Oh boy, you guys, WARREN AND I ARE MARRIED!
This past Saturday, with our dearest family and friends, we had the most perfect Beyoncé/Southern-themed wedding.
(I’m joking. Please, men- you do not have themes for weddings, stop torturing your poor fiancés by making sure everything fits the “theme.”) (Besides, our wedding didn’t have a theme, it had feelings. These feelings were: modern, southern, urban, and earthy, obviously. Are these feelings? Whatever, it was the vibe.)
Going into and coming out of this perfect wedding day, I’ve had two major realizations:
- Getting married is actually a really big deal.
- You get real depressed the day after your perfect wedding.
Of course, most of you are saying- we already know marriage is a big deal, but what’s interesting to me is how I didn’t really realize it until it was my time.
See, I’ve always seen it as inevitable that Warren and I would get married. Throughout our whole relationship, I’ve been pretty sure he was my guy for the long haul.
And ever since he moved in with Ella and me, I’ve known he was going to be mine forever.
Then, we got engaged and it was real and that’s when you stop to think – am I ready to commit to forever with him?
So I spent a lot of time thinking about this huge commitment this year- time Warren already took before he even asked- and I’m very grateful for that time. It was time to take this seriously, time to think about why I wanted Warren by my side for the rest of my life, time to think about how we would face challenges in the future.
I’m so lucky I got to recite vows with Warren on Saturday—to commit to a life of respect, laughter, trust, and love. Sweet, wild, zany, brilliant, thoughtful, kind, handsome Warren Thomas Flood is now MY husband and I’m so incredibly happy and lucky.
The second thing I’ve learned about weddings is how sad you get when it’s over. I know, I know! I should just be so happy I had the perfect day with my perfect friends and family and everything was perfect and isn’t it wonderful? And oh gosh, it was so wonderful.
Here’s a little recap of our day, but know that I reserve the right to do a second recap when my wedding pictures come in from my AMAZING photographer. (No really, you guys. I worked on this wedding for over a year- it’s going to get some SHINE).
Saturday, everyone woke up expecting me to be wild and everyone was wrong. I was the most Zen bride ever. No, seriously, I was. That’s because I knew how hard my mom and I had worked to set up this wonderful day – there was nothing left to worry about (except for my hair, of course).
And I was right. Our flowers were STUNNING. Every single little decorative detail- you know, the gold vases and votives, the gold-framed signs everywhere, the welcome sign, the lanterns, the breathtaking arch, the cute little succulent favors- came together beautifully. So beautifully that Warren admitted I actually would be good at planning weddings (as I’ve been saying for years, because if I do say so myself, I have very good taste).
*Image source: Sarah Der Photography
The ceremony was weepy and wonderful. Our parents and my bridesmaids walked down to “Make You Feel My Love” on violin and piano. My dad walked me down to “Halo.” The music was so perfect that everyone cried at the rehearsal – did you even know you could cry at rehearsals? Yes, even Warren cried.
Tim, our dearest friend, married us with the kindest, most thoughtful words ever – words we will always remember and cherish. We couldn’t have done a better job choosing an officiant.
Sweetest Kathleen read a story suggested by Leigh, edited heavily by Warren and me (of course). And then we said our vows, exchanged our rings, and jaunted back down the aisle to “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” the two happiest newlyweds there ever were.
Our guests had champagne on the roof while Warren and I hid my hair from outside (now, talk about a good husband!) and then we entered the ballroom to “Crazy in Love.” Everyone ate chicken and waffles (with a Coca-Cola reduced syrup) and mashed potatoes before having one of four flavors of cake- red velvet, butter pecan, lemon, and key lime. We drank our signature drinks—Southern Charms was cherry moonshine and diet coke, Southern Gentleman was tea-infused vodka, unsweet tea, and lemonade—and then we danced into the evening. Our first dance was to “Love on Top,” duh, and dancing in front of everyone you love alone is maybe the most awkward thing in the world.
(Oh, and guess what. You remember that letter I wrote to the President? Thanks to my sister, my mom, and Mitch Stewart (the boss who started it all), President Obama READ MY LETTER! He read it you guys! He apparently loved it! The leader of the free world read my letter! That’s it–I’ve peaked.)
It was perfect. And should have been three days longer so I could really soak it all up.
Marrying Warren is the best decision I’ve ever made. Long live #McFlovin.
