When we arrived at our reception, all of our wedding party was outside lining up for our entrances. We actually made great time with all the pictures at the church, so we were able to take a breather for a few minutes before entering. It was a little chilly since the sun had set at this point, but we were all pretty much huddled together while we waited. My Uncle (also our DJ) came out and spoke to us and apologized in advance if he said any names wrong haha! Then the music began to play -- "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" by Whitney Houston -- and we all entered. Al's parents went first, followed by my parents, and then the rest of our wedding party after them. When Al and I entered, everyone stood and clapped, and it was so fun seeing the happy faces of all the people we love.
Once we got in and everyone sat, we started the first dances. Al and I danced to a song we found way before we ever got engaged and we both knew it would be our first dance. It's called "I Get To Love You" by Ruelle. In that moment, it felt like we were alone in that room soaking up every moment of our best day ever. We laughed and cried, and it was something we both will remember as long as we live.
Next up was my dance with my daddy. I had to really prepare myself for this dance because I am a daddy's girl through and through. We danced to "My Little Girl" by Tim McGraw, and my favorite part of our dance was when my dad leaned down and whispered, "You'll always be my little girl you know." Cue all the tears from both of us. I am so thankful to have shared that danced with him.
Lastly was Al's dance with his mom. Al and I struggled to find the perfect song for him and his mom to dance to. All the mother/son dance songs were either country or R&B, and neither of those options really fit their relationship. I was on YouTube one day and came across a beautiful song, sung by someone whose voice was not exactly what I imagined when I pictured Al and his mom dancing to it. I showed it to Al, and he really wanted that to be the song, but he didn't love the person's voice either. So, we called our friend Victoria to see if she could record her own version of this song for us. She did, and it turned out so beautifully. I obviously don't know what the conversation was like between Al and his mom in that moment, but the pictures of the two of them dancing are really sweet, so I know it was a special time shared for both of them.
Once the dances were over, everyone took their seats, and my sister gave a welcome speech for my parents (because they aren't much for speeches), and then our brother Khyne blessed the food. Then we all ate, and Al and I are so thankful we got to take the time to visit with each of the people who came to celebrate with us.
Towards the end of dinner, our best man, matron, and maid of honors gave their speeches. We loved listening to the stories and words they each had to share. There were lots of laughs and a few tears on our part, but we got some really good advice on marriage from three people who we love to pieces, and we are so thankful Al's dad and both my sisters were the people who stood by our sides on our big day.
Once all the formalities of the evening were complete, the real fun began! To open up the dance floor, our DJ played a fun game. He invited all married couples to the dance floor and played "Through the Years" by Journey. After about half a minute of dancing, he would come on the microphone and say "If you've been married so many years or less, please sit down." Al and I got to stay on the dance floor surrounded by all these married couples. This went on until the only people left of the dance floor were Al and me, both sets of our parents, and Al's aunt and uncle. Our parents have been married the same amount of time - Al's parents got married in November 1990 and my parents got married in March 1991. So when my uncle said, "If you've been married less than 30 years, please sit down," it left us with Al's aunt and uncle. I can't remember exactly how many years they've been married, but I think it's almost 40. They got to share some sage marriage advice with us, advice we've carried with us each day we've been married. It was such a fun way to open up the dance floor!
Then our crazy, fun-loving friends joined us on the dance floor, and we danced. And danced. And danced some more. I'm pretty sure we didn't stop dancing all night. There are so many fun memories, but I think the pictures absolutely do the fun justice, so I will just share those.
We did the bouquet and garter tosses toward the end of the night. Fun fact: My sister had caught every single bouquet at the last six weddings she had been to, so I had a feeling she wasn't letting this one go. "Single Ladies" came on, and the girls got in formation. When I tossed the bouquet back, chaos ensued, and all I could see was my friend Brittany on the floor with my sister standing over her and my cousin Rilee in the corner holding her face. Kayla stood up, bouquet in hand, only to find she busted Rilee's lip on the way down to catch it. I expected nothing less from her, so I'm not surprised any of it happened, but it's still hilarious. Al did the garter toss to "Hot in Herre" by Nelly, and his groomsman Chip caught it. Apparently Chip has also caught a lot of garters, so it was perfect that they both were the ones to catch ours.
We did our cake cutting at some point, which was really just for tradition because we had pie instead of cake. And after that, we danced with our friends a little more as the night was coming to an end. My uncle made an announcement that it was time for our last dance and our sparkler exit. We danced our last dance to "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran (which is our actual song), and we had a few people who stayed back to watch us. I seriously couldn't have imagined a more perfect day and that's what we talked about during our last dance as we sang and swayed.
Once it was over, we went out to do our sparkler exit. Amber told us to do a dip, which she had helped us practice beforehand. We did it and then we did it again for good measure! As all our favorite people cheered for us, we found our parents and hugged and thanked them for everything. Then we drove off to our new married life!
There will never be enough words to share how much we loved every minute of our engagement season and wedding day! We felt incredibly loved and supported, and we cherish the memories we have of those times. We know there will never be another time that almost all the people we love will be in the same room together, and we couldn't have asked for more. I hope you enjoyed reading about our reception and our wedding day overall! It's a day we would relive over and over if we could! Now we're on to the next adventure -- the first year of marriage!
Once we got in and everyone sat, we started the first dances. Al and I danced to a song we found way before we ever got engaged and we both knew it would be our first dance. It's called "I Get To Love You" by Ruelle. In that moment, it felt like we were alone in that room soaking up every moment of our best day ever. We laughed and cried, and it was something we both will remember as long as we live.
Next up was my dance with my daddy. I had to really prepare myself for this dance because I am a daddy's girl through and through. We danced to "My Little Girl" by Tim McGraw, and my favorite part of our dance was when my dad leaned down and whispered, "You'll always be my little girl you know." Cue all the tears from both of us. I am so thankful to have shared that danced with him.
Lastly was Al's dance with his mom. Al and I struggled to find the perfect song for him and his mom to dance to. All the mother/son dance songs were either country or R&B, and neither of those options really fit their relationship. I was on YouTube one day and came across a beautiful song, sung by someone whose voice was not exactly what I imagined when I pictured Al and his mom dancing to it. I showed it to Al, and he really wanted that to be the song, but he didn't love the person's voice either. So, we called our friend Victoria to see if she could record her own version of this song for us. She did, and it turned out so beautifully. I obviously don't know what the conversation was like between Al and his mom in that moment, but the pictures of the two of them dancing are really sweet, so I know it was a special time shared for both of them.
Once the dances were over, everyone took their seats, and my sister gave a welcome speech for my parents (because they aren't much for speeches), and then our brother Khyne blessed the food. Then we all ate, and Al and I are so thankful we got to take the time to visit with each of the people who came to celebrate with us.
Towards the end of dinner, our best man, matron, and maid of honors gave their speeches. We loved listening to the stories and words they each had to share. There were lots of laughs and a few tears on our part, but we got some really good advice on marriage from three people who we love to pieces, and we are so thankful Al's dad and both my sisters were the people who stood by our sides on our big day.
Once all the formalities of the evening were complete, the real fun began! To open up the dance floor, our DJ played a fun game. He invited all married couples to the dance floor and played "Through the Years" by Journey. After about half a minute of dancing, he would come on the microphone and say "If you've been married so many years or less, please sit down." Al and I got to stay on the dance floor surrounded by all these married couples. This went on until the only people left of the dance floor were Al and me, both sets of our parents, and Al's aunt and uncle. Our parents have been married the same amount of time - Al's parents got married in November 1990 and my parents got married in March 1991. So when my uncle said, "If you've been married less than 30 years, please sit down," it left us with Al's aunt and uncle. I can't remember exactly how many years they've been married, but I think it's almost 40. They got to share some sage marriage advice with us, advice we've carried with us each day we've been married. It was such a fun way to open up the dance floor!
Then our crazy, fun-loving friends joined us on the dance floor, and we danced. And danced. And danced some more. I'm pretty sure we didn't stop dancing all night. There are so many fun memories, but I think the pictures absolutely do the fun justice, so I will just share those.
We did the bouquet and garter tosses toward the end of the night. Fun fact: My sister had caught every single bouquet at the last six weddings she had been to, so I had a feeling she wasn't letting this one go. "Single Ladies" came on, and the girls got in formation. When I tossed the bouquet back, chaos ensued, and all I could see was my friend Brittany on the floor with my sister standing over her and my cousin Rilee in the corner holding her face. Kayla stood up, bouquet in hand, only to find she busted Rilee's lip on the way down to catch it. I expected nothing less from her, so I'm not surprised any of it happened, but it's still hilarious. Al did the garter toss to "Hot in Herre" by Nelly, and his groomsman Chip caught it. Apparently Chip has also caught a lot of garters, so it was perfect that they both were the ones to catch ours.
We did our cake cutting at some point, which was really just for tradition because we had pie instead of cake. And after that, we danced with our friends a little more as the night was coming to an end. My uncle made an announcement that it was time for our last dance and our sparkler exit. We danced our last dance to "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran (which is our actual song), and we had a few people who stayed back to watch us. I seriously couldn't have imagined a more perfect day and that's what we talked about during our last dance as we sang and swayed.
Once it was over, we went out to do our sparkler exit. Amber told us to do a dip, which she had helped us practice beforehand. We did it and then we did it again for good measure! As all our favorite people cheered for us, we found our parents and hugged and thanked them for everything. Then we drove off to our new married life!
There will never be enough words to share how much we loved every minute of our engagement season and wedding day! We felt incredibly loved and supported, and we cherish the memories we have of those times. We know there will never be another time that almost all the people we love will be in the same room together, and we couldn't have asked for more. I hope you enjoyed reading about our reception and our wedding day overall! It's a day we would relive over and over if we could! Now we're on to the next adventure -- the first year of marriage!
