Favorite Wedding Memory...

I'm joining Mama M again today! She's asked us to share our favorite wedding memory...It's all part of her Valentine's Day Extravaganza!

It was the 8th of July. The afternoon was a hot, which didn't really matter all that much because our ceremony and reception were to be held indoors. We were married in an adorable church, which was also a church that Sean's father had been the minister of at one time. The whole day was special. I woke up to my sister's beautiful face with butterflies in my tummy and a big smile on my face. It's difficult to choose one favorite memory, but I think I can narrow them down to just a few.

• Sean's father married us, which is a pretty special fact about our special day. He did a wonderful job during the ceremony, and during the months leading up to our wedding day, made sure that every word he spoke was to our liking. I imagine it was also pretty special for him. Sean is his baby, so I'm sure there were lots of emotions there that we didn't actually see. I clearly remember him saying, "Sean, you may kiss your bride". It was barely a whisper, and I wonder sometimes if he was holding back tears.

• Madison, my precious niece, was our flower girl. She wasn't even two years old yet, but I had complete faith that that little girl would make it down the aisle. Once her big moment arrived, she was perfect! She didn't take the petals out of her basket and toss them like most flower girls do, in fact, we never even attempted to have her do it. I did notice, however, as I made my walk down the aisle, that there were petals dropped perfectly along the path...Later, I was told that as she bounced down that aisle to her daddy, who was the best man, the flower petals just fell right out onto the floor. She then dumped the remaining petals out of the basket once she reached the front of the church.  Her little headpiece fell off at the beginning of her trip down the aisle, and everyone was brought to giggles and smiles when she said, "I'm coming, Daddy!", as she got closer to her dad. Precious, precious memories.

(During pictures: A toddler can only take so much!)

• "I now pronounce you husband and wife..." This has to be my favorite memory of the day. When "Sean, you may kiss your bride" followed, I grabbed Sean's face with both hands and let out a big "Muah!", right then and there. It was our first kiss as husband and wife, and it was so exciting! I was the new Mrs. V and couldn't have been happier about it! That was an awesome moment, and is such a happy memory.

It was also really special having my daddy walk me down the aisle, and having my sister right by side as I spoke my vows. We were surrounded by our family and closest friends that day, so it was perfect. Here are a few other memories from the day that make me smile...