The Big Day

Theres so much to tell you about. Feb 14th 2008 is when it all began. I thought that planning my wedding would be the funnest days of my life, but it turns out that it was a lot more stressful than I had imagined. My roommate at the time had just gotten married in March and that meant it was time for me to move out. So, since I knew that I was getting married in a couple months I moved in with my parents.
There was so much planning to do! Everyday it seemed like there was something to be done. Everything went smoothly though. My mom was the biggest help. At first I felt like there was a battle over who was in control but once I gave it over to her everything went good from there.
Living at home was not easy. Not because my parents though. At first I thought that it was, but I have recently come to the conclusion it was because I wasn't with Jamie. Going "home" every night was the hardest thing in the world. It seemed like I would leave my heart behind with him. I dreaded sunset because it meant separation.
Threw the months of planning I felt like I was planning for someone else. And still to this day its hard to believe that I got married. The whole time I felt like I was in third person.
Any way lets get to the details.
The day before. At this point I was overly excited. I was pampered in the morning and then headed down to the gardens for rehearsal. Rehearsal went very well. I was nerves and becoming very "on edge" at this point. It began to poor down rain and then off to dinner we went.
At dinner my father gave the most perfect speech I have ever heard. My dad doesn't show his emotions very often so when he does I have to capture every second of it. It was exactly what I needed in the mist of all the stress. Appetizers then came out and during that time Jamie's mom gave a toast as well. It was beautiful. I felt so accepted. It amazed me that I had only meet her once before and yet she loved me like I had been her daughter my whole life. Thank you Jen.
Then Jamie and I said our good byes. The last good bye until the big day.
The night of, was a rough one. I didn't sleep much. I moved back and forth from the bed to the coach trying to get comfy but nothing seemed to work. Finally 8 am came. We (as in all the girls) got up and cooked blueberry pancakes. Now I have to say that I don't remember much of the day but here is what I do remember. (I wish I could post all the pictures because they tell the story much better than I)
After eating breakfast Lesley came over to do our hair. She started out with Carrie and then moved on to Kylie. During this, I was trying to keep myself calm. The girls (Pam and Liz) had come up with a dance to keep me smiling throughout the day. And it worked. I was freaked out! I was so excited and yet so nerves. I took lots of medicine and tried to stay as calm as possible. Then Carrie came in with my present. A present from my soon to be husband. Now you must know that Jamie is horrible about keeping surprises, but he did awesome with this one! As I opened it there was a certificate that read... Christine Elizabeth you have a star named after you. I started to cry, well weep would be a better word. It was the perfect present from the perfect man!
Then it was my turn to get my hair done. It looked beautiful! Before I knew it, it was time to meet the makeup lady at her house. All I have to say about that is wow! She did an amazing job! It was nice going to a house with just the two of us. It was peaceful. We then proceeded to a hair salon on the way to the gardens to pick up my beautiful mother. My mom was good about playing off the stress. She had the whole wedding on her shoulders. But, I could tell she had a lot on her plate. (As you could imagine)
We got to the garden and everything went smooth from there. We got dressed, took pictures, saw family, prayed and anxiously waited for 5:55pm.
5:25 came. Time to start walking down. And it was a walk. This is a time that I treasure. Me and my dad and all the girls walking down to the pavilion. Anxiously, for right then was when all my dreams where comming into reality. They started the precession and soon all that was left was my dad and I. I stood there so nervous, hoping that Jamie would look at me like he did when he asked me to be his wife. As my dad and I started to walk I realized that Jamie hadn't turned around yet! I wanted so bad to see my groom and all I saw was his back! Then..... finally. We locked eyes. Everyone around disappeared. Even my dad. And he didn't look at me like he did the day he asked me to be his wife. He looked at me like I was his wife. Proud and in love. The moment I had been waiting for forever had come to pass. The ceremony was perfect. No flaws. Mike the pastor did an amazing job leading us through our vows. Then came the kiss. We hadn't kissed up to that point. How was it, you ask? It was better than I could have ever imagined. (And believe me I imagined it a lot) The world disappeared. God allowed us to taste a little bit of heaven and experience the love that he has for us with each other. There is no describing it. Go home tonight and kiss you husband or wife like it was the first. Savor the feeling, the taste, the moment, and you will experience a little bit of what we did and still do.

Then to the party! Dinner was great, and the DJ was out of this world. But believe it or not, one of my favorite parts was dancing with my father. I felt at that moment, that he was letting his butterfly go. Entrusting to Jamie his little girl. Handing over the protection and covering to Jamie. I felt more love at that moment then I have my whole life. No words had to be said, just an understanding between a daughter and father. I love you dad. Thank you for that moment.

Then ....... Well you know....... fireworks!!!!
And my dream came true, all because to people fell in love.