Cliche but true...

Well, the wedding has come and gone and we're officially married :-) 

I feel like I haven't stopped smiling! 

{my cheeks really are hurting}

The day was more perfect than I could have ever imagined. 

It sounds so terribly cliche to say that it was 

the best night of my life

but it absolutely was. 

I don't remember the last time I had so much fun.

It was such an incredible feeling to be surrounded by
all of our closest friends and family who were there solely 

to celebrate the love and commitment
between little ol' me and Brandon.

And let me tell you, 

I was NERVOUS. 

It pretty much rained every day up until Friday 

{when does it rain in Temecula in October?!}

I knew that worst-case-scenario we could put up a tent

but that seemed to defeat the whole purpose in choosing
the outdoor venue that we did. 

Somehow, the stars aligned, my prayers were answered 

and we got a beautiful, sunny day  

{80 degrees at the hottest point in the day}

I could not sleep the night before.

not

even

one

wink.

I was just too excited and wanted the day to be there so badly.

I was trying to decide what my favorite memory of the day was 

and one of them was definitely the hour that 

Brandon and I got to spend together before the ceremony. 

We did the First Look

which gave us a chance to soak up the moment and really take it all in 

just the two of us 

{and our photographers}

with no distractions. 

This made me so much less nervous to walk down the aisle!

The "first look" :-)  I think I was telling him I was about to throw up at this moment, ha!

We had one minor issue...

as we were waiting to take Bridal Party pictures 

{also before the ceremony}

I realized my bridesmaids were taking a really long time. 

We had already finished family pictures, 

and pictures with all of the groomsmen

and were waiting on the girls. 

A few minutes later
Kandi lets me know that Kelly's zipper broke 

and she was currently being 

.sewn.into.her.dress. 

I had a tiny, internal moment of panic but it ended up fine. 

(Although, she had to be cut out of it at the end of the night 
and will certainly be returning it to Anthropologie!) 

We took our girly pics and then I was able to go back to the room 

with my closest friends and relax for about 45 minutes before the ceremony.

Bridal Party

Once the shuttle picked us up, we quickly entered the Stone House 

{which is where we started before making the walk over the bridge and down the aisle}

Our bridal party left

two-by-two

and soon
it was just me and my dad. 

I got to really take in all of the flowers and arrangements in the stone house...

 and the dessert table

and peek out of the window at everyone sitting outside...

Before long, I heard our song start and took my dad's arm.

We were both pretty nervous I think.

could.not.have.been.happier.

The ceremony was slightly a blur.

I do remember seeing a few faces in the seats 

{Chelsea and Sarah especially stand out for some reason}

and then I found Brandon's eyes.

 {there was lots of laughing}

A few minutes later

Signed, Sealed, Delivered
I'm yours!

We got to walk back down the aisle as husband and wife.

I think this is when the huge weight lifted from my shoulders.

I was on a "high" the rest of the night.

Our first dance was to Eva Cassidy's Songbird

and the songbirds keep singing like they know the score
and I love you, I love you, I love you
like never before.

My dad's speech
{and view of the adorable stone house} 

At the end of my dad's speech
he invited me to dance.
Brandon and his mom joined in a few minutes later... 

At last my love has come along...

I loved the food {we had Italian} 
and our DJ kept us dancing all night long.
I kept catching glimpses of the ring on Brandon's finger and smiling.
It's something that I hope will always make me smile. 

Dance till the stars come down from the rafters
Dance, Dance, Dance till you drop.
~W.H. Auden

 Some of the fun :details:

The Escort Cards:

 

Lucky penny stamped with our wedding date:

Dessert Table: