**Jenny & Brian: April 21, 2007**

[jrbecca]

The morning of my wedding came earlier than expected. Uncomfortable in an unfamiliar bed, I woke at 3:30 a.m. As I tossed and turned, getting ever more tangled in the sheets, I mentally drafted a speech of appreciation that, little did I know, guests would never hear. I thought of Brian, knowing that he was surely awake, too. After nearly an hour, I fell back to sleeping until the alarm woke me again at 6:00 a.m.

The house was dark and quiet, save for some rustling in the kitchen. Mamoo, Brian’s grandmother, was awake and fixing her breakfast. After wishing her a good morning, I sat with her at the dimly-lit kitchen table, sipping a glass of lukewarm water. In the quiet of the morning I asked Mamoo about her wedding day. Over the next 10 minutes I learned that her wedding was a morning wedding, too—10 a.m.—and was made even more special by the beautiful weather that graced it.

At 6:15 a.m., I made my way to the bathroom, where I leisurely showered. As I showered the window brightened as the sun rose. The realization that this was my wedding day quickly settled in and I was overcome with a sense of peace and contentment. There were no more preparations to be made. No more details to concern myself with. This was the day I was going to walk down the aisle and become Brian’s wife. Yes, the glorious day had arrived.

As I slowly blow dried my hair, a small tapping at the door interrupted my thoughts. On the other side were my hair and makeup artist and her assistant. After greeting me, my hair and makeup artist gave me a hug and congratulated me. They then retreated to the dining room to prepare for the morning.

Soon after, my bridesmaids and close family arrived to participate in and watch the preparations. I nursed a hot cup of Chai while watching my bridesmaids get their hair styled. Soon it was my turn. As my hair was curled, then teased, and finally pinned, my photographer arrived to capture these joyful, final moments.

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After my hair was curled to perfection, I began getting dressed with an audience composed of my mother, grandmother, aunt, and matron of honor. To have my dress laced, I walked out into the living room which was still bustling with activity. With a measuring tape in hand, Brian’s mother, my mother, and matron of honor, laced and cinched my gown into place. Just before leaving for the church, my hairstylist put my veil in my hair. I then began my walk to the limo. At the front door, I stopped in front of Brian’s grandfather and asked him, “What do you think?” He gave me a big smile replied, “This is great.” We hugged and then I proceeded to the limo.

Unfortunately, the weather was not beautiful on our wedding day. Rain greeted me as I exited the house. To guard me (and my makeup) from it, my matron of honor held an umbrella over my head as I stepped outside. The rain, however, was the not biggest challenge of the day—it was getting into the limo. Arranging my dress was one thing, but arranging my chapel-length, handmade veil was another.

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Photography by Craig Mitchelldyer Photography, Milwaukie, Ore. All Rights Reserved.

[jrbecca]

I was blessed to be accompanied by my mother, grandmother, aunt, and bridesmaids on the way to the church. The conversation was minimal, although several remarks were made about the luxurious interior of the limo, and how much calmer I was than everyone else. Unfortunately, our drive to the church was slowed by an accident on the highway. Our limo driver was savvy enough to take the back roads to the church, but many of our family members were not. One of my bridesmaids received frantic phone calls from her family informing her that they would be late to the wedding. I knew that several others must be struggling against traffic, too, but reminded myself that nothing was going to bother me this day, my wedding day. I put any worrisome thoughts out of my mind and enjoyed the pastoral scenery as we drove through the countryside.

Once the limo arrived and I was assured that Brian was safely tucked away in the sacristy, I walked to the church office where I waited for Father Dan’s instructions and the arrival of our flowers. The flowers were beautiful, the colors of the tulips, sweet peas, amaranthus, and other blooms a perfect blend of pink, peach, and yellow.

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With two minutes until the ceremony began, I led the procession from the office to the church foyer. With everyone in position, the music started. While I could see several guests from where I stood, I could not see Brian. When I heard what would be his cue to enter the sanctuary from the sacristy, a broad smile crossed my face—I knew my husband-to-be was now eagerly waiting for me.

To the triumphant notes of “King William’s March,” I entered the sanctuary, escorted by my mother, and was filled with pride as I saw a series of prideful smiles on my family’s faces. At the beginning of the main aisle, I stopped, offered my mother my cheek for a kiss and then stood there as I let her seat herself. Then, with eyes locked on Brian, I walked down the aisle, my head held high and my lips parted in a joyful smile. While walking, I noticed Brian nod in my direction, ever so slightly—a sign of resounding approval and happiness. When I got closer, I saw tears in Brian’s eyes—the moment was more breathtaking than I had imagined.

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The ceremony itself was beautiful. In many ways, it exceeded our expectations. It was filled with emotion, tenderness, and faith. We were blessed to have Brian’s granddad serve as our lector, and Father Dan delivered a homily that was both funny and thought-provoking. Save for a funny moment during our vows—I accidentally uttered, “I, Brian, take you, Jenny”—the ceremony was perfect from beginning to end. And what overwhelming joy Brian and I felt as we walked down the aisle, arm-in-arm as husband and wife.

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Photography by Craig Mitchelldyer Photography, Milwaukie, Ore. All Rights Reserved.

[jrbecca]

After signing the marriage license and posing for several photos, Brian and I retreated to the limo. The drive the reception was wonderful. We bathed in each other’s admirations for one another, shared our most favorite moments of the ceremony, and exchanged stories of our sleepless nights prior. The rain continued to pour, but we paid it no attention. As we held onto one another, as husband and wife, the world outside faded into a blur.

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Photography by Craig Mitchelldyer Photography, Milwaukie, Ore. All Rights Reserved.

[jrbecca]

Arriving at the reception, we were greeted outside by our DJ and photographer. A few family members were on our heels. After getting my dress bustled, and having straggling family members ushered upstairs, Brian and I prepared for our entrance. While it was a thrill to enter into the reception to the resounding sound of applause for “Mr. and Mrs. Jenny and Brian Reed,” it was breathtaking to take in the beauty of the reception décor.

The vision I had promoted with such passion and fervor finally unfolded before me. I shouldn’t have been surprised, however, by the splendor and beauty of the room. After all, a catering staff person stopped us just minutes prior to express how much she loved our colors, describing them as “so joyous.” Before me were perfectly set tables, perfectly creased napkins, beautiful centerpieces, and table runners that filled the room with a joyful hue.

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Within minutes of taking our seats at the head table, our lunch was delivered to us. With our attendants and their loved ones at our sides, we did nothing but enjoy the moment. The many smiles we received from nearby family and friends were heartwarming. Our meal was interrupted frequently by people offering congratulations and requesting photographs of and with us. My matron of honor sat to my left, making last-minute edits to her speech. The food was delicious, the décor amazing, and the moment perfect.

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At the end of our meal, we began visiting tables. This represented one of our favorite times of the reception. We were thrilled at the opportunity to finally meet each other’s colleagues, greet long-distance relatives for the first time in five years, and joyfully, and politely, accept compliments on how beautiful the service was—we could have visited for hours. However, there were others things to which we had to attend.

Immediately following lunch was the toasts. And what surprises they held. Brian’s brother and best man, Thomas, surprised us all by memorizing his speech. While its content was less than personal, his speech was heartfelt. My matron of honor, Angie, delivered the finest speech of the afternoon. She reflected upon how her and I met, what it meant to be a matron of honor, and what a joy it’s been to be a part of our wedding. She cried throughout much of her speech, as did I. Brian’s cousin and my maid of honor, Jane, disappointed us in her efforts. Two sentences and she was done. We refused to let this bother us, and quickly moved on to cutting the cake.

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Photography by Craig Mitchelldyer Photography, Milwaukie, Ore. All Rights Reserved.

[jrbecca]

With the cake cut, our first dance began—“I’ll Be” by Edwin McCain. The night before our wedding, Brian’s mother insisted on giving us a dance lesson. While appreciated, we were so engrossed in trying to look graceful on the dance floor that we didn’t hear a single word of the song. Luckily, we made it through with all four feet intact, and giggled throughout at our mistakes. Brian’s dance with his mother—“Moonriver”—was far more beautiful to watch. The dance floor then opened up to all who wished to dance.

Dancing was quick and brief, as to be expected for a dry, early afternoon reception. There were many laughs had during a dance for married couples. As couples were excused from the dance floor based on how long they had been married, just our grandparents were left at the end. And they all looked wonderful on the dance floor.

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The rest of the afternoon was spent visiting with guests, bidding farewell to most, and then preparing for our departure, celebrated with a shower of rice. As Brian and I drove away in his grandfather’s Thunderbird, we were filled with such joy and peace that we had never before experienced. And serenely, we drove to downtown Portland to privately celebrate our union—always bestfriends and finally, husband and wife.

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Photography by Craig Mitchelldyer Photography, Milwaukie, Ore. All Rights Reserved.

[*Maggie*]

I hope its OK to post.

Jenny, your story was absolutely beautiful. You were absolutely beautiful!! I felt like I was there reading the entire thing! I was fine..until I read this..."And serenely, we drove to downtown Portland to privately celebrate our union—always bestfriends and finally, husband and wife." Yep...that made me lose it! :sniff:

Congratulations to you and Brian!

[jrbecca]

Maggie: It is most certainly OK to post! Thank you for your kind words. I felt radiant and knew that any beauty was really an outward reflection of how much love I had in my heart for Brian that day, and still do. It was such a blessed and beautiful day. I'm delighted to finally share it with MLW!

[Trinia]

Yay!!! I have been waiting for this :whoop:


Jenny! Your wedding was absolutely beautiful and you looked amazing :heart:

[Noelle]

Beautifully written and a beautiful bride!!!

[jrbecca]

Trin: I know you and several others have, so I'm thrilled to finally post my wedding day story for all the inquiring minds. Thank you for the compliments. It was such a wonderful day that even writing about it brought back many of the emotions felt.

Noelle: Thank you! I'm happy you enjoyed reading it.

[MsJessica07]

What a beautiful story! Thank you so much for sharing it with us and taking the effort to post the pictures! It looks like a beautiful wedding for a beautiful bride!

I'm so glad too, that married life is treating you well!!

[nikkiscott]

Jenny, I am sitting here :sappy:after reading your wds. You do have a way with words.

Everything looked so beautiful. I love how everything turned out. I can say that waiting for this wds was well worth the wait.

[Christa]

Congratulations! You looked beautiful, I wish I could write like you do!

[Poloke]

your wedding was beautiful- i love your color choices!

And you looked beautiful!

Congrats on a pretty day and best wishes on a happy, long marriage!

[NewlywedNurse]

My goodness..your pictures were beautiful, you were beautiful and your story was beautifully told. You really beamed in every photo and it was easy to tell it was a wonderful day. Congratulations and best wishes to you and your husband.

[kate]

Jenny everything was so beautiful! I'm so happy you shared your day with us!! :sappy:

[jrbecca]

Ladies, thank you SO much for the compliments and well-wishes. It was a pleasure reading each of your wedding day stories and it's equally an honor to share with you mine. This is such an intimate community that I feel I can share even this, such a private and love-filled memory, with you. Thank you for reading. :heart:

[saraw04]

Congratulations Jenny! What beautifullly written WDS and equally beautiful wedding. Everything looks wonderful!

Sara :)

[Kelly]

:jawdrop: your wedding was absolutely stunning!

[Rebecca]

:sappy: Oh Jenny...I did not even realize you had posted this! Everything is so beautiful and of course you and Brian are just radiant! You cake topper was amazing! I hope you have found a perfect spot for it in your new home! I miss you so much!

[dolphincc]

Wow what a beautiful wedding, you looked stunning, your photos are amazing.

[karenzeb]

Your dress looks like it was made just for you! Gorgeous!

[Mimzy]

I've enjoyed reading your lovely WDS! You are so beautiful :heart: I love your colors and the flowers are amazing! As is your cake - who was the baker?

[Kara_kw]

I stumbled upon this thred this morning and I just had to post. You looked absolutely stunning on your wedding day! Your photos, flowers, cake, everything was beautiful. Congrats on a wonderful day!