Our wedding
day was the most blissfully happy day of my life thus far. God
answered so many prayers and made so many dreams come true leading up to the
day that we would become man and wife. I’m still overwhelmed by how
perfect and beautiful it was. Colton and I had the most amazing
people surrounding us, helping to make this the day that we always dreamed that
it would be. Each and every one of them were so loving and
supportive, helpful and kind. We definitely wouldn’t have been able
to pull it off without all of the help from our dear family and friends.
I
remember waking up, and not quite knowing what to do with myself. I’d
been so busy leading up to the wedding day, that when I woke up and didn’t have
anything that I needed to do I was restless. My sister MacKenzie had
spent the night, and her and Baylee and I had stayed up late after the
rehearsal dinner the night before, eating chips on the bed, telling stories and
laughing/crying over so many memories made in our childhood room over the
years. In the morning I remember quietly stepping over Kenz,
sleeping on a mattress next to my bed and going to the kitchen to make coffee. I
took my coffee cup and my bible outside and sat on the front porch, just as I
had almost every morning for the past 10 years. I watched the sun
rise over the trees, and read 1 Corinthians 13. It felt like a normal
morning, except that it wasn’t. I remember being so excited that it
was hard to sit still. Dad came and sat with me for a few minutes
and we talked, and then I got a call from a dear friend who was out of state
and couldn’t come to the wedding but wanted to let me know that he was praying
over Colton and I, and our life together, and that he was thinking about me
today. It was so special. MacKenzie fixed me breakfast
and brought it to me on the front porch (I didn’t eat much of it, but I
tried!). After breakfast I finished packing for my honeymoon and
walked the property to try to soak in how everything looked I even took a video
on my phone, so I’d be able to remember everything exactly how it was.
It was
such a dream come true to be able to have my wedding on the property where I
grew up. We had the ceremony in the back pasture, a place where I
had sat on the fence so many times over the years, watching the sunset, and
dreaming and praying about the man I would marry. Little did I know,
that he was growing up 7 minutes down the road from me, in a house in the exact
direction that I would have been facing when I sat on that fence. We
said our vows right in front of the tree that I used to play under, with my
baby dolls when I was a little girl. I can’t help but smile, knowing
how God was planning everything out, watching and waiting for the perfect time
to bring all of these things together. To create this beautiful
story that we get to live out. Though life is busy and crazy, and
far from perfect, it still feels like we’re living a fairy tale. I
couldn’t have dreamed that it would be this beautiful.
People
started showing up at the house around 11:00. My bridesmaids got
there, the flowers came, and then the lady that was going to do my hair and
makeup showed up. It was so amazing because 3 girls that I hadn’t
even formally asked to come do hair and makeup showed up and took care of all
of my bridesmaids and my mom! It was so sweet!
Brooklyn (my niece, and flower girl) kept
telling me that I was a princess and wanted to sit with me the whole time I was
getting my hair done.
The girls made sure that I always had a mimosa
in front of me! Probably why I wasn't nervous AT ALL on the wedding day!
Haha!
Since we
were all getting ready in the same house, Colton and his groomsmen used one
half of the house and my girls and I used the other half. We had to
be super careful during photos though because Colton and I didn’t want to see
each other before the wedding, so we had to make sure that doors stayed closed
and that we were never outside at the same time. I ended up seeing
him three times throughout the day, but he never saw me!
He looks SO nervous! Everyone told me that
he was pacing all day!
Even
though we didn’t want to see each other, we did want to read letters to each
other and pray together before the wedding. It was the sweetest
time, and made me even more excited about marrying him! He has
the most precious heart! I love him so!
My mom
helped me put on my dress, jewelry and shoes. It was so special having
that time with just her. It felt like moments that we'd talked about and
dreamed about my whole life finally happening! I still couldn't believe
that I was about to get married!
My dad
hadn't seen my dress at all until the wedding day, and one of my favorite
moments of the entire day was when he came in to see me after I was finally
ready.
This is
the kitty that Colton gave to me when he proposed. I named him
Prince. He was thrilled about family photos, as you can tell! Haha!
My girls in their
dresses!
Left to right: Blythe, Reagan, Payton,
MacKenzie, Baylee, Morgan
I don't know how I was blessed with all models
for sisters! They are gorgeous inside and out!
Colton with his guys!
From left to right: Logan, Jeffrey, Nate,
Colton, Landon, Justin, and Jesse
Family photos!
My Mom made charms for my bouquet with all of
Colton and I's parents and grandparents who have stayed married. Such a
sweet keepsake. And it helped me to feel like even the ones who weren't
with us anymore got to be there somehow, and that their legacy, and commitment
to one another was honored.
Ceremony
Finally
it was time for the ceremony to start! The moment we'd planned and
prepared for for MONTHS! We were SO EXCITED!!
Instead of having my bridesmaids carry the
traditional bouquet of flowers, I had them carry lanterns as a representation
of the story in Matthew 25, about the 10 virgins, and the 5 who had oil in
their lamps, ready for the return of the bridegroom. Our minister was
able to explain the lanterns to our guests and add in a simple gospel message,
it also tied into Colton and I exchanging purity rings before taking our first
communion together.
HIS FACE! Sweetest thing I've ever seen in
all my life!
I thought I'd be the one crying, but I stayed
pretty composed until
we said our vows.
My youth pastor, dear friend, and mentor during
my growing-up years, Brandon, played the piano while my maid of honor sang the
"The Blessing Song" by Dennis Jernigan, during communion.
Brandon also played "Love Story" by Taylor Swift while I walked down
the aisle. I was (still am) a major Taylor Swift fan while growing up, and I
couldn't imagine my wedding day without her music. I'd heard Brandon play
"Love Story" probably 10 years ago, and never forgot how beautiful
the piano version was!
Colton and I wrote our own vows, and I think
it's one of my favorite parts about the ceremony. Reading over them still
brings tears to my eyes. It just made it so much more meaningful and
special to us. I wasn't paying attention at the time, but I had people
tell me that there wasn't a dry eye in the crowd!
Mr. and Mrs. Colton Hamel
Me with my grandmothers.
The only two living grandparents that I still
have.
We were missing so many people that day...
The Most Incredible Bridal
Party!
We truly had the best time taking all of these
photos! Our photographer, Jordan Spivey was AMAZING!!! I will never stop
recommending her! She did an incredible job, made everyone feel so
comfortable and was so sweet throughout the entire day. She captured our
joy so perfectly. You can check her website out here: Jordan Spivey
Our Sunset Photos!
The entire time we were planning the wedding,
all I talked about was the fact that I wanted our pictures together to be at
sunset, and it turned out to be a magical one! So, so thankful! God
answered every single little prayer. I even got the cows in the pasture,
just like I prayed and hoped for!
Reception/Dance Party!
Payton (maid of honor) had a Thunder jersey made
for me that says "Mrs. Hamel" on the back, and I wore that over my
dress when we walked into the reception.
Father-Daughter Dance
My dad and I chose a Kenny Chesney song for our
dance together, and then when the time came, it was announced that my dad had
written a song for me, *tears* and that was what we danced to instead.
Turns out, he'd been working with our sweet worship pastor for weeks, and she
sang, the worship team played and then they recorded this song that my dad
wrote for my wedding day! I was totally surprised!
In Memory of Pops
Uncle Ronnie danced with me to Pop's and I's song. Pops had promised to dance with me at my wedding, and I couldn't let the night go by withou this memory of him. It was the most emotional moment of the night for me. I would've given anything to have him there, but having Uncle Ronnie there made it a little easier.
Mother-Son Dance
First Dance
Party Time!
Sparkler Exit!
The reception seemed to fly by, and I could hardly believe it when it was time to leave! Everything was SO perfect! More than anything we could have dreamed! It was so special to watch all of our loved ones celebrating all that God did by bringing Colton and I together. The night was PURE MAGIC! We got in the car and I immediately broke down crying, so overwhelmed by how beautiful and perfect it all was, and by how thankful I was to be married to the precious man beside me. It was so much emotion that I couldn't even put it into words. I kept saying, "I promise I'm happy! I don't know why I'm crying!" The Lord was so faithful through the entire process, through our meeting, our engagement, and our marriage. We could not be more thankful!
"This is the LORD'S doing, it is marvelous in our eyes."
~Psalm 118:23
