February surprise

We decided to keep valentine's day low-key this year. Partly because I tend to be anti-anything-that-is-overly-hyped and partly since we had celebrated our one-year anniversary AND indulged in a romantic cabin getaway in the month leading up to it. And that is just what we did. 

However-- Ryan knows me well enough to know that if he does something romantic when it's NOT valentine's day, it will mean even more to me. And that is just what he did.

I feel extremely blessed to have a husband that loves me so intentionally every day. Not to mention one that occasionally surprises me with a home full of candles, flowers, handmade gifts, and homemade dinner. 

Wedding day: reception

And finally...


The reception is where time really started to get away from us on our wedding day. It was a joyous time of eating, dancing, and celebrating. I wish so badly there was a way to do all of that and still get to adequately converse with ALL the guests.


The CD pictures from our reception was left at a friends house, so we're working on recovering them to add to this post. Until then, it was time to start updating current photos.

Wedding day: details

I already had the chance to describe our details over at Green Wedding Shoes so I'll quote myself--
One of the themes for the style aspect of the wedding was colored glass. My senior year in high school, I inherited several unique pieces of antique colored glass from my grandmother, and quickly after began collecting colored glass vases and household decor from every antique store we visited. When we first started the planning/dreaming process for the wedding, it did not take me long to realize that I wanted these pieces to be a central component of our design. Another important stylistic theme of our wedding was handmade/homespun. I can honestly say that my love of crafting and creating is paralleled by Ryan’s. We both love raw art in all forms- which I feel was reflected well in our choice of wedding music, photography, videography, and decorations. We really wanted our wedding to be an accurate reflection of us as a couple.

[photo credit Austin Gros Photography]

Wedding day: sunset

After we signed our marriage license, we snuck away to take some pictures with one of our beloved Arizona sunsets. We felt a little bit like we pressed the pause button before continuing on in the merriment of that evening.

[photo credit Austin Gros Photography]

Wedding day: family

We obviously like our families just a smidgen. I feel a little bit like they are the ones that get most neglected on the wedding day, though. With so many out-of-town guests and old friends that we hadn't seen in too long, we probably spent the least amount of time with those closest to us.

Regardless of how cliche I may sound for saying so, I kind of wish our wedding was a week-long celebration or that time would have slowed down just for that day. We're so thankful for the people that spent the week before the wedding with us, slaving over all the preparations, for our special wedding rehearsal evening the night before, AND that we were able to spend time with a few relatives and friends at church and brunch the day after the wedding, which all allowed for more intimate visiting settings.

[photo credit Austin Gros Photography]