It is rare when a girl's dreams come true. Like, once in a blue moon. On New Years Eve 2009 my dreams came true. I married the man of my dreams. We had somewhat of a short, whirlwind engagement. David was transferred to Casper, Wyoming at the end of October. Each day that passed was a day with David in Casper and me in Kansas City. Time was limited, as was our money, but I was bound and determined to have the wedding of our dreams.
We got married at a chapel on the William Jewell College Campus. It is a little white chapel at the top of a hill. The generic white plank building opened up to a quaint, intimate setting full of hardwood floors and breathtaking stained glass windows. Perfect to hold the 100 friends and family that had traveled near and far to share our special day with us. I could not have dreamed of a better setting to take my marriage vows.
Through out the entire time I was planning the wedding, my friends and family stepped forward to volunteer their time & talents to make our day so very special. Someone I used to (feels strange to say that) work with at Barnes & Noble was generous enough to get her license off of the internet in order to marry David & I. It was her first wedding (as well as ours!) , but she did an absolutely amazing job. One of my "internet friends" traveled thousands of miles to take our photographs. We had never met prior to our wedding, but from the first hug as she stepped off of the shuttle, I knew she was a special soul. Thank YOU! With the help of three of my other "internet friends" they made sure to capture every moment of our Wedding Day. There was also my cousin's wife who volunteered her professional skills to do my hair & make up. She also HANDSTITCHED the sparklies on my shawl. Can you believe that? HANDSTITCHED!
Following the wedding, we invited our friends and family to a reception held at the KC Airport Hilton. My Brother In Law is a manager for the Hilton and was vigilant to ensure that our day was perfect in every way possible. Without Matt's generosity, given our budget, our reception was doomed to be a potluck dinner in the church social hall. He was able to pull some strings to make our reception beautiful and elegant. The food was divine, the atmosphere was elegant, the music was good, and the beer was cold. I could not have asked for a better reception.
Oh! My devoted readers will appreciate what we chose for a Guest Gift. I found a website that allowed us to create & print our own bookmarks. In sticking with our winter themed wedding, we designed these bookmarks to place on all the tables. From many people, I heard "That is so YOU!" Yes, yes it is.
We rang in the New Years with our guests, then shortly after retired to our complimentary suite. We were greeted by champagne & strawberries. The perfect way to end the perfect day.
We spent New Years Day in the hospitality room we had for our guests. We continued mingling, ate AMAZING food provided, once again, by the extraordinary Brother In Law. We were able to sit and visit with our friends and family, we put the 1,000+ pictures taken up on the big screen, and we opened our gifts. As the day wore on, we said good-bye to our friends and family. One more day, and we would be on our way to our new home in Casper, Wyoming.
Words can not express how PERFECT our day was. As an avid reader I have read about the "Happily Ever Afters" in book after book. I have dated many men & have gone through heartache after heartache. For some reason or another, the Good Lord blessed me with my very own "Happily Ever After".
