In light of our 6 month wedding anniversary, I've decided to sit down and write a 3 part series on my reflection of our wedding day - the choices we made, the details that mattered, along with some of our favourite photos from Emily Oud Photography (because I just can't get enough). 

Eric and I committed to forever on May 21, 2016. Everyone always tells you how fast the day goes by, but nothing can really prepare you for how true this statement is. 

I very much wanted to get ready in my parents’ home. Although the distance to our venue made it a little inconvenient, there was something about getting ready in the home I grew up in. This was the place that housed my dark, moody teenage years all the way to the day I moved out to Vancouver (and then ending up moving back into right before our wedding - thanks parents). This was the house that I came home to after my first date with Eric, as I lay in my bed, unable to stop smiling as we continued to talk over the phone. The house that we came home to to celebrate with our family the day we got engaged. I couldn't picture myself getting ready to marry Eric in any other place.

The morning was not unlike most wedding days - a mix of excitement, worry about the weather, and just a little bit of pressure as we looked at the clock. As with every wedding, things started to run behind and get a slightly rushed, but I knew it was all going to work out. I was so grateful to my friend Mel for working so hard to make my hair look perfect, and to my sister who offered to do my makeup that morning.

One of my favourite parts of the day was sitting down to read a letter from Eric. He managed to make me smile, laugh and cry in those pages. In the chaos of the wedding day, it was really special to have been able to slow down and take a moment to remind myself what this whole day was about.  

I had also written a letter to my parents. I love the photo below because it shows my Dad trying not to cry, and my mom being mad at me for MAKING her cry (which I found hysterical).

It was agreed upon that any time I started to feel overwhelmed, this nugget would get thrown into my arms. If you didn't know, I'm a pretty big fan of my adorable little niece. 

The dress was put on, snacks were packed (#hypoglycaemic) and we were off to the greenhouse to get our photos taken. Eric and I had made the decision early on to see one another and do photos before our ceremony. While the first look approach may be considered a “trendy” thing to do these days, there were a few reasons we decided to see each other before the ceremony:

1. Throughout our entire planning process, Eric and I were quick to share that we didn’t exactly love being the centre of attention. While we love to make people laugh, it’s never in a setting where we’re put in the spotlight. So when we imagined seeing each other for the first time in the presence of our friends and family, with all of the emotion and attention that it would bring, we just knew it wasn’t for us.
2. Everyone that knows me knows that I can be a *bit* emotional. I’ve been known to cry at almost every wedding I go to, even the ones I photograph. Don’t get me wrong, I am absolutely not ashamed of this fact. But there was something about the thought of being able to let my emotions go fully and without restraint that made me certain I wanted that time with Eric alone. We didn't have to rush. We were able to talk to each other, to ask how the other person's morning had been. And for those that think the first look takes away from the emotion during the ceremony, I can assure you, no tears were left behind. 
3. Finally,  we didn’t want out guests to have to hang out for a long period of time in between our ceremony and reception. Especially as our venue was in the middle of nowhere, we knew that leaving our guests to take photos just wasn’t ideal for how we pictured our day and wanted it to look. We wanted to be there with our guests during cocktail hour, drinking margaritas and catching up with everyone. So that's what we did.

And let me tell you, it was one of the best decisions we could’ve made that day. Being able to see Eric, to hold him as tightly as possible without anyone around us other than our photographers, was my absolute favourite part of the day. And like the love letters that we each read that morning, it allowed us to take a breath, slow down, and start the day off right and remind us of what we were about to commit to. 

Thanks for reading! In part 2, I’ll talk about our ceremony and some of the decisions we made for that part of our day. Stay tuned!