Wedding Recaps: Paper Planes

As the reception wound down, I didn't notice that my sisters and other members of our wedding party snuck away to decorate my car.

these are our initials, not a dirty joke.  my youngest sister didn't understand why Mr. Geek found this so funny

Mickey & Minnie, since we were about to go visit them!

Meanwhile, I went to change into my getaway dress, and supplies were distributed to the guests to help with the "closing ceremonies."

Some couples run to the honeymoon under a shower of birdseed; others dart through a crowd of sparklers.

We're geeks, remember?

We left through a salute of paper airplanes.

(Disclaimer: this was not an original idea.  At the beginning of our wedding planning adventure, I saw a wedding somewhere on the internet where the guests threw paper airplanes as the couple left the reception, but I didn't bookmark the link!  So while I can't claim credit for the idea, our guests sure thought it was creative.)

Everyone lined up outside with their aerodynamic creations:

And then we came running out to the car!  We told everyone the idea was to toss the airplanes over us, but of course some jokesters threw them at us...

 

 

 

 

Funny story- we were almost out of town when my phone rang- it was my dad.  Oh, great, last minute words of advice?  Or maybe he was going to ask us to come to the after party at my parents' house instead of making the drive to our halfway point in Georgia?

"I've got something here you might want," he said.

"Uh oh, what did we forget?" I asked, making a mental checklist of things we needed for the honeymoon.  I had loaded the car that morning in the flurry of getting ready, so of course I had forgotten something.

"Your camera!"

Yikes!  For some reason, I brought our camera into the reception, thinking I'd take my own pictures, or something.  Ha.  So I turned around and headed back to Spring House, where people were getting ready to leave and change into more comfortable clothes for the after party.  We said our goodbyes again with some quick hugs and kisses, then hopped in the car for a second grand exit.

"Guess what you left..."

How did you make your grand exit?

Wedding Recaps: Lots of Kissing

I'm afraid so, Fred Savage // image via Giphy

This post could also be titled "All of My Favorite Pictures".  And if a picture is worth 1000 words, there's gonna be an awful lot of words in this post without my writing anything.  I think I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves, then ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I mean seriously.  Beautiful!!!  I kind of just wanted to sit in that window for the rest of the day, kissin' on my new husband while our photographer captured the cuteness.

What were your favorite photos from your wedding day?

*all photos by One Photo Gallery*

Wedding Recaps: Toasting the Geeks

The reception was now more than halfway over, so everybody had a drink (or two) in their hands.  That meant it was the perfect time for some toasts!

You may recall that we weren't sure how much champagne to offer since we knew not everyone would want it for the toasts.  In the end, we decided that the two of us would rather toast with our signature drink- Maker's Mark and Sprite- and we figured our guests would feel the same, so we scrapped the champagne idea all together!

You may also recall that we forgot to charge the batteries in our wireless microphone, so it was completely dead when toast-time rolled around.  (Such are the hazards of doing everything yourselves...)  We didn't know that the mic was dead until my sister (and MOH) started her toast.  At first we weren't sure if the volume was just not loud enough, or if the restaurant had crummy acoustics, so she continued to speak into it.  By the time her toast was done, it was obvious that the mic was completely dead- but you'll notice in these pictures that everyone held it for their toasts anyway.  I guess there's something comforting about holding a microphone when you're speaking in front of a crowd?

My sister went first with a toast that made me want to laugh and cry at the same time.  She listed all the reasons why she was so excited for Mr. Geek to be joining the family, and how she knew we were a perfect fit for each other.  She spoke about how Mr. Geek immediately hit it off with both of my sisters the first time they met- how he's the type of person they were able to naturally become friends with because of a shared taste in movies and books, not to mention the fact that he's always treated them like people, not just little sisters.  She said that he'd won Mom over immediately- but that's not saying much, since she gets along with everyone.  According to MOH, she knew Mr. Geek was perfect for me when it became obvious that Dad was impressed with him (which is saying something).  MOH spoke for both of my sisters when she said that if they had to have a brother, Mr Geek would definitely be their choice- and they really do act like siblings, including the occasional bickering!

 

Then came Mr Geek's Best Woman.  They went to college together, so she shared some funny stories from classes and parties at his fraternity house.  They also lived in an apartment together with two other people so, Heaven help her, she's had experience cleaning up after him and gave me some tips.  ("He seems to think Taco Bell has a shelf life.  It doesn't.")  She ended her toast by reaffirming how very good Mr Geek is, and how she's so glad so see him with someone who makes him so very happy.

 

 

 

Finally, my dad grabbed the (dead) mic for his toast.  "I was really honored when Mrs. Geek asked me to be the Father of the Bride," he said, earning him some hearty chuckles.  His toast was mostly filled with advice for the years to come, since he's a dad, and that's what dads do- give advice.  He told us that marriage requires a lot of work, but that if we keep Christ at the center of our relationship it won't have to feel like work.  He got a little emotional, the way he always does when he's reminded that his baby girl is all grown up, but we were definitely all smiling when he shared the great secret to a successful marriage.  ("There is no secret, you just have to figure it out.")

 

Who gave toasts at your wedding?  Were they all humor or all heart?

*all photos by One Photo Gallery*

Wedding Recaps: More Pictures! Because Wedding.

...like I said, weddings are mainly comprised of photo ops.

The weather was absolutely beautiful that day, so we couldn't resist some outdoor shots with our bridal party.  But first- I needed to pop my collar?

I swear I didn't know this photo was being taken

We gathered up our friends for some fabulous photos:

I don't think they knew this picture was being taken, either

Our photographers told us to pretend we were posing for a magazine, like supermodels.  This is what we came up with.  (Once again we were unable to round up all 4 tiny attendants.)

Please observe my baby cousin's interpretation of "act like a supermodel":

And again, sans little ones:

The bridesmaids' dresses had pockets (pockets!), so the photographers decided to emphasize that fact.

If the seated photo was for a magazine, then this one must be our album cover:

Since our wedding was a large family gathering in the month of November where we were all dressed nice, my Mammaw decided to go for the obvious- Christmas card photos!

My mom liked this idea, too.

And I got a couple of pictures with my parents before we made our way back to the party

 

Did you take lots of family photos on your wedding day?  Also- how great are dresses with pockets?!

*all photos by One Photo Gallery*