I Love...Weddings!

Since I went to a wedding last month, and because I truly do love weddings so much, I decided they needed to be the topic of the next post in my I Love series.

Having been a bride myself almost five and a half years ago, I know how stressful weddings can be. There's so much to think about and plan for (and pay for!). Who to invite, where to have the wedding, who to ask to be in the wedding party, favors, food, cake...it's a lot. But, the absolute best moment in every wedding is the second that bride and groom become husband and wife. It makes every single moment of stress suddenly worth it.

One of the things I enjoy the most about weddings is how different they all are. I have gone to some that were held outside and some that were inside a church. Some of the people getting married choose to do a unity candle, others did two colors of sand blending into one, and others did communion (some choose to do  more than one of those things). Some weddings have sit down dinners, others hor d'ouevres, and still others just dessert. Some people choose to have dancing, while others do not. Some people have someone sing a song or read a Scripture verse during their ceremony. Some do a traditional guest book, others have people write words of encouragement or congratulations in a book or on something they can scrapbook. Some weddings are very fancy and others are extremely casual. Some have a theme and others seem to be a hodge podge of things. But the one thing they all have in common is the love between two people who are committing to spending the rest of their lives together as one. It's a truly beautiful thing.

So, I'm going to share some pictures of some of the weddings I've been to (or been in) and a few of the things I loved about them.

Beach wedding

My friend J.K. got married on the beach. Her wedding was very simple and didn't have a lot of guests, but it was so pretty with the bay as the backdrop. They had a very simple wedding reception at a family home in a nearby city and served hor d'ouevres and cake balls. It was the first and only wedding I've attended on the beach, which definitely made it special.

Outdoor/indoor wedding

When my friend L.B. got married, they had their wedding at a venue where they were able to have the ceremony outside and the reception inside. The only downside to their wedding was the fact that it was 106 outside that day. Other than that, it was so beautiful. They chose for their first act as man and wife to be to pray together. It was the most precious thing I have ever seen. They also did a groom's cake, which I had not seen at any of the other weddings I'd been to before that. Their wedding was so much fun and I'm so thankful I was able to be a part of it.

Chapel wedding

My friend C.M. got married in a chapel. It was the cutest thing. The chapel had gorgeous stained glass windows. We took most of the pictures outside and it was such a beautiful day for it. They left their reception in a very cutely decorated Miata. It was so fun to see them off.

Outdoor wedding

My sister got married at the home of a family we know. They got married under this huge tree in their backyard and were able to have the rest of the event outside as well. My sister spent a lot of time thinking up her table decorations and everything turned out so beautifully. We got to take pictures in some gorgeous spots around their property. It was just a beautiful day (and a very emotional one. I was so excited for my sister to get married).

Country wedding

The most recent wedding we went to was for the W's. Their wedding venue was precious. It has an old barn looking building, it's out in the country, and it had this perfect grassy spot for the ceremony. F.W. (the bride) had it decorated so beautifully (you can see some of the details in the backgrounds of the pictures above). They did a very small cake with cupcakes making up the rest of their cake. And they did a dessert only reception and the majority of their pictures ahead of time, which made the whole thing flow very smoothly and quickly. It was one of the sweetest weddings I've ever been to.

Church wedding

My bestie got married at our church and then had her reception at a hall. My favorite part about her ceremony was the fact that her husband committed to her kids as well as to her, and that they all had a different color of sand to mix in the vase for the sand ceremony. It was so precious. They had a photo booth at their reception, which was so fun, as well as some of the best dancing I've experienced at a wedding. Oh, and they had our friends from CO both sing during their reception, which was just awesome. It was seriously one of the most enjoyable weddings I've been a part of.

I have been to so many weddings since Josh and I have been together, but I wanted to highlight just a few. If I didn't cut it down, this post would be way too long.