Bam, Info only [text heavy]

Invited guest count: 48 (50 with us)
Sweetheart table and the rounds sat 8! Ftw!

COVID-19 status: 0 sick!! 🤩🥰Precautions: rapid tests provided for guests & those spending extended unmasked time with B/G required taking one. Very good N95 masks available to all guests. All outdoors, minus bathrooms.
Music:Groom & MOG + FOB entrance: Beauty from the Sailor Moon OST albumhttps://youtu.be/8rrdUoF5UmU
Bridal entrance: Andante by Roy Toddhttps://youtu.be/WWcDt_-xJ7I
Recessional/exit song: Marry You (instrumental) Bruno Marshttps://youtu.be/TdfGzeVC7Hs
Grand Entrance song: Here to Stay by Meghan Trainorhttps://youtu.be/8Om61clBALs
First dance: Cry with You by Hunter Hayeshttps://youtu.be/YU8_Rv1OVV0
Mother/daughter dance: I Hope You Dance by LeeAnn Womack(Fade in 0:25 - 2:45 fade out)https://youtu.be/ozR3XL4cab0
Mother/son dance: You Will Always be My Son by Caleb + Kelsey(1:26 - end)https://youtu.be/FUsLT0hIOus
FIL/DIL dance: My Boy by Elvie Shane(2:28 - end)https://youtu.be/35BKdh4CoQ8
Last dance: Here to StaySince the grand entrance is like ~30 seconds of music we just reused our last dance song lol.[Link above]


Ceremony:In the music section you may have noticed a groom walk song, my husband walked his mother to her seat, along with his step-dad.The ceremony pathway makes an L shape, he walked his mom alone halfway and then were joined by dad for the second half.
I walked with my mother, who did not "give me away" as I am not property. Instead she placed my hand in his and we had a private moment (softly spoken, the walking music still on, guests couldn't hear it) of promises, it was beautiful and intimate. Officiant introduction/vows intro:[Bride] and [Groom], you have come here today to celebrate the love which you have for each other. We share in this with you today. Love, honor, respect and trust will be the foundation of a happy and enduring home. No other vows are more sacred than those you now assume.
We wrote our own vows and apparently traditionally the groom goes first? I knew I'd be crying too hard if he said his vows first though 😂
One of the very few things that didn't go "perfectly" was the Officiant flubbed the two readings I had chosen in a few parts, tripping over the words. Life happens, the sentiment was there, no one will ever remember it.
My chosen readings were by Heidi Priebe and J.M. Storm:
To love someone long-term is to attend a thousand funerals of the people they used to be. The people they don’t recognize inside themselves anymore. The people they grew out of, the people they never ended up growing into.We so badly want the people we love to get their spark back when it burns out; to become speedily found when they are lost.But it is not our job to hold anyone accountable to the people they used to be.It is our job to travel with them between each version and to honor what emerges along the way.Sometimes it will be an even more luminescent flame.Sometimes it will be a flicker that disappears and temporarily floods the room with a perfect and necessary darkness.
(But) in your dark days, just turn around and I will be there.And maybe I won’t have any more light to give than what you already have.But I will take your hand and we will find the light together.
The reading preceeding rings exchange:Wedding rings are made precious by our wearing them. Your rings say that even in your uniqueness you have chosen to be bound together. Let these rings also be a sign that love has substance as well as soul, a present as well as a past, and that, despite its occasional sorrows, love is a circle of happiness, wonder, and delight. May these rings remind you always of the vows you have taken here today.When I kissed my husband my bright red lipstick got all over his lips, our Officiant couldn't help but laugh, he apologized but hey, it was funny! We were laughing, too. It actually ended up making for 3 of my favorite pics!
Reception:We got to buy our own booze (score!) I wish I would've bought more flavored vodka (and less wine) because it was a HIT. I had a hunch it would be, as we had lemonade and tea for guests. I went against my gut and followed online guides, let that be a reminder: you know your crowd best! The vodkas were Smirnoff Zero's strawberry rose & mint watermelon. (Highly recommend these, wedding or not lol they're so so good!) We had handles of the main alcohols, white & red wine, 2 types of beer, margaritas, and a fancy Scotch for my husband and his friends.
We had 2 appetizers- stuffed petite red potatoes (twice baked potatoes using petite reds) and salami cornucopias (salami rolled & filled with herb cream cheese and capers)Dinner was buffet style; chicken breast stuffed with spinach, artichoke hearts, red bell pepper and topped with Italian herbs and parmesan cheese. Ceaser salad, dinner rolls, mac n cheese, and tricolor carrots. Everything was incredible, the staff not only made us plates and served us but also brought us some of the appetizers while we signed paperwork. Leftovers were boxed up and in a fridge ready go go at the end of the night.The cake had 2 flavors: black forest and almond with Rose ganache filling and my only regret of the day is not eating more of it! I wish I had asked them to save the top tier when they asked, not to freeze, just to eat in bed lol! 🤣I loved every moment but the last few hours when it was just us and friends was honestly amazing, my favorite moments outside the ceremony!