In the last 10 days, I've gotten married, changed my name, hit it big in Vegas, conquered my fear of the first dance, and made some of the best memories of my life.
I had extremely high expectations for my wedding day. I hate the word 'perfect' because I generally think it's an unattainable perception. On April 18, however, I feel like we redefined perfect. Our wedding and reception was even better than I'd dreamed.
The day wasn't perfect because everything went exactly as we'd planned. It didn't. The day was perfect because it represented us. Never before have so many of our friends and family been able to come together for such a celebration. It was almost surreal having everyone in one place! From Thursday night before the wedding to late last night when we returned from the honeymoon, it's been a beautiful blur. I've been dying to share a little photo recap with you all so here goes:
Friday was the rehearsal and dinner. I've always said that nothing could ever compare to the stress and pressure I experienced right before my Paralympic swim, but this was a close contender. We spent the day decorating and finishing programs, favors, etc. I knew it would come together, but I had my meltdown moments! My mom has been working tirelessly on decorations for months. She *made* this forest of trees-some with lights and others with jewels-that were amazing!
On Saturday morning, I woke up with a peaceful sense of excitement. The "I'm going to die from this anxiety" feeling was replaced with "This is THE day!". I spent the morning getting ready with my mom, grandmother, and closest friends. Here's my hair and a few of our pre-wedding shots.
Adam didn't see me until I rolled down the aisle. The ceremony was amazing. Many thanks to our friends and family who provided some pictures while our photographer is working on our official shots.
Since the DAY I got engaged (and even before then), I've been nervous about ONE particular aspect of my wedding day. How would my husband I do our first dance? As I've been informed, this is ridiculous! I've danced before as part of a mixed-ability dance troupe. That was different. It was a performance. In the end, we decided to just do it! We tried out a few options in our new giant laundry room, chose a slow song that didn't require anything too challenging, and appointed my bridesmaids for backup should any dress catastrophe occur. Thankfully-there was no such emergency! I climbed on Adam's lap easily and we danced.
My dance with my dad was also a highlight. We practiced in the morning before the ceremony and in my unbiased opinion, we were awesome!
The reception ended with a sparkler sendoff that I'll never forget. I doubt I'll ever be able to assemble dozens of my loved ones to shower me with sparks again-so hopefully my memory will sustain!
Before I head off to enjoy an evening of newlywed bliss disguised as unpacking from our trip, I'd like to extend a sincere thank-you to all my readers. You've made the journey to my wedding day even more spectacular by sharing my excitement, dreams, and even anxiety. I struggled with this post through much of this afternoon because I tried to find what was disability-related throughout our special day. Even though our disability pride was factored into the planning and unique details, our wedding day had almost nothing to do with being anything...but in love. Finally I realized that you (of all people!) would understand that...and would appreciate all the normal and perfect parts of our day.
