Sunday, May 17, 2009

Our McWedding: Part 3 Bubbles & Beer


We had made it through the ceremony. Whoot Whoot! I was now married to Ryan, had not fainted, and no one had heard my growling stomach. All in all, quite a success :0) 


I took a moment to relive everything with my bridesmaids. I love their faces in this picture.  




Laughter is much more our style...




Ryan and I then got to walk out into a sea of bubbles. Since the state park where we held our reception wouldn't allow sparklers, we decided bubbles were the next best thing. I think they made for some pretty pictures




Our flower girl shared 99% of her bubbles with the ground




I just like this picture because the back of my dress looks fluffy and it makes me think of icing and sweet and yummy things. No idea why. 




 Having an "oh my goodness we're married" kiss in a vintage car. But where are we going? 




How about an Irish pub? Since our ceremony ended at 3, and our reception started at 5, we invited guests to stop by my family's restaurant which was conveniently exactly 1/2 way between the church and the reception site.




We decided to stop on in for a drinks (a Guinness for Ryan and a Blue Moon for me)




And some fun pictures :0) 




We weren't sure how many guests (if any) would show up. We were surprised to see about 80 people there. It was so wonderful to catch up and share some laughs with everyone in an fun laid back environment. Plus this meant less running around for us at the reception. 




There were lots of hugs and big smiles







And then we were off again! 


Next up some beautiful bride and groom pics!


Recaps



All photos courtesy of Kate Leigh

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Our McWedding: Part 2

Finally it was time to make the walk down the aisle. My Dad continuously reminded me throughout the entire engagement period that this is what he was looking forward to the most.

I wish I could say that I was graceful walking down the aisle (after all us Catholic girls have lots of experience with things such as first holy communion and confirmation). However, I walked at mach speed until about half way down the aisle when my dad had to remind me to slow down. It looks quite humorous on video :0)



Closer picture of the walk


My photographer asked me when I was getting ready if I thought I would cry. I laughed and said absolutely not. I'm not really the crying type. Obviously I was wrong. Like I said before, the feelings of love and support when those doors opened were like nothing I had ever experienced before. Luckily I wasn't the only one...apparently my dad, Ryan, and the priest all had tears in their eyes. (this picture was taken by a friend)



Pretty french buckets lining the aisle




My dad giving me away




Opening prayer




Looking out at everyone who came to celebrate our marriage. It was quite overwhelming (in a good way). I also may have been focusing on how hungry I was at this point, which might explain the straight face...




Old testament reading by my wonderful friend Meredith :0)




New testament reading by Ryan's friend Jim, who also graciously stepped up to be a groomsman when one of our other groomsmen was deployed to Iraq 




Gospel reading. The Monsignor that presided over our wedding also confirmed me in 8th grade. He is amazing and we were so happy that he was able to marry us :0)




Laughing at the funny parts of the homily...yes it included a part about one side of the church being the Hokie Nation and the other side being a bunch of Wahoos...and something about us being there for each other in good times and bad and even during football season. 




Close up of the pretty monogram charm and my death grip on Ryan's hand. About halfway through the mass I started having thoughts about those clips from America's Funniest Home Videos where the bride passes out during the ceremony. Then I became absolutely terrified that that was going to happen. I think this is what sleep deprivation and skipping lunch does to a bride...
 



Hehehe... my Dad thought the football joke was funny too :0)




Ryan's parents during the homily. Probably during one of the more touching/serious parts.




Finally it was time to exchange vows! Whoot whoot! This is probably the only shot of me actually looking at Ryan because I knew if I looked at him for too long I'd break down into tears (of happiness of course!)




My beautiful bridesmaids looked on :0)




A blessing




And sealed with a kiss!




Lighting the unity candle  




Presenting flowers to Mary. My aunt, who has her doctorate in liturgical music, sang Ave Maria. It was absolutely beautiful. 




One final line up! Our bridal party did an amazing job of remembering all of the times they had to stand up, line up, and sit down. 




One more kiss as the new Mr. & Mrs. 




Finally getting to walk down the aisle together. I did a much better job walking out then I did walking in :0P




We're Maaaarrrriiiiiieeeeddd!




Here is the outline of our ceremony. It was a full Catholic Mass, which was really important to both of us, as Ryan had converted while we were dating (he actually started the process about a week before we met, and I was able to go to most of the RCIA classes with him). The classes always gave us a lot to talk and think about, which I think helped make our relationship so strong.