Two Years

Today's post is going to be a little different than normal, so if you have an aversion to mushy stuff, look away now! Brad and I have been married for two years today, and I have to say that they have been the best two years I could have asked for. Not only is he an amazing husband and friend, but he is also always willing to help me in whatever projects I cook up. I'm so thankful to have a husband who loves me enough to grab a paintbrush or pick up a hammer and join me in making our little roost feel like home. Brad is always happy to battle the Northern Va traffic for a day trip to IKEA. He will follow me into Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel anytime. And maybe the most surprising thing (but very appreciated!) is that he will often vacuum the whole house just because he knows it will make me happy! Needless to say, I love this man very, very much!

Here are some of my favorite moments from the big day, as well as some of the more unconventional ways we chose to make our wedding special.

This was taken the moment I joined Brad on stage. I think you can tell how happy I am!

Our first kiss as husband and wife.

Leaving the church and feeling like a million bucks!

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Now, on to some of the ways we saved money and made our reception special.

After the ceremony, we moved all the flower arrangements from the church to the reception hall so they could still be enjoyed for the rest of the afternoon.

When we found out we couldn't dance at a church reception, most of the other wedding venues in town were already booked. My dad had the great idea to hold the reception at an elementary school a few blocks from the church. It was kind of fitting because Brad and I are both teachers. My whole family worked so hard to transform a school cafeteria into a garden party themed reception.

One of my good friends from high school donated her beautiful floral talents as a wedding present. The bouquets were simple, gorgeous, and perfect.

Another friend of the family gave us his incredibly creative catering skills as wedding present. When we told him we were planning a garden party theme, he came up with the idea of using sod on the buffet table. It was very, very cool.

We continued the theme by placing picket fences around the buffet and dance floor. My dad put these together for us because he is the best!

Our precious flower girl peeking over the fence.

First dance!

We also begged and borrowed garden benches and chairs from everyone we knew to provide additional seating.

My parents rented plants and palm trees from a local garden center to provide extra color.

One of my favorite parts of the reception was our Krispy Kreme "cake." Brad took me to a movie and Krispy Kreme on our first date and we knew early on that we had to have a doughnut cake at our wedding.

My mom scoured the Internet for the stand.

Yummy!

The hat thing didn't work out too well with my veil. . .

Our guests LOVED the doughnuts, and people still talk about how cool our cake was.

I'm so glad we decided to move the reception to a place where we could dance, because we spent most of the afternoon twirling on the dance floor.

Everyone had so much fun!

We escaped in a flurry of bubbles.

As you can see, our wedding was not the fanciest or the most traditional, but it represented who we are and what we value the most. We were able to invite all the friends and family we wanted and spend an afternoon celebrating with them. Our whole day was a team effort and would not have been possible without help from a lot of our friends and family. At one point I think every member of my family helped me cut, fold, and glue the handmade pocket fold invitations!

So, happy anniversary to my sweet, cute, precious husband, and many, many thanks to all the people who got our marriage off to a special and creative start!

<3

Hattie