#PartyLikeSamAri: Our Wedding Day
And just like that (snaps fingers) the busiest and best two weeks ever have passed!
We're marriedddddddddddd!
We’re back in LA after traveling from LA to Boston for our wedding on June 10 and from Boston (to Florida) to Jamaica for our honeymoon. I gotta tell ya, having two weeks off to just live life... it's pretty awesome.
I’m going to break up my wedding recap into two separate posts, so if you’re curious (and have some time), here’s more on our wedding back in Sterling, MA.
More to come on our tropical honeymoon later...
Rehearsal Night - Friday, June 9, 2017
Sam and I headed back to our home state of Massachusetts on Sunday, June 4 so we’d have plenty of time to get everything together before our wedding on the 10th. Once we were back on the east coast, we sort of did our own thing for a few days with our parents/wedding party.
For me, that meant nailing down the vendor appointments/calls/timeline for the week and for Sam, it was getting the tuxes with his dad and brothers. After visiting the venue together on Wednesday and seeing everything fall into place, we basically just crossed our fingers for blue skies for Saturday (since the whole week was mainly rain).
The week flew by. Before I knew it, it was wedding time!
Friday came and we had our rehearsal run-through at our venue, Sterling National Country Club, followed by rehearsal dinner at a cutesy country hotel called Chocksett Inn (the hotel where we and many of our guests would stay that weekend). Our rehearsal couldn’t have gone any better. It allowed our wedding party time to mingle, everyone to get a feel for the ceremony/reception, and really put us all at ease before the big day.
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Our rehearsal dinner was so fun. There were about 30 of us separated into two long rows of tables. Each guest chose between a few different dinner options and we were glad to hear everyone thought the food was quite tasty! After Sam and I toasted our guests for coming so far and being special parts of our day, we handed out gifts to everyone.
If you’re like me, figuring out the perfect gifts for people can be extremely hard. I always try to get something sweet and something someone will use.
Here’s what we came up with: Sam got his guys these awesome handmade wooden wrist watches and I kind of went the other direction and got my girls a bunch of stuff and compiled everything into cute tote baskets.
I included selfie kits (filled with self-care products, Anthro rollerball perfumes, and headbands), Sugarfina Rosé All Day gummies, Sterling Silver gemstone earrings, engraved keychains with their names/hometown coordinates, and floral scarves.
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For my two maids of honor, I also included gray leather and metal purses that really caught my eye because they had a European look I knew they'd love.
Wedding Day - Saturday, June 10, 2017
This may sound completely strange, but I got a full night’s sleep and woke up super relaxed on our wedding day. Haha!
I remember looking at my phone around 7am and thinking, “Sure, it’s early… but I’m ready to get this day started!” I enjoyed some coffee down in my family’s newly renovated porch, and then talked to my parents a bit about the day.
By 9, my mom and I were at the salon, Lulu Beauty Co., and enjoying danishes, coffee, and small talk with the rest of the wedding crew. Some of the girls were already getting pampered and then before I knew it, it was my turn for beautification. ;)
I wanted to go with a very natural look and since I don’t wear much makeup or really fuss with my curly hair, it was important for me to look like myself on my wedding day. My friend/stylist D (who I’ve actually known for about 10 years now since our FSU Dance days) knew what I meant by that, so I knew I was in good hands.
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For my hair, she created long loose curls, and some of them were pulled back and held there with two vintage clips I got off Etsy's Embellishing Room shop.
For the makeup, D mainly just gave me an overall glow and made my eyes pop a bit. I had already purchased a lip color (Too Faced, Melted Matte in Queen B) I could reapply all day/night, so I stuck with that. It literally lasts hours, so I’d highly recommend.
Around 1pm and we were all moving on to getting dressed and at the venue by 2:30 for some pre-ceremony shots. I can’t even explain how quickly time was passing that day. Before I knew it, I was at the venue slipping on my dress, sipping champagne, and laughing with my mom, mother-in-law, and bridesmaids in the bridal suite. That’s when it started to really hit me. About an hour before our 4pm ceremony as things grew a little more hectic.
Sam and I decided not to do a “first look” where the bride and groom see each other for photos before the ceremony. Though it buys the couple more time for photos together, we wanted to go the more traditional route and see each other for the first time in front of our friends and family.
As our wedding coordinator lined everyone up, I stayed behind in the suite solo to wait for my turn. I heard a knock on the door and it was my dad, which shouldn’t have but completely surprised me. It was really cute to see him there and ready to take me down the aisle. We walked to the door and I peeked out seeing all our guests waiting. I was so touched to see such a full crowd. We walked together and made our way out into the sun toward Sam.
That’s right, SUN! Saturday ended up being the perfect day weather-wise… 80s and all sun! We felt so lucky.
Our ceremony couldn’t have gone any better. It was every bit touching, true to us, and really just a great way for our guests to hear our love story. We couldn’t have been happier with our officiant, Amanda Brown, and the ceremony she created for us.
(Side note: we wrote our own handwritten vows for each other and exchanged them earlier that morning (thanks to our wedding party) to read prior to the ceremony. We're kinda private like that. Plus, we really like the traditional vows that our parents and those we admire have read as well.)
Everything from our college memories to our LA move was covered in her beautiful words. :)
Following the ceremony was photo time, which lasted about an hour out on/around the golf course.
Sam and I took our own golf cart out and followed the photographer and venue manager out to different cool spots on the land, like the bridge, pond, and open greens. We kept pinching ourselves about the weather. “We got the perfect day!”
Next thing we know, my dress is getting bustled and we’re being introduced as “Mr. and Mrs. Becker!” We literally choreographed a dance 5 minutes before (we can be a little last minute) and I think it must have worked out because I remember the party cheering us on as we laughed. We stayed on the floor for our first dance and from there on out, the party started.
Everything from hugging old friends, cutting our cake (not very well), dancing with our parents, and sitting at our sweetheart table was extra special.
P.S. I made these table names (California beaches) for our 15 tables.[gallery ids="5550,5549,5548" type="rectangular"]
Hours were flying by and we just had to keep reminding ourselves to slow down and enjoy it all. That was, after all, what everyone had told us about their own wedding days... that it just zooms by because you're having so much fun. #TheTruth
It was our perfect day and we're still settling in nicely to our new life as husband and wife. :)Just call us the Beckers!And, to our dear friends and family (near and far), THANK YOU! You made our day extra special by being present and sharing your love and happiness with us.
Music:Processional: Beginning of Fruition, "The Meaning"Bride Song: Canon in D MajorRecessional: End of Fruition, "The Meaning"Wedding Party Reception Introduction: James Brown, "Get Up Offa That Thing"Bride and Groom Reception Introduction: Phish, "You Enjoy Myself"Bride and Groom First Dance: Van Morrison, "Crazy Love"Father/Daughter Dance: The Temptations, "My Girl" and KC and the Sunshine Band, "Boogie Shoes"Mother/Son Dance: The Beatles, "In My Life"Cake Cutting Song: The Beatles, "Love Me Do"Last Song: Semisonic, "Closing Time"All the details:Bridal dress and bridesmaids dresses: David's BridalVeil: Mom'sTuxes: Men's WarehouseVenue: Sterling National Country ClubCake: Gerardo'sFlorist: A Beautiful BouquetPhotographer: Erika SidorMusic: DJ Imho of Ramu and the CrewCeremony Officiant: Amanda BrownHair/Makeup: Lulu Beauty Co.Nails: Phoenix Nail SalonJewelry: Lonna & Lily, The Embellishing Room, Macy'sShoes: B.A.I.T. Footwear Vintage Inspired Make a Debut of It from Modcloth and soarkly dance sneakers from Gotta Flurt
Invitations: VistaprintColors: Seafoam green, perwinkle and plumCake toppers: Vintage Snoopy Bride & Groom from EbayTheme: Coast to coast/Home is where the heart is
If you’re getting married or just have random wedding/planning questions, I'd be happy to chat with you about it anytime.Stay tuned for a honeymoon recap on Wednesday. :)Thanks for readin'!Ari