Today is My Fourth Wedding Anniversary!
My wedding was amazing, so going over every single thing that I loved about it would be impossible, but I thought I would share my top 10 favorite things about my wedding day in honor of making it to four years! And, a happy anniversary to my amazing husband, Dan!
(Note: All the photos are from our wedding, but I'm obviously not the photographer of my own wedding day. That credit goes to the amazing Kristi Hill of Hillside Studios.)
10 Our Small Guest List
Neither my husband or I are big on crowds or loud parties. We kept our guest list down to about 100 people and while that is still a lot, it felt way more intimate and special having only our closest family and friends there. We were able to spend time with nearly every guest and had some extra time to spend with just each other! There was so much less stress knowing I didn’t have to put on a show for a massive event I didn’t even want.
9 Our Cupcake Selection
This one seems so silly, but we picked the best cupcake flavors. We had your standards, like chocolate and vanilla, but we picked one surprise flavor that I still think back to and dream of eating more of: strawberry passionfruit. Sadly, we cannot, as our cake vendor is no longer in business. But I swear I am going to find a way to recreate this cake for us someday. I just hope it’s as good as I remember.
8 My Dream Venue
When I was in high school, I worked for a catering company. We catered a small awards ceremony held at the Tapestry House in Laporte and the entire time I was distracted by how beautiful the place was. The Victorian house was the perfect touch of history to the already amazing grounds and there was even a gazebo just dying to have a wedding held under it. I thought to myself “It would be great to be married here” and I kept it in my mind for 10 years until I had the chance to use it. Luckily, the place was perfect for my husband as well, so the decision to use my dream location was an easy one.
7 Our First Dance
We did our first dance to “Is That Alright?” By Lady Gaga. If you had told high school me that I would be dancing to a Lady Gaga song for my first dance, I would have thought you were crazy. But that song is seriously so perfect, and it only gets more perfect as our life together grows. We aren’t big dancers and were definitely nervous for this part of the wedding. We ended up taking some dance lessons and choreographing the dance, which honestly made it that much more special.
6 Saving My Dress Scraps
I loved my wedding dress. It was everything I ever wanted. Except that it had these three dangly strands on each arm that were mostly just annoying because they tickled and were distracting. I had my seamstress take these off but asked her to save them for me—which I’m so grateful she did. I ended up taking these scraps and making bracelets out of them for each of my bridesmaids, my mother, and my grandmother. I even had some leftover beads and made myself a bracelet for the big day. This was such a special touch and I’m so glad I thought of it rather than tossing those annoying dangles.
5 Post-Wedding Calzones
We got married in an early ceremony at 11:00am. Lunch was delicious and provided by our venue, but let’s be honest, you are so busy during a wedding it’s hard to get enough to eat. Not to mention we were so hyped up and excited the entire time, we didn’t have much of an appetite to begin with. So, after we got checked into our bed and breakfast for the night, we hopped on over to our neighborhood DP Dough for calzones and let me tell you… better than even our wedding lunch was.
4 My Grandmother's Bible
My paternal grandmother passed away just days after I was born. From what I’m told, she was an amazing woman, not too unlike myself personality-wise. She had a small lace-bound Bible she left in the care of my aunt who gave it to me to borrow for our wedding ceremony. I carried it down the aisle along with my bouquet and it was a great way to remember her during the ceremony. It was also a great way to incorporate my faith into our ceremony in a more personal way since we didn’t have an overly religious ceremony.
3 A First Look With My Dad & Brother
Neither of the original most important men in my life got to see my dress before the wedding day. That’s because I was set on having a small first look with the two of them before the ceremony and it was a great way to let them know how special they are to me. We all got our tears out before the ceremony, which is great because I’m a big crier, and I got to dedicate some time to my family before the chaos, which was great.
2 Our Private Vow Ceremony
My husband and I wanted to write our own vows, but being quiet, personal kind of people, we didn’t want to share them with our entire guest list. So instead, we did a first look and during this time, took a moment to read our vows to each other. This was actually the best part of the whole day. It took the whole purpose of a wedding and made it intimate and special, just for us. This is the number one thing I recommend to everyone getting married. I’ve yet to find a couple who has done this and regretted it.
1 My Husband
Okay, this isn’t part of the wedding exactly, but I think it still counts. Because on my wedding day, I got to marry my best friend, my partner, and the best person I know. Every day I am married to him is such a gift and I couldn’t have asked for a better person to have by my side or to be the father of my daughter. Being with him on August 3, 2019 was the best part of the day, hands down. Happy anniversary, Dan!
Bonus:
My least favorite part of my wedding was doing a garter and bouquet toss. You guys, it was cringy, embarrassing, and not at all on brand for my husband and me.
Want My Wedding Day Vendor List?
Venue: Wedgwood Tapestry House, Laporte, CO
Catering: Wedgwood Tapestry House, Laporte, CO
Flowers: Palmer Flowers, Loveland, CO
Photographer: Kristi Hill, Hillside Studios, Loveland, CO
Cake: Daddy Cakes Bakery, Fort Collins, CO (now closed)
Hair & Makeup: Brandy Winegarner, Tickled Pink Studios, Greeley, CO
Rings: Shane CO, Westminster, CO
Dress: Dora Grace Bridal, Fort Collins, CO
Suits: Men's Warehouse, Fort Collins, CO
