Becoming Mr. & Mrs. Flowers

If you’re not into reading, feel free to skip down to the photos! There’s captions with exclusive insight and backstories as well as a video highlight of our wedding at the very end of the blog!

I dreamt of my wedding day since I was a child. I was one of “those” girls. I dreamt of the day I would get to wear a beautiful white dress and walk down the aisle to say “I do” to the love of my life. (Yes, I was a Disney kid.) The day James proposed was the happiest of my life, only to be topped by our wedding day. It was such a surreal feeling when he proposed that it didn’t settle in until like 20 minutes later. Is this really happening? Am I really living this? I’m getting married?!? Omg…IM GETTING MARRIED — and then came the waterworks.

Being conservative Christians, we took a very traditional route. James and I would only move in together after the wedding. We both still lived with our parents, though James lived on campus during the week. For me, a large part of the journey was preparing to move out, which was an emotional one. I know, I know who doesn’t want to move out, right?! It’s not that I didn’t want to move out, because truly, I was excited and ready for it! It was the thought of not seeing my mom when she came home to give her a hug and kiss, or waking up to my dad playing guitar on weekend mornings that would weigh heavy on my heart. I share this because you will see these emotions surface throughout our wedding photos, particularly between me and my mom. My mom and I grew very close over the last several years, I think as most mothers and daughters do once we’re done with YOU-DONT-GET-ME-MOM phase. (Sorry, about that, Mom! Teenagers..amiright?) So there were some very bittersweet moments. The day was a celebration of new beginnings and also a farewell to the life we had. James and I were creating a new life together as husband and wife.

Surprisingly, I wasn’t very nervous on our wedding day. I was just happy and calm. Even when we were getting ready for the first look I just felt very calm. It wasn’t until it was time for me to walk down the aisle that I started to feel nervous and had to take a deep breath thinking, “Yup, it’s really happening!” But as soon as I started walking down the aisle and I saw James, I was no longer nervous. It was the moment we’d been longing for and I felt a joy I can’t quite put into words. I couldn’t stop smiling throughout our entire ceremony. God’s promises were fulfilling and we felt more than blessed.

The wedding day was perfectly imperfect. Did everything go according to plan? No. Would I do it all over again? Also no, because well, expensive BUT I would definitely relive it over and over if I could. The things that went askew at our wedding have faded into the background. What I remember vividly are the wonderful moments I shared with family, friends, and my husband. And it’s truly all that matters.