Weddingbee boards

The whole day I had a hard time believing it was really happening. It felt very surreal to me. Kind of like an amazing dream! I don't think I snapped back to reality until DH and I got back to the hotel. As soon as we opened the doors to our hotel room I started bawling! There were so many built up emotions from the day that I needed to let out. At that point I realized that I was now MARRIED to my best friend and I got really excited. It felt so weird to think that I was someones WIFE! Truly no matter what happens during the wedding, the best part is at the end of the day you are MARRIED!

I'll share my experience :)

Leading up to the wedding I was incredibly stressed. The day before the wedding I was bawling my eyes out about how stressed I was and how I just wanted to go elope and didn't want to deal with the whole "wedding" part lol. So we went through the rehearsal, everything was fine and my girls and I spent the night in a hotel.

I woke up the next morning so calm! It was so weird considering how big of a mess I was the day before. I woke up feeling refreshed, I was the only one who slept through the night and the morning of the wedding I just remember feeling relaxed. I sat with my mom and my sister and watched reruns of wedding shows until it was time to get ready lol. I think that lowkey start to the morning really helped me stay calm for the rest of the day.

My husband and I decided to do a first look so that was the big moment for us. He stood at the end of a line of trees with his back to me and I made the long trek down to him. I remember laughing most of the way and wondering what he would think of my dress. We hugged each other and the photographer said okay now give her a kiss so we leaned in and kissed. Immediately the photographers yelled "NOO!! I meant on her cheek, you arent supossed to kiss before the ceremony" and we both burst out laughing (we have a hilarious photo of that moment). We snuck another kiss when no one was looking again. We were both so excited to just be with each other and we didnt want that part of the day to end because we were just having so much fun with no one else around. We drove in seperate cars to the venue and I remember he got there first and was walking past when we drove in. We waved at each other and he blew a kiss and I just remember being so happy.

The ceremony itself was interesting. Walking down the aisle, I had the biggest smile on my face and he looked like he was going to cry lol. We held hands during the ceremony and I kept squeezing his hands because he looked so emotional and I just kept smiling like an idiot lol. I remember being so happy when we said our vows because we selected ones that held a lot of meaning to us. Everything our officiant said made us smile because we spent time picking it out. Our first kiss thoughts werent what I had hoped though. We were supossed to have our first kiss infront of the gazebo (so everyone could see!) and instead our weird officiant had us kiss behind the registry table at the back of the gazebo. So my thoughts during that were "Um really, why here?!" but we kissed anyways :)

We had a great day, but I don't think it really became real to us until that night. We went back to our house to feed the cats haha (they leave that part out of the movies) and for me to change out of the dress. I was so relieved to be out of that dress by the end of the day! It felt real when we went back to the venue to our suite and they had a note to the "Mr. and Mrs." and that was exciting for us. Going on the honeymoon definitely made it feel real too and was a great experience.

Sorry I just realized how long this was lol but that's my honest recap of the day and my thoughts and feelings throughout. I can remember every little detail of the day even though it did go by so fast like everyone says!

I'll share!!! 

For the months before the wedding I would tell DH, "I'm gonna marry you!!" We decided to elope with just his family there. We eloped six hours away, and it was so stressful trying to get to where we needed to go to get married! Once we got there though, I was relaxed and calm. 

Getting ready felt like I was getting ready for any other day. The only difference was that I had to wear a heavy dress and shoes that were hard to walk in. I was excited. I wasn't nervous. I wasn't second guessing myself. I wasn't like, "Oh God, what the hell am I doing?! Do I really want to do this??!?" Everything felt very right and I was very at peace with what was about to happen. 

Saying our vows (we wrote our own) was very intimate and emotional for us. DH was smiling like he was so content and so happy. I finally lost it and ugly-face cried right as I was finishing my vows.  But it only lasted for a few seconds because DH was smiling at me and sqeezing my hands and was so encouraging.  

Then we were married and Ta Dah! After MIL and BIL left, DH and I went downtown to find some food -- I was so hungry (after only having eaten only once that day) that the smell of pizza damn-near brought me to tears.  Thats when I kind of felt myself releasing some of the emotion I had been holding on to from the day.

Now -- even though I have my name changed everywhere except with my dental insurance now, (even on my social security card) -- I still feel like an imposter when I call myself FirstName NewLastName.  I feel like I am LYING!!! I don't even feel like that's what my name is!!! 

Oh, and for weeks after the wedding, I kept wanting to look at DH and say, "I'm going to marry you!" -- but after the wedding whenever I would think that, I would have to think, "OMG I already did!" 

I am three months in as of yesterday, and I love being married. The first three months have been bliss!! -- and the furthest thing from the "hardest". 

It all seemed totally surreal to me.  The wedding ceremony was amazing, I was crying because I felt so much love.  During the reception though I kind of really just wanted to get some alone time with my new hubby!  We only got like a few seconds after the wedding until the ceremony was over.  Hanging out at the hotel together after was great and the honeymoon was awesome!  It definitely took a few months until it actually sunk in that we were married, but its so great.  I love being married!

Great thread! I've really enjoyed reading these!

We had a pretty small, laid-back wedding. Lots of DIY stuff during the weekend: self-catered rehearsal dinner on the back porch; my bridesmaids and I did all the flowers; my SIL baked our cake, etc. So aside from feeling just a bit pressed for time the couple hours before the ceremony, it was just a really wonderful, relaxed, happy experience. I promised myself I wouldn't get swept up in trivial details, and concentrated on just savoring every moment.

We actually did our photos before the ceremony so that we could go straight to partying afterwards, and the moments before "the big reveal" and then again right before walking down the aisle were wild. Up until then I'd been excited but in a sort of calm, peaceful way. But at a couple of moments the excitement and happiness were just overwhelming. I was actually shaking quite a bit. And after the ceremony several people told us that they kept feeling like they were going to cry, but DH and I were beaming at each other so happily that we kept the tears at bay :-). (Not for my little brother though--apparently he bawled the whole time.)

Basically, in my experience: the happiest, most exciting day ever, punctuated by bursts of feeling so intense they were almost painful.

It was amazing!

The first part of the day I was really emotional, super exhausted, and still pretty stressed.  I had stayed up until 3 a.m. in the bathroom so I wouldn't wake up my MOH.  I was frantically writing a list of all the things that I needed someone to know after the wedding started and I wasn't around to run the show.  I went to my bridal brunch and seriously just started crying.  I was so tired and worn out and also so happy to see all my girlfriends and my family.  I didn't feel like a bride at all until later in the day.  I was getting my hair done in the bride's room of our facility and everyone else left to go get their dresses, etc.  It was exactly what I needed.  It gave me time to just watch them do my hair and realize it was my wedding day.  No one was around to give directions to, so I finally had to mentally pass the wedding off to my coordinator, family, etc.  

After I put on my dress and saw the picture, i couldn't believe that was actually me in the mirror!  I was very calm and so ready to marry my DH.  Even when the wedding coordinator told me there was a chance of rain right around our ceremony time, I didn't care; even if i walked down the aisle in pouring rain, I was marrying my best friend and the man I had waited 29 years to find!

We had a first look, which was fun.  It was a sweet, sweet time.  We thought doing a first look would take away from seeing each other as I walked down the aisle, but it was way more emotional when it was the real deal.  Heavenly Day by Patty Griffin started playing, and my parents were on each side of me.  It was a sweet moment walking down the curved aisle before anyone could see us.  And, then, I saw him.  And he saw me.  And nothing else in the world existed.  He wiped a couple of tears off, while I beamed from ear to ear.  I seriously just wanted to run so I could get to him faster.  The wedding ceremony was so surreal.  It was like I was watching us get married.  I purposefully looked around a few times, so I could remember exactly what it was like to be there.  Hearing my brother pronounce us man and wife, just felt so natural and right.  After a few pictures, we got a few minutes alone while our guests were enjoying cocktail hour.  I love those first few minutes of being married.  The reception was a whirlwind of talking to friends and family, taking pictures, and reveling in how glad we were that we had done this, even though for months before I had been saying I wish we had eloped.  

Even on our honeymoon, it didn't seem entirely "real" that we were married though.  I think it's like an amazing pair of shoes: They're exactly what you've always wanted and you love to wear them, but it takes a while before they feel natural on your own feet.  Five months in and it seems like we've been married forever.  I don't know exactly when it began to fit and feel natural, but it sure does.  

I wish you a wedding day (and marriage) as happy as mine was and is!

Im so scared! Ah, reading these responses makes me nervous! I don't want to cry! lol. I know our wedding will be amazing, but the planning is stressing me out sooo much, i just want to elope, but i keep having these dreams where im walking down the aisle with my dad and all these people standing and smiling at me.. .and i get butterflies in my tummy every time i dream this! and its not just at night either, like il space off during work, or in  class and have these "dreams" while im awake! its so crazy and amazing, i just pray that our wedding day, this is what happens.