Our Wedding Day

Sit down. Grab a cup of coffee. Relax. This could take a while. 

Friday, July 13, 2013 was our BIG day. 

We picked a busy, but fun weekend in Bend, OR to get married - Summer Fest was going on downtown Bend along with triathlons and running races and the nearby town of Sisters had it's annual Quilt Festival (trust me, it's a big deal). 

We originally chose a Friday in hopes that our family and friends could enjoy a long weekend celebrating at our wedding and then soak up all that Central Oregon has to offer. Our plan seemed to work as most people, even those coming from just a few hours away (Portland or Eugene), stayed until Sunday. 

Friday morning, I woke up after about 2.5 hours of shut eye and never could get back to sleep. Boil it down to excitement for the day, worry about the details, and hopes that our guests would have a great time.

At 7 am a few of the ladies gathered in front of my hotel for what was supposed to be an easy run. I nixed the idea and opted to walk knowing I'd need every ounce of energy left in me for the remainder of the day.

Walking in Drake Park - Kristin, Jessica, Jenn

Jessica always makes something crafty so for my wedding run/walk she made this cute bride shirt for me to wear. The front upper left said "bride" and the back said "I'm getting married today."

The walk was a relaxing and fun way to start the morning. After a quick breakfast at the hotel, the girls, moms and I were off to hair and makeup appointments.

Barely holding it together

Mom lacing up the dress

Megan DeWilde of Blue Star Salon did my hair and I think she did an amazing job. I was so in love with my hair I didn't want to take it out at the end of the night. 

My makeup appointment with Annie of Lemon Drop Salon was at 11 am. By then, I was still feeling a little stressed, so I happily obliged when she offered me a glass of wine. Bye, bye stress!

Meanwhile, we had a great team of friends and family who helped to make my detailed setup instructions a reality. It was so nice to have it in trustworthy hands and taken care of. 

Jenn, my friend and former coworker acted as our day of coordinator and helped me stay calm and really made our reception happen. Seriously, I understand why people hire a day of coordinator if they can. Jenn is a rockstar and made my job {of being a happy bride} easy. 

Post ceremony, family pics and marriage license signing - Jenn put a few drinks in our hands.

Back at the hotel, we grabbed some food, chatted and waited for our photographer, Kimberly Kay to arrive. Then it was time to put on the ivory dress and get things rolling. {The guys were just starting to get ready at this point.}

The bridesmaid dresses were from JCrew. I had a really hard time picking them because JCrew just didn't have what I would call "summer" colors for the season, but I do LOVE this shade and knew it would be beautiful on the girls regardless. 

I personally love JCrew dresses because of their classic and flattering cuts so hopefully, this is a dress they can truly wear again. Jessica is about 7 months pregnant here and looks fantastic in her dress.

After a few photos in the hotel and my dad seeing me all dressed up, it was off to Aspen Hall {where we would get married} for our first look photos. 

I'll be honest. At this point, I was feeling a little low on energy, sick to my stomach (not nerves, just the enormity of the day) and hot. We did our first look on this cool covered bridge in the woods.

Seeing Pete definitely made me relax a bit. It was just nice to finally see him and chat a bit.

Photo thanks to our awesome photographer Kimberly Kay

Shortly after, we headed across the street to Aspen Hall for some shots near the pond.

Aspen Hall

The natural beauty of this location really sold us on it. The pond, the bridges, the trees, the exposed wood inside the hall. Most of the other locations we looked at with similar qualities would have cost us a few thousand more just to rent the space. 

We also got some shots with the bridal party - Jessica (high school running friend), Jolyn (friends since kindergarten) and Kristin (met in Eugene when she was at UO for law school), Jon (Pete's older brother) and Jeff (Pete's cycling teammate and friend).

My childhood/high school group after the ceremony

About an hour before the ceremony, we were done. In hindsight, we should have taken more photos to keep my mind occupied. The next hour or so was pretty stressful being at the location with all the catering/bar/DJ setup going on, while trying to stay hidden. The girls were great about doing what they could to help me stay relaxed.

And finally, it was go time!

The oldest of my younger brothers, Kyle walked my mom down the aisle. She looked beautiful!

And the youngster Max walked Pete's mom Jane down the aisle. Behind them is Pete's dad Tom.

After everyone else was in place, my dad and I walked down the aisle to Pachelbel's Canon in D.

Thank you Jackie and mom for these great photos!

Pete and I each did short personal vows in addition to traditional vows and an exchange of rings. While it feels a bit vulnerable, I'm really glad we had a chance to speak personal vows to each other in front of our family and friends. 

We also had two readings done by our friends Kristin and Teresa. The first, which Kristin read was The Traditional Irish Blessing

May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

The rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

May God be with you and bless you;

May you see your children's children.

May you be poor in misfortune,

Rich in blessings,

May you know nothing but happiness

From this day forward.

May the road rise to meet you

May the wind be always at your back

May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home

And may the hand of a friend always be near.

May green be the grass you walk on,

May blue be the skies above you,

May pure be the joys that surround you,

May true be the hearts that love you.

The second reading was Corinthians 13: 4-8, which you've probably heard before... Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud...

And finally, we were pronounced husband and wife!

Officially Mr. and Mrs. Moe!

This is getting pretty long, so I'm going to do a Part II of our wedding day recap shortly. It should encompass the reception and other fun details!

Professional Wedding Photos
To see more photos from the wedding, check out our photographer's sneak peek of the shots she took. There are some great ones! I can't wait to get the entire dvd of all our photos.