Just Keep Loving: I Become a Bride!

After finishing up at the salon, we still had about an hour and a half until Matt and I's first look. We stopped for lunch at the local Saladworks, and made our way over to Landis Valley Museum with (what seems like) plenty of time to spare. As soon as we arrived, I could feels the nerves starting to set in. Most of our vendors had arrived, the chairs were set up on the lawn, and I could see our florist setting up our flowers around the venue space. My groom was on his way, with his groomsmen in tow.

Whoa. This was really, seriously happening. TODAY. In a few hours. Cue the panic.

Somehow I managed to eat half of my salad before deciding that I absolutely had to get into my dress thisveryminute or else I would be late to my own first look. What seemed like so much time had seemingly vanished, and suddenly we were 15 minutes behind schedule. Before I knew it, I had put my dress on, my girls were helping me with my finishing touches, and it was almost time to see my groom!

The room where I had put my dress on was very fluorescent, which I knew would not make for good photos of "the finishing touches". I had asked Kristina to pick out a nice, shaded spot for me to finish getting ready, and she did not disappoint! I just had to walk around the side of the Country Store to find this spot, which turned out to be such a great spot for these photos.

All images by Kristina Ross Photography

While I wanted to throw on my shoes and haphazardly put my earrings in, I knew I needed to slowwww down and really take every aspect of this day in. I had heard it so many times before - "Take in every single moment of your wedding day, because it will go so fast!". 'm so glad I took their advice, because it turned out to be such a special moment. I was slowly transforming into a bride, and it was so sweet to see everyone's reactions. As soon as my veil was pinned in, I looked over to see my girl's wiping their eyes, which of course turned me into a puddle of mush. Knowing I was only a few minutes from seeing my groom for the first time put the biggest smile on my face, and I couldn't wait for him to see me as his bride.

We decided to exchange small gifts before seeing each other. I had mentioned to Mr. C several months back that I would love a gold monogram necklace with my new married initials. He must have been listening, because I opened the box to find the most beautiful, dainty necklace. Thanks husband-to-be! See ya in five minutes!

Up next, our super-emotional-ugly-crying-face first look!

Just Keep Loving: The Gals Get Pretty

Hi bees! I am so excited to be back and to start our wedding recaps! The day went so incredibly fast, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to relive the very best day with you all! Since this is the clownfish wedding, I wanted to honor the movie that features the most lovable little clownfish...Finding Nemo, of course. Hopefully you're able to connect our recap title with the movie, wanted to keep it just a little subtle ;) Since I'm a wedding photographer, our recap posts will feature a ton of our wedding photos, taken by the incredibly talented Kristina of Kristina Ross Photography! This was Kristina's first time shooting a "destination" wedding, and she absolutely rocked it. We absolutely love our wedding photos, and are excited to share them with you.

The morning of our wedding, I was surprising calm, cool, and relatively collected. After having a big girls sleepover with all of my bridesmaids the night before, we woke up the next morning with enough time to shower and gather up all our gear for the day. After running through our mental checklists and ensuring that we had everything we needed, we piled into two separate cars and headed toward the first stop of the day, the local Starbucks. Like I had mentioned in my gifts post, I had gotten each girl their own customized re-useable Starbucks cup. They were a huge hit on the day of the wedding, and I've seen them in action several times since.

With our cups of caffeine in tow, we headed toward the salon where we would get our hair and makeup done for the day. Since I had reserved enough time for all of my girls to get their looks done for the wedding, we had the entire salon to ourselves. The music was turned up, mimosas were poured, and we were all full of anxious energy and excitement. While I wasn't as "giddy" as I thought I would be (bouncing off the walls with energy and acting like the excited fool I can sometimes be), I was definitely more laid-back and relaxed. My bridesmaids kept asking me if I was getting more nervous as the hours wore on.

Honestly...I wasn't nervous. The entire time we were all getting ready, I had a sense of calm that overpowered any nerves or stress I might have felt. Maybe it was more of a "What will be will be" vibe, but I was confident in knowing that as long as I married Matt, the day was going to be perfect. My goal was to have as much fun as I could, with the people I loved the most. Nothing else besides marrying my best friend mattered. Starting out the morning with some of my best girl's was the perfect way to start our wedding day, and I'll forever cherish these images of "the calm before the storm"...

Up next, to arrive at Landis Valley Museum, the ladies finish getting ready, and I become a bride!