Love Under the Moon: A Moment Alone

By the time our formals were finished my feet were freaking killing me so I swapped my cute (but painful) heels for my sexy platforms. That's right. I totally wore Playboy bunny flips flops at my wedding. And you know what?! They were comfy as hell! 

Image via Shaw Video Productions

Just outside of our private room the cocktail hour was in full swing and slowly our friends and family trickled out to join the party. Our photographers and videographer soon followed suit in order to take some footage of our reception space. For the first time that day, Mr. Coyote and I found ourselves completely alone. No family members, no coordinators, no photographers. Just us. 

If you'll remember, Mr. Coyote and I took a dance lesson a few days before the wedding. I clearly underestimated how much my feet would hurt that day and practiced our dance in my wedding heels. Because I had just switched into gigantic flip flops I was super nervous and convinced myself that I would be slipping and sliding all over the dance floor. I begged Mr. Coyote to practice with me a few times to make sure that I could  so we technically had our first dance as husband and wife alone.

It was the most peaceful, beautiful moment of the day. I don't even remember what we talked about. I just remember being in that room together; spinning, twirling and savoring a quiet moment with my new husband. After a few run-throughs (which I totally nailed by the way!) and a few private smooches, we slipped out of the room to greet our friends and family.

Married bees, did you find any time to be completely alone with your spouse on your wedding day?

Miss a recap?

• I babble about being married and share our wedding video.
• We finish up some last-minute wedding tasks and pre-wedding jitters set in the day before the wedding.
• We practice getting married and then head to our rehearsal dinner where I shed my first tears of the weekend. We later wind down with our families back at the hotel.
• My bridesmaids get pretty and I get a special message from Mr. Coyote.
• I try to cope when things don’t go quite as planned, but thankfully I quickly bounce back and then it was time to become a bride. Meanwhile, Mr. Coyote was calm as a cucumber as he got ready with the dads and groomsmen.
• I finish getting ready and see an unexpected guest on my way to our first look.
• It was finally time to cross the street and meet my groom!
• We spend some time with our wedding party and then some time alone. Ceremony time was rapidly approaching.
• Our ceremony begins with the family and bridesmaid processional and continues with the bridal processional.
• I share the full text of our ceremony.
• We recess and my father gives us a very special wedding gift.
• Our friends and family gathered for some formal (and not so formal) portraits.

Love Under the Moon: Say Cheese!

It's time for the most boring part of my recaps... Formals!

Our formals were fairly painless, but I realized after the fact that we missed a ton of photos with family members that I really wanted. I truly treasure the photos I have, but my advice to future brides is this: Make a list and give it to a designated point person who knows your family. Even though our photographers had a list, a chunk of photos were missed and looking back, I really should have had a back-up plan to make sure all the important photos were taken.

Okay, now that my lecture is over let's move on to the fun stuff! The great part about digital photography is that your photographer can just snap away without having to worry about wasting film. And although our photographers took some excellent photos there were also multiple "bloopers" that are just too good not to share. And so, I'll be sneaking some in with the regular portraits to make this a little more entertaining for ya.

We took a lot of individual shots, you know, bride with parents, bride and groom with his side, her side, etc., but I'm just gonna skip over all that and show you one group shot:

 

Mr. Coyote and I with our parents and siblings. I love how all the different dress colors look together!

Okay, okay, I'll show you a few individual shots too:

Oh man, we are one good lookin' family.

 Mr. Coyote and I with my grandparents. My grandfather is very ill and I am so blessed that he was able to make it to my wedding. This is one of my most treasured photos.

From left to right: Cousin F, Mr. Coyote, me, my grandmother, my great-uncle and great-aunt. This photo is also very special to me. Unfortunately my uncle wasn't feeling well and my uncle and aunt left before the reception started so he could rest. I'm very grateful that we at least took this photo together.

Finally, I would like you all to meet Jim.

There is so much going on in this photo, I don't even know where to start.

Jim is an old friend of my dad's and seriously one of the funniest guys I have ever met in my life. He showed up early and was incredibly helpful the morning of the wedding. We were so excited to have him there with us and we definitely shared more than a few laughs together.

Whew. That was pretty painless, right?!

*All photos are by the fabulous Upstate Photographers unless otherwise noted.*

Miss a recap?

• I babble about being married and share our wedding video.
• We finish up some last-minute wedding tasks and pre-wedding jitters set in the day before the wedding.
• We practice getting married and then head to our rehearsal dinner where I shed my first tears of the weekend. We later wind down with our families back at the hotel.
• My bridesmaids get pretty and I get a special message from Mr. Coyote.
• I try to cope when things don’t go quite as planned, but thankfully I quickly bounce back and then it was time to become a bride. Meanwhile, Mr. Coyote was calm as a cucumber as he got ready with the dads and groomsmen.
• I finish getting ready and see an unexpected guest on my way to our first look.
• It was finally time to cross the street and meet my groom!
• We spend some time with our wedding party and then some time alone. Ceremony time was rapidly approaching.
• Our ceremony begins with the family and bridesmaid processional and continues with the bridal processional.
• I share the full text of our ceremony.
• We recess and my father gives us a very special wedding gift.

Love Under the Moon: 500 Miles

As soon as Mr. Coyote kissed me I could hear the beat of our recessional song starting to play. Our ceremony had ended and it actually felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. (Although it's difficult to tell from our photos I was a nervous wreck during our ceremony. The entire 20 minutes I alternated between nervous giggling, sobbing and staring at my hands.) All of my fears dissipated as we walked back up the aisle together.

The stress, the planning, the tears… It was finally over. We had done it. We were married! I looked at Mr. Coyote and laughed. Truly, truly laughed for the first time that day. This wasn't the nervous laughter meant to keep tears away. No, this was what pure joy felt like.

My jubilant feelings just reinforced our recessional song choice. I danced, laughed and sang my way up the aisle to "500 Miles" and as we finished the most important walk in our lives all I could think about were the hundreds of miles Mr. Coyote and I had already walked together and the thousands more to come.

We turned the corner and our venue coordinator, Dom, was immediately there to greet us. He directed us upstairs and I burst through the doors with excitement.

As we walked to our private room he asked us how we felt. I think I squeaked out an "amazing" or something similar. What I really felt was exhilarated. Like I had just stepped off of the tallest, fastest roller coaster in the world. My heart was in my throat and I could not stop laughing.

Can you believe what we just did?!

Our wedding party and parents soon joined us and there were hugs and congratulatory toasts all around. I kept staring at Mr. Coyote wondering when the reality of what we had just done would kick in. Meanwhile, Maid of Honor A and Best Man M signed our marriage certificate.

For a brief moment I actually believed that everyone was done crying for the day. (Turns out I was wrong. Way wrong.) In fact, I would like to take a moment to embarrass Poppa Coyote and share the following story with you.

Just as we were getting geared up for family portraits my father pulled Mr. Coyote and I aside and told us that he wanted to give us something. He reached into his pocket and pulled out two pennies. A week earlier we took a trip over to our florist for our final meeting before the wedding. We were walking into the shop when my father stopped in the parking lot and bent over. He took a few steps and then did it again. At first we thought he had dropped something and joked with them to hurry up. But my father had found not one, but two pennies lying on the ground, heads-up. He scooped them both up and proclaimed that they were the luckiest pennies ever. My mother and I just rolled our eyes at him, but he kept carrying on about his stupid lucky pennies and how he wasn't going to share any of his fated luck with us.

Back at Franklin Plaza, Poppa Coyote held the lucky pennies up to Mr. Coyote and I and told us that he wanted us to have them in hopes that they would always bring us luck and happiness.

Well, at least I think that's what he wanted to say. He didn't get very far before he started crying (again). Which in turn made me cry (again) and made my mother throw her hands up in exasperation because we were once again two blubbering fools.

*All photos are by the fabulous Upstate Photographers unless otherwise noted.*

Miss a recap?

• I babble about being married and share our wedding video.
• We finish up some last-minute wedding tasks and pre-wedding jitters set in the day before the wedding.
• We practice getting married and then head to our rehearsal dinner where I shed my first tears of the weekend. We later wind down with our families back at the hotel.
• My bridesmaids get pretty and I get a special message from Mr. Coyote.
• I try to cope when things don’t go quite as planned, but thankfully I quickly bounce back and then it was time to become a bride. Meanwhile, Mr. Coyote was calm as a cucumber as he got ready with the dads and groomsmen.
• I finish getting ready and see an unexpected guest on my way to our first look.
• It was finally time to cross the street and meet my groom!
• We spend some time with our wedding party and then some time alone. Ceremony time was rapidly approaching.
• Our ceremony begins with the family and bridesmaid processional and continues with the bridal processional.
• I share the full text of our ceremony.

Love Under the Moon: The Coyote Ceremony (Part 2)

May I have the rings, please? 

For thousands of years lovers have exchanged rings as a token of their vows. The circle is a symbol of eternity. It has no beginning and no end. It has no point of weakness. Jason and Cristina, may your love be as everlasting as these precious rings. May they signify your love, trust, and faithfulness to one another. In the years to come may they remind you of the magnificent joy of this special occasion. May you always be as happy together as you are today.

Jason, please repeat after me:

 
Jason: "Cristina, with this ring, I thee wed. I offer you my hand and my heart as I know they will be safe with you. All that I am, I give to you. And all that I have, I share with you."

The engagement ring is a symbol of promise and intention.  The intention is realized and the promise has been fulfilled.  Jason will you please place your engagement ring over Cristina’s wedding band to show that the love that brought you together will protect and sustain your marriage.

Cristina, please repeat after me:

 
Cristina: "Jason, with this ring, I thee wed. I offer you my hand and my heart as I know they will be safe with you. All that I am, I give to you. And all that I have, I share with you."

 
As often as either of you look upon these rings, may you be reminded of this very moment, your love and the promises made here today to one another.

 
Marriage is a bond to be entered into only after considerable thought and reflection. As with any aspect of life, it has its cycles, its ups and its downs, its trials and its triumphs. By making this commitment today, Jason and Cristina’s relationship will become stronger, better, and deeper. Today, Jason and Cristina demonstrate their devotion to each other. By dedicating themselves to a life together, they show their respect for each other, by setting forth to honor the vows they have created. Today, their lives, which began on separate paths, are now joined as one.

Jason and Cristina have chosen to commemorate this special occasion and look forward to their future together with a Love Letter & Wine Box ceremony. 

This box contains a bottle of wine and a love letter from each to the other. The letters describe the good qualities they find in one another, the reasons they fell in love, and their reasons for choosing to marry. The letters are sealed in individual envelopes and neither has seen what the other has written. Jason and Cristina, I recommend that you keep the box in a place of honor prominently displayed in your home as a constant reminder of your commitment to each other. 

Should you ever find your marriage enduring insurmountable hardships, you are to open this box, sit and drink the wine together, then separate and read the letters you wrote to one another. By reading the beautiful, heartfelt words your partner has written you will be reminded of and will reflect upon the reasons you fell in love and chose to marry each other here today. The hope is, however, that you will not have a reason to open this box until you can share it and enjoy it on your fifth year wedding anniversary! You may now seal the box.

These two lives are now joined together. Wherever Jason and Cristina go, may they always return to one another.  May they grow in understanding and in compassion. May the home that they build be a place of peace and balance and a reflection of their love forever. 

Inasmuch as Jason and Cristina have exchanged vows and rings before this beloved company of family and friends and God, it is my joy, my honor and my privilege as an ordained minister to pronounce that they are now husband and wife. You may kiss your bride!

 (Guest photo)

*All photos are by the fabulous Upstate Photographers unless otherwise noted.*

Miss a recap?

• I babble about being married and share our wedding video.
• We finish up some last-minute wedding tasks and pre-wedding jitters set in the day before the wedding.
• We practice getting married and then head to our rehearsal dinner where I shed my first tears of the weekend. We later wind down with our families back at the hotel.
• My bridesmaids get pretty and I get a special message from Mr. Coyote.
• I try to cope when things don’t go quite as planned, but thankfully I quickly bounce back and then it was time to become a bride. Meanwhile, Mr. Coyote was calm as a cucumber as he got ready with the dads and groomsmen.
• I finish getting ready and see an unexpected guest on my way to our first look.
• It was finally time to cross the street and meet my groom!
• We spend some time with our wedding party and then some time alone. Ceremony time was rapidly approaching.
• Our ceremony begins with the family and bridesmaid processional and continues with the bridal processional.
• I share the full text of our ceremony.

Love Under the Moon: The Coyote Ceremony (Part 1)

Putting together our ceremony was an extremely difficult task. Our officiant provided us with a ridiculous amount of examples and then it was our job to sift through them and choose the passages we wanted. It was incredibly time-consuming, but totally worth it to have a ceremony that truly reflected our personalities and our views on marriage. I know that many couples write their own ceremonies now and so I will be sharing ours in its entirety with the hope that it may assist or inspire future couples.

On behalf of Jason and Cristina, thank you for joining us. We have been brought together today for an occasion of great joy and a cause for great celebration. 

Having found each other, Jason and Cristina have built the kind of relationship that will serve them well as the foundation for their marriage. Each of us knows that a marriage is not created by a law or a ceremony; rather it occurs in the hearts of two human beings. It is through loving, kindness, caring, and sharing that a successful marriage is created. A good marriage takes patience, dedication, humor, and forgiveness. You keep your love alive through the choices you make moment by moment, day after day, and year after year.

 

Through practice, you learn how to love yourselves and each other with devotion and freedom.
And so, we are here to witness and to celebrate the coming together of Jason and Cristina as their lives, which began on separate paths, will be joined as one. Inspired by their love let each of us rededicate ourselves to the loving relationships in our own lives. May we all be enriched for having shared this day together.

Let us pray. Dear Lord, thank you for this beautiful day and for fulfilling the desire of Jason and Cristina’s hearts to be together in this life. We pray that your blessing will always rest upon their home; that joy, peace and contentment would dwell within them as they live together in unity, and that all who enter their home may experience the strength of your love. Father, help them to follow and serve you with an ever growing commitment because of their union. Guide them into greater love and sacrifice as they care for each other's needs, knowing you will care for them. May they always be as keenly aware of your presence as we sense it today on their wedding day. And may their devotion in marriage be a radiant reflection of your love for them.

AMEN.

Jason, do you take Cristina to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to be true to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love her and honor her all the days of your life?   
 

Jason: "I do."

Cristina, do you take Jason to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to be true to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love him and honor him all the days of your life?     

Cristina: "I do."

 (Guest photo)

It is now time to exchange your vows. Repeat after me:

"I, Jason/Cristina, take you, Cristina/Jason, to be my wife/husband. All that I am, I give to you. I promise to love you, be your partner and your best friend. I promise to support you and challenge you, encourage you and inspire you. I promise to always laugh with you and make you laugh when you need it most. I promise to comfort you in times of sorrow and struggle, always be understanding, and trust in you completely. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward, for always." 

Jason and Cristina have asked Cousin A to read a poem called "Union" by Robert Fulgham.

 

Cousin A: "You have known each other from the first glance of acquaintance to this point of commitment. At some point, you decided to marry. From that moment of yes, to this moment of yes, indeed, you have been making commitments in an informal way. All of those conversations that were held in a car, or over a meal, or during long walks - all those conversations that began with, 'When we're married', and continued with 'I will' and 'you will' and 'we will' - all those late night talks that included 'someday' and 'somehow' and 'maybe' - and all those promises that are unspoken matters of the heart. All these common things, and more, are the real process of a wedding.

"The symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying to one another, 'You know all those things that we've promised, and hoped, and dreamed - well, I meant it all, every word.'

"Look at one another and remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many things to one another - acquaintance, friend, companion, lover, dancing partner, even teacher, for you have learned much from one another these past few years. Shortly you shall say a few words that will take you across a threshold of life, and things between you will never quite be the same. 

"For after today you shall say to the world - This is my husband. This is my wife."

*All photos are by the fabulous Upstate Photographers unless otherwise noted.*

  
Miss a recap?

• I babble about being married and share our wedding video.
• We finish up some last-minute wedding tasks and pre-wedding jitters set in the day before the wedding.
• We practice getting married and then head to our rehearsal dinner where I shed my first tears of the weekend. We later wind down with our families back at the hotel.
• My bridesmaids get pretty and I get a special message from Mr. Coyote.
• I try to cope when things don’t go quite as planned, but thankfully I quickly bounce back and then it was time to become a bride. Meanwhile, Mr. Coyote was calm as a cucumber as he got ready with the dads and groomsmen.
• I finish getting ready and see an unexpected guest on my way to our first look.
• It was finally time to cross the street and meet my groom!
• We spend some time with our wedding party and then some time alone. Ceremony time was rapidly approaching.
• Our ceremony begins with the family and bridesmaid processional and continues with the bridal processional.

Love Under the Moon: Distractions

I would love to tell you that I was completely aware and "in the moment" during my walk down the aisle, like Mrs. Doe recently described. But that would be a complete and utter lie. My brain was on such overload at this point that I really couldn't focus on much other than the insane thoughts flying through my head.

With the way Franklin Plaza's ceremony space is set up you don't quite walk straight down the aisle. You actually come in to the side of the room, behind the guests, walk to the middle of the aisle and then turn. Does that sound confusing? Here is a very not-to-scale image of what I'm talking about:

Yes, I put all of your Paint skillz to shame.

We entered the room as Vitamin String Quartet's "Can't Help Falling in Love with You" began to play.

We walked to the center of the aisle, turned and...

One our guests, just a few rows in front of us, dropped their camera. Not only did they drop their camera, but the bottom opened up and the batteries went spilling across the aisle. Our poor guest scurried across the floor to retrieve her camera and batteries and ran quickly back to her seat.

While I'm sure our guest was mortified, I was personally grateful for the interruption. Poppa Coyote and I were able to pause at the end of the aisle and it gave me a moment to giggle, breathe and collect my thoughts. As soon as everyone was back where they were suppose to be we continued to process.

The thoughts going through my head at this point were, "Don't trip." "Don't cry." "Smile." "Oh my gosh, there's so-and-so." "There's Mr. Coyote." "I'm getting married." "Oh my, I'm getting what?! I'm getting married!"

(Guest photo)

Right. Like I said, I wasn't entirely present during our walk.

(Guest photo)

When we approached the front of the room Poppa Coyote leaned over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I always imagined whispering something sweet to my father at this moment, but once again my emotions overwhelmed me and I just cried instead. Smoooooth move, Coyote.

Ugly cry face image courtesy of Shaw Video Productions

Poppa Coyote gave Mr. Coyote a quick handshake while I continued to cry:

And then he took a seat next to Momma Coyote to witness his daughter become a wife.

*All photos are by the fabulous Upstate Photographers unless otherwise noted.*

Miss a recap?

• I babble about being married and share our wedding video.
• We finish up some last-minute wedding tasks and pre-wedding jitters set in the day before the wedding.
• We practice getting married and then head to our rehearsal dinner where I shed my first tears of the weekend. We later wind down with our families back at the hotel.
• My bridesmaids get pretty and I get a special message from Mr. Coyote.
• I try to cope when things don’t go quite as planned, but thankfully I quickly bounce back and then it was time to become a bride. Meanwhile, Mr. Coyote was calm as a cucumber as he got ready with the dads and groomsmen.
• I finish getting ready and see an unexpected guest on my way to our first look.
• It was finally time to cross the street and meet my groom!
• We spend some time with our wedding party and then some time alone. Ceremony time was rapidly approaching.
• Our ceremony begins with the family and bridesmaid processional.

Love Under the Moon: The Processional

The guests were seated and everyone was lined up and ready to go.

Our officiant was already standing at the front of the room along with Mr. Coyote, Best Man M and Groomsman J. My little brother, also a groomsman, was escorting my mother down the aisle and would be joining the other dudes after the processional.

After we lined up the pre-ceremony music faded out and our processional music began. If you'll remember, Mr. Coyote and I put a lot of thought into our music choices. The second the music started up I was hit with a huge wave of emotion. This was really it. All those months (years!) of planning had finally culminated into this moment. I lost myself in the music as Mr. Coyote's parents made their way down the aisle.

I originally thought we would start the ceremony off with the Vitamin String Quartet's cover of "Angeles", but because I am incredibly indecisive I ended up downloading the entire Elliott Smith tribute album (which is amazing by the way) and chose "Say Yes" instead. It wasn't as upbeat and seemed to flow a bit better with our other music choices.

Mr. Coyote's parents were soon followed by my little bro and Momma Coyote:

(Funny side story: Our coordinator suggested that Brother Coyote give Momma Coyote a kiss on the cheek as he escorted her to her seat, but when Momma Coyote approached the front row she saw that my grandmother had already started crying and she instantly pulled away from Brother Coyote to comfort her. We unfortunately don't have photographic evidence, but you can clearly see in our wedding video that Brother Coyote leans in for a kiss and Momma Coyote turns away to sit with her mother. Brother Coyote is left shaking his head in disgust at her rejection. It was hilarious and we haven't quite let my mother live down leaving my little bro high and dry.)

"Say Yes" quickly faded and the Vitamin String Quartet's version of "1, 2, 3, 4" took its place, signaling the start of bridesmaids' processional.

Bridesmaid J

As each of my lovely ladies made their way down the aisle I felt myself becoming more and more nervous. 

 Bridesmaid D

I remember saying things like, "I can't believe this is happening" and "Is this real life?" while MOH A yelled that we needed a flask and Poppa Coyote whispered that we were going to have to hold each other up because we were both so nervous. It was pure chaos and yet totally exhilarating.

Bridesmaid C

Bees, I can't quite describe this feeling. My heart was pounding, my mouth felt dry as cotton and I was giggling with nervous laughter while trying to hold back tears. It was hard to believe that one person could feel so many things at one time, but there it was.

Bridesmaid P

And soon even my maids of honor had started their walk down the aisle. It was decided that the two ladies would walk together and because they are half-goofy and half-cute they chose to hold hands instead of just walking separately, side-by-side.

Maid of Honor D and Maid of Honor A

Suddenly just my father and me were left, holding each other up.

*All photos are by the fabulous Upstate Photographers unless otherwise noted.*

Miss a recap?

• I babble about being married and share our wedding video.
• We finish up some last-minute wedding tasks and pre-wedding jitters set in the day before the wedding.
• We practice getting married and then head to our rehearsal dinner where I shed my first tears of the weekend. We later wind down with our families back at the hotel.
• My bridesmaids get pretty and I get a special message from Mr. Coyote.
• I try to cope when things don’t go quite as planned, but thankfully I quickly bounce back and then it was time to become a bride. Meanwhile, Mr. Coyote was calm as a cucumber as he got ready with the dads and groomsmen.
• I finish getting ready and see an unexpected guest on my way to our first look.
• It was finally time to cross the street and meet my groom!
• We spend some time with our wedding party and then some time alone. Ceremony time was rapidly approaching.