The morning of our wedding I woke up way before my alarm and unsurprisingly couldn’t fall back asleep. My amazing bridesmaids were on their way over with breakfast, and I was happy to enjoy the moments of calm before all the excitement started.
Corey and I decided not to spend the night before the wedding together. It was so weird not having him there that night, but it made me all the more excited to see him the next day! He was staying at a hotel a couple of blocks from our apartment that I could actually see from our window. I woke up and walked over to where I could see it and wondered what he was doing and how he was feeling!
I was shocked at how calm and relaxed and just blissful I felt that entire day, but especially as I was having breakfast with my bridesmaids and then getting ready. Everything just felt so right.
After breakfast at my apartment, the bridesmaids dispersed to get ready all around downtown. I spent most of the time with my sisters at the hair salon. We were all in a great, laid-back mood! It kind of felt like any other day, I was just getting super fancied up! It was weird going back to my apartment with my hair and makeup done but in regular clothes. One girl I rode the elevator with told me I looked really pretty and asked me why I was all done up. It was so strange to say, “well, I’m actually getting married today!” It was so much fun! The bridesmaids met up one last time for lunch at my best friend Jess’s apartment and then we were off to the venue.
We got married at David Hill Winery on David Hill Road (clever, right? Hehe). The weather in Portland was actually fantastic, so I didn’t even think for a moment it would be any different at the winery. As luck would have it, I’m not joking when I say we took a right onto David Hill Road and I started seeing sprinkles on the windshield. I would be lying if I said I didn’t panic a little. Luckily, once I got into the farmhouse (where I would be finishing up getting ready and putting on my dress) I forgot all about the sprinkles and I was getting anxious to see my groom! I could look through the windows to see everyone getting the venue set up and my heart swelled with amazing amounts of gratitude and awe. Everything looked so perfect and wonderful. Seeing my vision come together was a seriously indescribable feeling. I couldn’t believe the day had finally arrived. I was marrying my soul mate and best friend. I wanted to pinch myself. How did I get so lucky?
Jill, our photographer, was shocked to see me and my bridesmaids were so on time. I had the best group of girls. Everyone knew what they had to do and they just did it. No stress, no drama. I was so ready to finally get my dress on. It meant I was one step closer to seeing Corey. It was funny and surreal to put the dress on and have everyone just kind of staring at me. It made me feel kinda shy, but also really happy and smiley. Corey wrote me a really sweet card that made me tear up a little, but I held it together pretty well! At this point I was really starting to get butterflies and feeling really anxious to see my husband-to-be!
Here are some pictures of my handsome husband getting ready for our big day. Looks at that smile. Isn't he the cutest?! I can't speak to what he did before I saw him or how he felt... But these pictures say it all anyways.
Tomorrow, the first look and portraits!
{all but first five photos by Jill Thomas}
