happened at the Reception! So much fun was had!

P.S. Johnathan, vowing my life and heart to you was and always will be the best decision I've made.