April 13, 2019. The best wedding day ever.
This blog post is a little different then what i usually post. Rather than share someone else’s wedding day, I thought it would be fun to share my own. John and I got married on April 13, 2019. It was the most perfect, rain filled, wedding day ever. Rather than rave about how awesome this day was, I’ll just let you guys see for yourselves. Enjoy!
P.s. I shared our vows, all our music, and our vendors throughout this post. So keep scrolling to the end for all of the wedding day goodies!!
One of the most special parts of the day was when my dad saw me for the first time. We both cried so much and it was so sweet. It was great getting to see him before we walked down the aisle and let all the emotion out. I highly recommend taking time to spend with just your family on your wedding day.
Me and John chose to do a “fake first look” on our wedding day. We wanted to have a chance to pray over the day and exchange gifts before the wedding started. I loved doing this because it was all the emotion of a first look without actually having to see each other. If you don’t want your fiancé to see you before your wedding day, this is an awesome solution!
We also asked the photographer and videographer to leave for a few minutes so we could spend some time alone praying. It was such a sweet part of our day that I will always cherish.
Wedding Ceremony
Our wedding ceremony was so special. Our pastor made it so personal to us, we wrote our own vows, and we got to share communion together. There were parts of the ceremony that we just messed up, like eating communion to early or saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Me and John both agree that all the mistakes made the day that much more rememberable and perfect.
Bridal Party Processional – “So Will I” by Hillsong United
Bride’s Entrance – “Settled In Clay” by Mike Vass
Recessional – “Brand New” by Ben Rector
First Dance- “Heavenly Day” by Patty Griffin
My Vows
John David McElhany, this I believe…
That the man standing in front of me today is and always will be God’s greatest gift to me. That the life that we build together and the love that we share will always be more than enough. John, I believe that you were made in the image of God to do amazing things in this lifetime. You put your entire heart into everything you do. You are strong and honorable, kind and compassionate, loving and accepting of all people.
Today I take you, John, to be my husband. I vow to always love you without reservation, when life seems easy and when it seems hard. When our love is simple and when its an effort. I vow to always put God first, knowing that my love for you will be stronger because of it. I promise to celebrate the joy of every day with you and to make sure that laughter will always be present in our home. I promise to always be faithful and honest with you. I vow to grow with you and to always cherish who you are and who you become. I vow to never stop supporting your dreams and to follow you wherever life takes us.
Today I choose you. And i promise to choose you tomorrow, and for all the days of our lives, until God calls us home.
John’s Vows
Marissa Ashton Merrill, this I believe…
That you are and always will be the woman I am supposed to spend the rest of my life with. I’m so excited to see you go from “the bosses daughter”, to now my wife, and eventually the mother of our children. I can’t imagine going through life with anyone else. I’m so thankful that you accept me for all that I am, and i’m so sorry that you will have to continue to put up with insurance talk for the rest of our lives. But this is who you choose to love.
Today, I vow to keep God at the center of our relationship and to put our relationship before all other worldly things. I promise to love you unconditionally in good times and when you forget to throw your trash away. I promise to always be loyal and faithful to you. I vow to support you in all of this life’s adventures, even the unreasonable one’s like shopping for an accent chair. Today I vow to always be open and honest with you, and to provide for you to the best of my ability. I promise to always make you laugh, or at least attempt to. Lastly, I promise that when we are old and grey, we will be able to look back on our lives together and have no regrets.
Today I choose you. And I promise to choose you tomorrow, and for all the days of our lives, until God calls us home.
Wedding Portraits
We were lucky enough to get a solid hour of no rain on our wedding day to take pictures outside. I love how green the rain made all the trees look, and how it made for super moody lighting. Go to my Instagram for the full story on how the rain effected our wedding day.
Wedding Reception
Our reception was SO much fun. I didn’t want to be one of those brides that didn’t dance on her wedding day, so danced I did. John and I had a blast celebrating our marriage with our friends and dancing the night away.
John and I did a water gun exit on our wedding day. We are definitely more playful people, and we just didn’t think that the typical sparkler exit fit us. So we landed on water guns. It was so much fun, all the kiddos loved it, and we laughed about it for the whole drive home.
My biggest advice to anyone getting married is to plan a day that YOU are going to enjoy. Me and John have so many good memories about our wedding day, and we seriously enjoyed every second of it. If you’re planning your day to please other people, you definitely won’t be happy with the outcome. Do YOU, have your day represent YOUR relationship, and make decisions that makes you and your babe happy.
Photographer – Sadi Brooke
Videographer – Young and Married Films
Florist – Timber bloom Designs
Venue – Dove Hollow Estate
Wedding Coordinator – Mad Love Events
Wedding Dress – Sarah Seven