Our Ceremony

Our ceremony was personally my favorite part of our wedding. To me the ceremony is more emotional in making a promise to become one in front of God, family, and friends, and the reception is the party after. Don't get me wrong, I loved the reception and will do an entirely separate blog post on it in the near future. I'm such a sap though, so our ceremony was just so special. I think maybe it's because every little girl dreams about her dad walking her down the aisle in a white dress, the perfect groom waiting at the altar, and her best friends standing beside her. All of that sappy goodness happens in the ceremony.

Ceremony music was actually one of the last decisions I made in the wedding planning process, but I loved the songs we I (Parker didn't care) chose. Our grandparents and parents walked down the aisle to Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring. Bridesmaids/Groomsmen walked down the aisle to Marry Me by Train. I must have listened to it a hundred times before the wedding. It just spoke to me. My dad and I walked down the aisle to Pachelbel's Canon in D.

My sweet cousins, Blake and Amanda, started out the ceremony by lighting candles. They were beautiful! All five sets of our grandparents came in next, followed by our parents. I love the look in all four of our parents' faces. This is the day they had prayed for, and it was finally here.

Our moms each lit candles on either side of the unity candle, symbolizing that two families were becoming one. How precious are they?!

The bridesmaids/groomsmen walked down the aisle, and Danielle came last as the matron of honor. I am so thankful for all of these amazing people who supported us and loved us through this journey. Our ring bearer and flower girl followed, and then the doors closed.

And finally, it was time. The moment I had been waiting for my whole life was finally here. I took my dad's arm, and we walked to the entrance of the church. Before they opened the doors, he smiled and said "Ready?" I had never felt more ready than in that moment. I knew that God had designed Parker and me for each other, and I knew we were meant to spend the rest of our lives together. The doors opened, my dad and I shared a few sweet moments together, and then I saw Parker. He looked so incredibly handsome, and we were both just so happy and content in that moment.

My dad gave me away, and Parker and I joined hands and prepared to become husband and wife! Danielle began the ceremony by reading my favorite verse, Jeremiah 29:11. Parker's Uncle Ken married us, and I so wish I had a recording of what he said. He did a beautiful job. Parker and I wrote letters to each other and gave them to Uncle Ken to use in the ceremony. We didn't get to read the letters before the ceremony, so it was so neat hearing him pull quotes from each of our letters. He actually mailed them to us after the wedding, so we got to open and read them when we returned from our honeymoon. Parker and I were so giddy and excited standing up there that it was so hard to focus on anything but each other. Parker's aunt and uncle sang "From This Moment" by Shania Twain while we lit the unity candle, and it was the most beautiful rendition I have ever heard. We lit the same candle that Parker's grandparents, parents, and aunts/uncles had lit on their wedding day. During the song, we focused on each other and treasured those few moments when it was just the two of us.

We walked back to exchange rings and vows. We each said "I do" and placed a ring on each other's finger. Uncle Ken said a prayer to bless our marriage, and then came the words I had been waiting to hear. "I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss the bride!" I cannot tell you how excited we were. We were MARRIED!!!

We walked out of the chapel for the first time as Mr. and Mrs. Parker Phelps!

We exited the chapel and rang the chapel bell in the bell tower, which is the custom for couples who have just gotten married at this venue. We were alone out there for about a minute, and it was a minute full of pure excitement and bliss...it was finally official!!!