Courtesy of Kate Harmon
I can’t believe the big day is here and gone! When people say it goes fast, they aren’t kidding.
I can’t believe it’s all over. When we got back from our honeymoon in San Francisco, and I saw my dress bag in the back of the car at the airport, it really hit me. That’s it, folks.
While it rained 9.5 inches the two days before my wedding (and I actually cried the Friday before), the day ended up being absolutely beautiful, and we couldn’t have asked for better weather. Blue skies, perfect temperatures. It was amazing.
Christian and his mom starting setting everything up at 9 that morning while the bridesmaids and I got our hair and makeup done. In the rush of the day, Eliza at Park City’s Sephora did a fantastic job on the fly.
Courtesy of Howie McCormick Photography
Unless you’re really good with makeup, I suggest having it professionally done. Unknown to me, Sephora will do complete makeup with a $50 purchase.
I suggest entrusting a bridesmaid or your photographer’s assistant with a list of must-have photos because you will not remember them.
Courtesy of Howie McCormick Photography
This was one shot that we absolutely had to get. Kate Harmon was awesome enough to pick us up a paper because we completely forgot to get one the day of our wedding.
I would even suggest having photo printouts of pictures you definitely want. I showed Howie, of Howie McCormick Photography, our Pinterest page so he could get an idea of some of the things we wanted. And he was fantastic! Also, budget extra time. We ended up ducking out after dinner for about 20 minutes to take sunset photos. And give your photographer time to craft their own photos and ideas. They are the professionals.
Courtesy of Megan Valentine
Christian and his mom did an amazing job decorating the barn for the wedding reception. I wish I had taken more time to see everything and take it all in.
In the craziness of the day, I didn’t even get to see the reception site until about 15 minutes before the ceremony. At the urging of my bridesmaids and friends, I ran barefoot into the barn as fast as I could, hoping no guests saw me. In my swift glance, everything looked amazing. My biggest regret is not taking more time to check out our decorations and see all of the details. Several people were asking me if I saw certain aspects, but I completely missed most of them in the rush of the whole day. Stop, take some time to look around, and enjoy yourself. When people say it goes by fast, they aren’t kidding.
Courtesy of Megan Valentine
While a little dark, I have to post a picture with some of my closest friends: my college friends and sorority sisters. We’ve been together through thick and thin.
My other biggest regret is not getting to talk to more people. I wish I would’ve been able to spend more time with my family members. Juggling several different facets of your friends and family is difficult in the short amount of time, while your attention is being pulled in so many directions. I hardly remember really seeing anybody.
Everything was so fantastic. So many people told us we picked a perfect venue and that the hard work and handmade decorations really paid off, making the ceremony and reception special and intimate. It’s so hard to visualize what everything is going to look like until it’s all put together, but once the decorations are up, the dress is on and people are there, everything just seems magical.
We ended up running out of wine about halfway through our cocktail hour, so that caused some drama, but most people said they didn’t even notice. Our amazing caterers, Michael’s Catering of Windsor, had our backs and totally saved the day with backup wine. One alcohol tip: Tell your bartenders to pour marginal glasses of wine. Not completely full glasses of wine. Beer and wine pours are two very different things.
Courtesy of Rachel Barkeloo
Our cake table looked better than I ever could have imagined. Simple and classic, I think our cake was more beautiful than a six-tiered, $1,200 one.
We also got tons of compliments on how great the music was, and we have Brian Hartman of Rock and Rhythm to thank for that. Jenn, of Custom Cakes by Jenn, did a fantastic job, and the cake was even better than I’d pictured it. Classic, simple and elegant. Perfect. Because we had our entire cake leftover, even the folks in the YDR newsroom got to induldge.
Last but not least, I can’t say enough awesome things about Cecilia and the crew at Lauxmont Farms. I didn’t think our venue could look as beautiful as it did, and we got nothing but compliments about how fantastic the lights and courtyard were and how the atmosphere was exactly perfect for our wedding.
Courtesy of Rachel Barkeloo
Announcing Mr. and Mrs. Alexandersen!
I’m also so thankful for our friends and family for making the biggest day of our lives, the best day and most beautiful day of our lives. With amazing people surrounding us and supporting us, I truly did have the wedding of my dreams.
Read the Rhoad to the Altar from the very beginning and watch our engagement video.
How we picked our wedding venue.
Check out photos of our wedding planning and crafting process.
How to make your own wedding fascinator.
Check back for tips or tricks we stumbled over during the planning process and do’s and don’ts that can only come with hindsight.
