real life: discovery street + flagstaff winter

My blog pal, Ruthy, from Discovery Street, is a fellow Flagstaff bride .  When she started blogging her wedding planning I couldn't get enough - as she and her husband are RAD to the bone.  (seriously, they are traveling all over the world right now for their honeymoon!)  I asked her to share some of her wedding with us...and you can see why...it was a simple and gorgeous wedding.  (And her words were exactly what I needed to read in those last couple days leading up to my wedding.)

Planning a budget destination Flagstaff winter wedding in 4 months takes a lot of planning and organization...neither of which I am good at.  Somehow, when it came down to the wire all the details worked themselves out and the outcome was a day that I relive through photos almost daily.

 

We chose Flagstaff because Andy's parents live there and his dad pastor's a church in town.  The church we got married in was brand spanking new; we were the first couple to get married in it...and because the pastor's son is getting married, we had an automatic volunteer crew (the congregation) who put in countless hours to help with all the last minute details.  I was also able to decorate the church however I pleased.  I wanted the altar to be sweet and simple--this is what I came up with. 

I also wanted to incorporate something different from the unity candle ceremony; instead Andy and I served our wedding party communion and then they all prayed over us.  It was an incredibly touching, intimate aspect of the ceremony. 

I couldn't wait to be announced as Mrs.  I think you can see the joy in my face.  :)

Aesthetically I think the most beautiful part of our wedding was the venue for the reception-- The Foxboro Ranch Estates.  It was such a gorgeous building that the only decor we added was white Christmas lights around the windows.  It was the perfect location for a cold snowy day!

There was a really cool tree in the center of the building...we chose it as the backdrop to a number of pictures because it made such an awesome background!

I love that my mom wore a Han-bok--a traditional Korean dress; I don't think I've ever seen my mom happier than on my wedding day.  She looked stunning!

I can't believe I had any hesitation about whether or not people would dance, once the music started the dance floor was jumping!  I know it sounds crazy, but our wedding day was the time Andy and I had danced together (if you don't count slow dancing in the kitchen while cooking dinner).  We had so much fun...and he is an absolutely hysterical dancer.

I don't think anyone noticed the fact that we didn't have programs, or party favors, or that we left in his parents white Honda Civic instead of a limo; in hindsight it is often the details we stress about most that mean the least.  What stands out so much in my mind about our wedding day is our guests; how much they were for our wedding and for us.  When Andy and I left amongst rows of sparklers it felt like we were walking the red carpet amongst adoring fans.  My prayer for you and your wedding isn't that your cake matches your decor perfectly or that your guests remember their party favors that you spent hours putting together, it's that your friends and family are there to celebrate you and your partner and the journey you're about to embark on.