Greg and I had maybe the shortest engagement ever. A couple weeks after the proposal, we went to a marriage conference at another church. At the beginning they were taking a poll to see who had been the most recently engaged - we won!
Then they asked who was getting married the soonest from that date - we won!
Also, he got me a new engagement ring, courtesy of his good friend Tim from Emma Parker & Co.
Planning a wedding in six weeks is not super fun. At least not for me. I know lots of people seem - operative word there - to enjoy their wedding planning, but I didn't enjoy it. Either time.
I stress a lot over planning events. Is that everyone though? And why do I do it constantly? Glutton for punishment maybe? I don't know. But we host a lot of things and every time, I worry we won't have enough food (we always have too much) or that people won't have fun (they keep coming back, so I guess they are) or something.
And yet I keep planning all the things.
But I digress.
I honestly wanted to run off to Vegas and have Elvis marry us. I always thought that would be fun and I'd already had a big wedding.
But this was going to be Greg's first wedding and it was important to him that his family witness him getting married (especially after such a painful breakup the year before). So his folks gave us a nice chunk of change - I already mentioned how sweet and generous they are! - and we set out planning.
And by "we" I mean "me". Greg just needed to show up. Ha ha!
We decided a small intimate wedding made more sense than a big church wedding for us. One of our first dates (but not our very first) was at an Italian restaurant in Bellevue called Maggiano's. We thought it might be cool to have a small wedding with a full dinner with a few of our closest loved ones.
Actually, the first time we went there I was meeting some dear friends of Greg's - (the aforementioned Tim and his lovely wife Tara) who are now dear friends of mine, though we don't see them near as often as we'd like. It was bizarre because I'm sitting there, a grown woman whose been divorced, sitting there with my new boyfriend and all of a sudden, I recognize one of the waiters from afar.
*side note* In my experience, it is an extremely odd sensation (for lack of a better word) being someone's girlfriend after you've been someone's wife. That is all.
I kept watching this guy, thinking he looked just like one of the worship pastors at the church I used to attend in Southern Oregon with my ex-husband. But that made no sense, right?
It was super distracting, wondering who this guy was and why he looked so much like someone from my past. At one point he came close enough that I was sure it was him and suddenly my mouth betrayed me,
"Seth?!"
He stopped and turned.
"Jaime?!"
*worlds collided*
I introduced him to Greg with a confusing mix of excitement and shame. Seth had worked closely with my ex (who was both a musician and a sound guy) and a zillion thoughts were careening around my skull as we made small talk for a few awkward moments. I wondered what he must think of me.
Gosh, I could not wait for that moment to be over.
Anywaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay...
Maggiano's had a lovely meeting space in the back of their restaurant and they were across the way from a super cool bowling alley. We really wanted our wedding to be fun, and even though we had to keep the ceremony itself super small, we wanted to have a big reception to invite all of our peeps to.
Those 6 weeks flew by. Greg and I planned, and we fought. I've found engagement periods to be super difficult. I truly believe the enemy is on extra attack when a couple who loves Jesus decides they want to stay together forever. At least, that's been my experience. Tough. Yikes.
One of my favorite parts of our wedding was how very personal everything was. It just felt a lot more intentional to me than my first one. (It probably had something to do with the fact that this time, I wasn't feeling obligated to do things the way someone else wanted them.) So many friends offered their time and talents to make our day really special.
*side note* I'm sorry that I do these "first one" comparisons all the time. It's just honestly hard not to. They're always in my head.
My dear (then) Single Mama friend Nikki helped me design my invitations and favor cards and then she made them.
My sweet friend Shelli friend loaned me her necklace. (My "something borrowed", which is perfect for her because she's the ultimate thrifter.)
My talented friend Julie and her mama (may she rest in peace) did all my beautiful flowers.
I made my veil, and made ties for the boys that kind of told our story.
For my dress, I had a vision of a short, strapless number in raw silk, gathered at the side, with a slight ruffle peeking out the bottom. I shopped some but eventually decided custom-made was the way to go, because frankly, I'm just picky as heck and I always get very specific ideas in my head about certain things, which require stuff being custom made - it's super fun *eye roll*.
Enter Bernie. She was a friend from church that I knew had amazing seamstress skills. I shared with her what I wanted. She found the perfect silk, but I was having a hard time figuring out exactly the detail to use as the ruffle.
When I was 12, my Gramma Mow (my dad's mom) gave me a pale blue petticoat that had been hers when she was young. I remember when I received it, I was not yet mature enough to appreciate what she had gifted me. But still, I saved it.
I was going through some boxes one day while trying to make room in preparation for Greg to move in after our wedding day. Lo and behold...I uncovered Mow's petticoat. And I knew it was perfect for my dress. (My "something old" and "something blue"!)
Bernie ended up cutting off the bottom 4" of the petticoat to incorporate into my dress, but the rest is still intact. And it turned out pretty much as I had envisioned - only bummer was by the wedding day I'd lost some weight and she had to pin me into it!
I bought some gorgeous red heels (so fun, cuz the first time I was barefoot!) that I fell in love with, but they came off as soon as the ceremony was over. So uncomfy. They're in my closet still - I've never worn them again but I can't get rid of them.
My bestie Tress and her hubby agreed to take our photos.
And my dear friend and coworker Mike agreed to let us be the first people he ever married! (He's since done a bunch of weddings, so fun!)
My dad wasn't able to make the wedding, so I created a stand-in for pictures...
I got pedicures with Teiley, my friend Tammy and my almost-mother and sister-in-love...
The big day finally arrived.
I checked into our hotel room for the night, across the street from the restaurant, with my long-time friend Kimmers and my mom.
Another friend, Jen, did my hair. I'd already had my make up done at the nearby Ulta - big, dramatic, smoky eyes.
Greg and I wanted to get all the family pics done first so our small amount of guests wouldn't have to wait around for us. So Greg and I did our "first look" pics in the lobby of the lovely hotel we stayed in (the Hyatt), and did some fun family ones outside in their courtyard and in the "skybridge" that crossed from the hotel to the restaurant.
And finally, it was time.
Our guests were already waiting for us, enjoying each other and some appetizers. Mike, Greg, and the family all went before me into the room as I nervously waited outside with Jasper and Teiley.
Even as I type this, my stomach is full of butterflies, remembering back to that day...
Xoxo.
Also, he got me a new engagement ring, courtesy of his good friend Tim from Emma Parker & Co.
Planning a wedding in six weeks is not super fun. At least not for me. I know lots of people seem - operative word there - to enjoy their wedding planning, but I didn't enjoy it. Either time.
I stress a lot over planning events. Is that everyone though? And why do I do it constantly? Glutton for punishment maybe? I don't know. But we host a lot of things and every time, I worry we won't have enough food (we always have too much) or that people won't have fun (they keep coming back, so I guess they are) or something.
And yet I keep planning all the things.
But I digress.
I honestly wanted to run off to Vegas and have Elvis marry us. I always thought that would be fun and I'd already had a big wedding.
 |
| I mean, who wouldn't want this guy to do the honors?! |
And by "we" I mean "me". Greg just needed to show up. Ha ha!
We decided a small intimate wedding made more sense than a big church wedding for us. One of our first dates (but not our very first) was at an Italian restaurant in Bellevue called Maggiano's. We thought it might be cool to have a small wedding with a full dinner with a few of our closest loved ones.
Actually, the first time we went there I was meeting some dear friends of Greg's - (the aforementioned Tim and his lovely wife Tara) who are now dear friends of mine, though we don't see them near as often as we'd like. It was bizarre because I'm sitting there, a grown woman whose been divorced, sitting there with my new boyfriend and all of a sudden, I recognize one of the waiters from afar.
*side note* In my experience, it is an extremely odd sensation (for lack of a better word) being someone's girlfriend after you've been someone's wife. That is all.
I kept watching this guy, thinking he looked just like one of the worship pastors at the church I used to attend in Southern Oregon with my ex-husband. But that made no sense, right?
It was super distracting, wondering who this guy was and why he looked so much like someone from my past. At one point he came close enough that I was sure it was him and suddenly my mouth betrayed me,
"Seth?!"
He stopped and turned.
"Jaime?!"
*worlds collided*
I introduced him to Greg with a confusing mix of excitement and shame. Seth had worked closely with my ex (who was both a musician and a sound guy) and a zillion thoughts were careening around my skull as we made small talk for a few awkward moments. I wondered what he must think of me.
Gosh, I could not wait for that moment to be over.
Maggiano's had a lovely meeting space in the back of their restaurant and they were across the way from a super cool bowling alley. We really wanted our wedding to be fun, and even though we had to keep the ceremony itself super small, we wanted to have a big reception to invite all of our peeps to.
Those 6 weeks flew by. Greg and I planned, and we fought. I've found engagement periods to be super difficult. I truly believe the enemy is on extra attack when a couple who loves Jesus decides they want to stay together forever. At least, that's been my experience. Tough. Yikes.
One of my favorite parts of our wedding was how very personal everything was. It just felt a lot more intentional to me than my first one. (It probably had something to do with the fact that this time, I wasn't feeling obligated to do things the way someone else wanted them.) So many friends offered their time and talents to make our day really special.
*side note* I'm sorry that I do these "first one" comparisons all the time. It's just honestly hard not to. They're always in my head.
My dear (then) Single Mama friend Nikki helped me design my invitations and favor cards and then she made them.
My talented friend Julie and her mama (may she rest in peace) did all my beautiful flowers.
I made my veil, and made ties for the boys that kind of told our story.
For my dress, I had a vision of a short, strapless number in raw silk, gathered at the side, with a slight ruffle peeking out the bottom. I shopped some but eventually decided custom-made was the way to go, because frankly, I'm just picky as heck and I always get very specific ideas in my head about certain things, which require stuff being custom made - it's super fun *eye roll*.
Enter Bernie. She was a friend from church that I knew had amazing seamstress skills. I shared with her what I wanted. She found the perfect silk, but I was having a hard time figuring out exactly the detail to use as the ruffle.
When I was 12, my Gramma Mow (my dad's mom) gave me a pale blue petticoat that had been hers when she was young. I remember when I received it, I was not yet mature enough to appreciate what she had gifted me. But still, I saved it.
I was going through some boxes one day while trying to make room in preparation for Greg to move in after our wedding day. Lo and behold...I uncovered Mow's petticoat. And I knew it was perfect for my dress. (My "something old" and "something blue"!)
 |
| Mow and Pow, my Dad's parents |
I bought some gorgeous red heels (so fun, cuz the first time I was barefoot!) that I fell in love with, but they came off as soon as the ceremony was over. So uncomfy. They're in my closet still - I've never worn them again but I can't get rid of them.
My bestie Tress and her hubby agreed to take our photos.
And my dear friend and coworker Mike agreed to let us be the first people he ever married! (He's since done a bunch of weddings, so fun!)
My dad wasn't able to make the wedding, so I created a stand-in for pictures...
I got pedicures with Teiley, my friend Tammy and my almost-mother and sister-in-love...
The big day finally arrived.
I checked into our hotel room for the night, across the street from the restaurant, with my long-time friend Kimmers and my mom.
Another friend, Jen, did my hair. I'd already had my make up done at the nearby Ulta - big, dramatic, smoky eyes.
Greg and I wanted to get all the family pics done first so our small amount of guests wouldn't have to wait around for us. So Greg and I did our "first look" pics in the lobby of the lovely hotel we stayed in (the Hyatt), and did some fun family ones outside in their courtyard and in the "skybridge" that crossed from the hotel to the restaurant.
And finally, it was time.
Our guests were already waiting for us, enjoying each other and some appetizers. Mike, Greg, and the family all went before me into the room as I nervously waited outside with Jasper and Teiley.
Even as I type this, my stomach is full of butterflies, remembering back to that day...
Xoxo.
