7QT - Six Whole Months

So, I've mentioned that I recently got married a handful of times. Exactly six months ago today. So I totally have all kinds of wisdom and stuff on marriage.

OK, not really, but I thought that for today's quick takes, I'd share a few things that I'm grateful for from the actual day of the wedding. There's not really anything I'd change (except the time of the alarm) if I could go back.

Let's start with some music. Hmm...how about our first dance song? An oldie but goodie. (Although we cheated and used Michael Buble's version since it was what we found on Spotify.)

And now without further ado...

1. I didn't hire a makeup artist or fancy hair stylist. 

Mom putting my makeup on. I apparently can't avoid making strange faces
even when someone else is doing my hair.

This is normally the kind of thing that brides say that they wish they HAD done, but I don't really care about normal. My sister Mary did my hair, and my mom did my makeup and helped me get the dress on. My other sisters (bridesmaids and junior bridesmaids) were in and out of the room, my maid of honor was involved, and my photographer was my cousin. Plus one of my uncles drove me to the church. It was a wonderful morning with my family that was both slightly hectic and incredibly wonderful.

2. We did most of our pictures with the bridal party before the actual wedding. 

They weren't particularly thrilled with having to be at the church early enough for pictures before a 10 AM wedding, but they had coffee. 

Except these two adorable stinkers. This is one of our favorites.

We got to spend some time with each other, and with the bridal party before things picked up with the rest of the guests. It was still peaceful in the church, and we had time to pray together before the wedding.

3. We had the Passion of St. John as our Gospel reading. 

Fine, this was taken during the homily, but it's a much better picture. Plus, Fr. Tom talked about Gollum.

It really fit with Ephesians 5 (our second reading) and made the most sense to us. We are supposed to encourage each other to be Christ, and to have that kind of sacrificial love for each other. It's not normal, but it really seemed fitting. 

4. We memorized our vows.

And miraculously didn't sob through them.

"I, Natalie, take you, Shane, to be my husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life. 

"Take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

This was one of my favorite parts of preparing for the wedding, memorizing the vows. It's only three sentences, so it really wasn't hard. And seeing as we were making a lifelong commitment to each other, we could make the effort to memorize three little lines. 

5. We didn't use the Ave Maria that everyone uses.

"Wait, you don't have to sing the Ave Maria during the Marian dedication?" 

No, you don't. It doesn't really fit anyway, seeing as it's almost five minutes long. That's a long time for everyone to be watching you pray. I like praying and have obviously prayed for more than five minutes at a time before, but it's kind of boring to watch. So we had a chant setting of Alma Redemptoris Mater (seasonally appropriate to boot!). 

6. Father didn't say to kiss the bride. 

Also, how cool is this shot?

Instead, right after he announced us and people started clapping, Shane just leaned over and kissed me. I like that a lot better than being told to kiss — it was genuine instead of forced. 

7. We didn't make everyone wait hours after the Mass for the reception. 

It was fun watching his family be completely shocked that Shane knew how to dance.
(My parents taught him while we were visiting for Christmas, a whole two weeks before.)

The hall was open as of noon, and we got there around one. Doing most of the bridal party pictures before the wedding meant that we just had to do family pictures, and no one had to find ways to occupy themselves between the two on a 24 degree day. (January weddings: easy to get spaces, really cold to get between the spaces.) It was very streamlined, and while it did make some things slightly hectic, it really made it all work out really well. Pictures were split up, so we didn't have to stare at a camera for a long stretch of time, and we were able to spend more time with the people who braved the snow and cold to come to Boston for a January wedding. 

Bonus: At the end of the day, we were married. 

I get to spend the rest of my life with him, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Six months later, the trappings of the day are long gone, I can't wear the dress anymore, we're four months away from a baby, and it's been the best six months of our lives. 

Has it been easy? No. Will it always be easy? No. Will it even always be good? No. I know all of this, and am extremely grateful for every day, be it good or bad, easy or hard. He makes me better, and he helps me seek Christ. In the end, that's what's most important.

— — —

You can find more quick takes over at A Knotted Life with Bonnie Engstrom, should you be inclined to find something less sappy and wedding-oriented. And if you would like to see more pictures from the wedding than I have here, you can go look at them at my cousin's website, Kara Kamienski Photography.