Oh hey, I'm married!

So…I got married! If any of you are regular readers, I know you've seen all about it in our #hollicon posts. (Thanks so much for following those, by the way!) Since I'm done honeymooning and have been absent for a little while, I thought it would only be fitting to share some of the highlights of my big day! 

The venue: Our March 9, 2013 wedding took place at Sacred Heart Chapel in Point Clear, Alabama. It's a beautiful historic chapel on the bay, complete with big mossy trees and a giant bell tower. I grew up in this area and have always been in love with this place, so a 4:30 p.m. wedding in March on the bay made for perfect weather and ended just in time for some gorgeous sunset pictures. 

The food: We wanted a big wedding but wanted to keep our costs low. We fortunately found a caterer sweet enough to let us order quality sandwich meat at cost to her. We also wanted our food interactive. So the menu: popcorn bar with different seasonings, make your own sandwich bar, more homemade soups in crackpots that I could count and the same thing with cakes. It ended up being really homey and delicious, which is all we really hoped for in this thing! Oh, and our rehearsal dinner was a crawfish boil, so that was the best thing in the world!

The outfits: Well, we talked about our bridal party mismatched outfits before (here). The run down: girls wore teal dresses, cardigans and red shoes. Guys wore grey or black pants and red or teal accessories (tie, suspenders, etc.) Me and Joseph…well we're in the center of that there picture!

The reception: We know that weddings are about the bride and groom and obviously that's what people are there for. BUT, we wanted to keep it as much like a dinner party and as little like a spectacle as possible. It's just our style. So we use items we thrifted for the last six months to make centerpieces and set up an atmosphere much like the way we would decorate our house. I really love how everything came together. We also tried to make our reception atmosphere interactive, too, with paper tablecloths people could color on and board games for playing!

Favorite decoration details: I loved everything as it came together, but I think my favorite stand alone decoration was these signs my husband designed for us. We set them on easels around the reception hall to mark the different areas: "Play, Eat, Dance, Give." Am I going to hang them in our house? You bet your booty I will! 

Favorite ceremony moment: Do I have to have just one? Because I have a three-way tie. Since I wrote the categories, I'm fine with breaking the rules. I LOVED looking at Joseph as I was walking down the isle, realizing I was REALLY getting married. My best friend from high school is a Deacon, so he gave the sermon, and that was absolutely a beautiful experience. (I cried during these first two moments). My other favorite part was that when we were exchanging rings, I grabbed Joseph's right hand. After that, I was so distracted by the fact that I didn't know where his left hand was, that I didn't notice for a minute after the Priest told me to repeat, "Joseph take this ring…" Yay for awkward silence!

Favorite reception moment: Joseph and his band mates from Jam Therapy (his band, where he's an awesome drummer) surprised me with a song! Joseph sang this lovely Beatles love ballad. He's so swell at singing, and these guys are amazing, too. Check them out here if you desire...

The honeymoon: We decided not to plan a honeymoon ahead of time. I mean, we had just planned a whole wedding, so we were kinda structured out. So, Sunday after the wedding, we woke up and decided to go to Nashville. We didn't actually leave until the next day, but then we spent three nights there and one night in Atlanta so we could hit up furniture heaven, aka Ikea. 

Best thing about being married: Having a family of my own is the best! We both feel like we have a new sense of purpose. Things are not just about us anymore. And let's be real. A lifelong sleepover with your best friend ever…what can be better than that? Thanks childhood friends for all the preparation! 

—Holli Anne

P.S. I've changed all my social media names to reflect my new last name, now. Check out my @holli_con Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest! 

P.S.S. You can see most of these pictures and their owners at the #hollicon search on Instagram.