I'll Never Desert You: The Bridal Party

And now it's time to officially introduce our bridal party -- those amazing friends and family members who stood by us on one of the most important days of our lives. All the ladies were asked to choose their own dresses within a certain color range. This worked well for us as my bridesmaids live in various states across the country. We also had a slightly unconventional bridal party. Mr. C wanted his three little sisters to be "groomsladies" for the wedding. I asked that they wear mismatched dresses in dark gray in order to match the groomsmen suits which were custom ordered online from Studio Suits. Mr. C's oldest sister, seen below on the far right, was pregnant with twins at the time, so giving her freedom to choose her dress certainly made her life a little easier. She gave birth to her fraternal twin boys, Finn and Beckett, in early August! 

The bridesmaid/groomslady bouquets were made by my mother the day before the wedding. I ordered baby's breath in bulk from Fifty Flowers which was used for the bouquets, boutonnieres, and the aisle baskets. This semi-DIY option saved us a lot of money. Ordering even modest bouquets and boutonnieres from our florist would have cost a small fortune, so I was happy enough with this economical solution. My mom added sheer blue ribbon to the bouquets for a finishing touch.

All photographs are by Christopher Helm Photography. The venue is Cloverleaf Farms just outside of Athens, Georgia.

I love my bridesmaids! I loved the fact that getting married gave me a great excuse to spend time with these ladies who happen to live all across the country. I blogged about how I asked my ladies to be my bridesmaids, but I never really introduced you to my wonderful friends.

I bought these adorable parasols (which were chosen to match the color of their dresses, if you can't tell) from Lunar Bazaar.

And here they are, in order from left to right (in photo above): 

Bridesmaid S and I met in 4th grade when I moved to Georgia. She was one of my first new friends after adjusting to a new state and a new school. We instantly bonded over our love of horses: both real and of the toy variety, specifically Grand Champions and Breyers. We remained friends all through high school and both attended UGA together. She's an amazing and multi-talented artist who draws, paints, sculpts, and creates her own amazing jewelry. She moved to California a few years ago to follow her husband who is a legitimate rocket scientist at JPL. Her and her husband just welcomed their first child to the world in March and she's busy being a new mama! 

Bridesmaid AM is one of my "newer" friends. We became close after I moved back from Japan and was attending graduate school at UGA. She was dating one of my high school friends at the time and after he moved to Singapore to pursue his PhD, we ended up becoming a lot closer! She's one of the most outgoing people I know as she seems to know everyone in Atlanta these days. She loves zombies and special effects make up and the Rocky Horror Picture Show -- she even plays a zombie in the interactive haunted house called the Atlanta Zombie Apocalypse. 

Matron of Honor K and I have known each other since we were five years old! We quickly discovered that our names rhymed and became instant best friends. We actually have incredibly different personalities. She was a bit serious and taciturn while I was obnoxious and could easily talk your ear off. I moved away from K when I was nine years old, but we always stayed in contact and usually spent a few weeks over the summer together. She attended Auburn and I attended UGA (which are only three hours apart) so we were able to keep in touch during our adult years as well. Now K lives as a vet in Baltimore. We don't get to see each other much anymore, but whenever we hang out it seems like 

Bridesmaid J is my extremely extroverted, outgoing stepsister who recently returned home to California after living in New York City for the past year. I first met her when she was seven years old (I was 16) when my dad flew me out to California to meet his future wife and her children. I don't remember much about the visit, but I do remember that J wanted to "play" with my hair and ended up braiding it into knots! I still tease her about this! But she is girl with a huge heart and a big personality to match it! 

Bridesmaid M and I met in middle school. She was somewhat quiet and reserved which was an odd match for someone like me who was very outgoing and outspoken. She was always game for our weird plans and schemes though, including making avant garde movies and commercials. Now she lives in California with her husband and one year old daughter. 

Bridesmaid AH and I met around the same time as Bridesmaid M. She was definitely my mischievous partner in crime and it seemed like we were always up to something. I know we drove a number of teachers crazy with our antics, and I realize that now that I am a teacher I am getting the ultimate payback in the form of annoying students.  She recently returned to Georgia after spending two years living in Colorado. It's nice having another friend living back in Georgia and she seems a lot happier to be back home. 

I miss my friends so much. I wish we all lived closer to each other so we could spend more time together. Also, can you tell I'm the only one not wearing heels? 

A few weeks before the wedding, Bridesmaid AM said that we should try something called "Vadering" at the wedding. Apparently it was a new meme floating around the internet, similar to "planking" that was popular a few years ago. Basically one person poses as Darth Vader while everyone else jumps in the air pretending to be force choked. As a huge nerd, this definitely appealed to me. Our photographer was totally on board as well! So we got a few funny shots like the one below (and one more to come). Mr. C had his dad bring an old Darth Vader helmet back from their attic in Michigan just for these photos. It was a nice touch! 

And now for the groomsmen and groomsladies! Mr. C chose his brother-in-law (father of the recently born twins) to be his Best Man. He also chose my brother (seen below on the top right) and our coworker to be included in our bridal party. The three ladies are his little sisters: H, E, and K. K is the youngest at just 21 years old.

We bought the guys white and light pink striped seersucker ties from The Tie Bar. 

We also bought the guys matching gray and pink socks from Macy's. Mr. C wore blue Ralph Lauren socks which matched his tie and my sash. 

It's hard to tell here, but I bought Mr. C's sisters light gray parasols to match their dresses. Parasols for everyone!

Hooray for an awesome bridal party! 

Was your bridal party unconventional in any way? 

1) Getting Dressed & Exchanging Gifts

2) Putting on the White Dress

3) Our First Look

4) The Ceremony Begins

5) The Reading 

6) The Vows

7) The Kiss and Recessional 

I'll Never Desert You: The Kiss & Recessional

The emotional vows were exchanged. Our friends and family laughed and wiped away tears in turn. I couldn't stop smiling. The ceremony continued.

Todd (our Officiant):

Gavin, please repeat the words I share with you to Erin

I Gavin take you Erin to be my wife,
to have and to hold from this day forward,
for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer,
in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow,
to love and to cherish for as long as both shall live.

Erin, please repeat the words I share with you to Gavin

I Erin take you Gavin to be my husband,
to have and to hold from this day forward,
for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer,
in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow,
to love and to cherish for as long as both shall live.

All photographs are by Christopher Helm Photography. The venue is Cloverleaf Farms just outside of Athens, Georgia.

Mr. C's best man pulled a tarnished silver box from his coat pocket. He opened the box and inside were are wedding bands secured with a piece of antique lace. 

Todd: 

Gavin, what symbol do you have as a pledge of these vows?

Gavin as you place this ring, a visible sign of your commitment in marriage, on the third finger of Erin’s left hand, repeat after me:

Erin with this ring I thee wed. Take it and wear it as a symbol of all we shall share.

Erin what symbol do you have as a pledge of these vows?

Erin as you place this ring, a visible sign of your commitment in marriage, on the third finger of Gavin’s left hand, repeat after me:

Gavin with this ring I thee wed. Take it and wear it as a symbol of all we shall share.

Exchanging the rings is always a little awkward because your hands are sweaty with nerves and you are terrified that the ring will not fit! I was also scared that I was going to fumble and drop the ring -- thankfully the exchanging went smoothly.

And just to share, here's a photo I took of our rings and a box Ladurée macarons during our honeymoon. Just looking at this photo makes me miss those delicate little cookies (oh, and the amazing memories of our honeymoon). You can read more about my 1920's engagement ring here, or my antique wedding band here. Mr. C went with a tungsten band from a local jeweler.  Meanwhile, back at our ceremony. . . 

Todd:

Erin and Gavin, you have consented together to be bound to one another in lawful marriage; you have made  special promises to each other which have been symbolized by the sharing of vows and the giving and receiving of rings. By the authority vested in me, according to the laws of the state of Georgia, I now pronounce you to be husband and wife.

Gavin you may now kiss your bride!

Most awkward first kiss photo EVER. I am so sorry you guys have to see this, but I just couldn't write a ceremony summary without it! Mr. C and I even practiced to make it less awkward, but I guess our inner awkwardness won out in the end. Now we have to live with this picture for the rest of our lives. I'm okay with it though, because I love everything else about our ceremony and our photos. Plus we got some much better kissing photos later when there wasn't so much pressure to kiss in front of a crowd of people. 

Todd: 

Ladies and gentleman, it is my distinct pleasure to present to you for the first time, Erin and Gavin – husband and wife.  

We did it!! Married at last!

We had a dried lavender toss as we walked back down the aisle for our recessional. This is when our musicians Grace and Jordan kicked in with an instrumental version of ELO's "Mr. Bluesky" which I loved SO MUCH. It was seriously perfect and they did a great job! This song makes me so stupidly happy so I think it was the perfect choice for our recessional tune. Give it a listen! You can't hear "Mr. Bluesky" and not smile! 

Sun is shinin' in the sky,

There ain't a cloud in sight

It's stopped rainin'

Everybody's in a play

And don't you know

It's a beautiful new day.

Runnin' down the avenue,(Pant, Pant, Pant)

See how the sun shines brightly

In the city on the streets

Where once was pity,

Mr. Blue Sky is living here today.

[Chorus:]

Mr. Blue Sky, please tell us why,

You had to hide away

For so long where did we go wrong.

Hey there Mr. Blue

We're so pleased to be with you

Look around see what you do,

Everybody smiles at you.

Hey you with the pretty face,

Welcome to the human race

A celebration Mr. Blue Sky's

Up there waitin' and today

Is the day we've waited for

Then it was time for all of our bridesmaids, groomsmen, and groomsladies to make their way back down the aisle. I love all the beaming smiles in these photos! They warm my heart. 

And just like that, we were married! It was a strange, magical, and surreal moment. 

Then it was off to the cocktail hour! Or, you know, an hour's worth of family and couples photos. 

1) Getting Dressed & Exchanging Gifts

2) Putting on the White Dress

3) Our First Look

4) The Ceremony Begins

5) The Reading 

6) The Vows

The Secret Life of Bees: Camel Edition

As I finish up my wedding day recaps, I realize that some Weddingbee readers might not remember me. I started blogging here in November 2012 and my one year anniversary of blogging is quickly approaching! Just to refresh some memories (or introduce myself to any newly engaged readers), I wanted to do a quick "Secret Life of Bees" entry so you can know a little more about me.

First and foremost, I'm a social studies teacher at a Title 1 (high poverty) high school in Georgia. I teach Economics, World History, and AP World History. Yes, having three preps sucks! I'm 30 years old and Mr. C is 36. I love photography, world travel, and naps. Seriously, I'm addicted to afternoon naps! And shopping at Anthropologie. Goodbye, paycheck! I love key lime pie and French macarons. I never get enough sleep on weekdays. Mr. C and I live in a two bedroom apartment with two cats and a patio full of plants. We often soften the blows of a long week of teaching by ordering strawberry milkshakes on Friday afternoons. We like to go jogging in the park on weekends and spend our weekday evenings watching rented movies or playing video games. Our teaching jobs are exhausting so we spend a lot of our downtime relaxing and doing things that we enjoy, that is when we're not planning lessons, tutoring, sponsoring clubs, or grading papers.

We got married on May 26, 2013 in an outdoor ceremony under a pecan tree. Our wedding theme was largely inspired by Sophia Coppola's film Marie Antoinette. We honeymooned on the Mediterranean island of Malta with a stopover in Paris and Versailles for a few days on our way back to Atlanta.

Basically, we're your average newly married couple! But now for some embarrassing details: 

I have a crazy obsession with Lawrence of Arabia.

I'm not talking about the David Lean film, I'm talking about the actual historical figure named T.E. Lawrence. I touched on this a bit in my very first post, as it is why I chose the camel as my moniker. It all began over a decade ago. I happened to catch Lawrence of Arabia on TV and instantly became intrigued by Peter O'Toole's interpretation of T.E. Lawrence. I immediately wanted to know how much of the film was historically accurate (turns out, not much). This instigated an insatiable appetite for information, photos, and books.

Over ten years later and now I have a collection of over 80 books by and about T.E. Lawrence. I still buy a few each year to add to my collection. I visited his childhood home in Oxford, England and his grave site and cottage in Dorset, England. I've seen a lot of his personal effects which are housed in the Imperial War Museum in London, including one of his motorcycles. When I was 20 years old I decided to reenact a portion of a bicycle trip that young T.E. Lawrence took across France. I biked alone from Troyes to Avignon in the summer of 2003. I even run a T.E. Lawrence blog where I share photographs, quotes, information, news, and book reviews.

I certainly don't mention my T.E. Lawrence obsession very often, but it does come up in conversations from time to time. I've witnessed all types of reactions, but usually people think it's interesting. Personally, I love people who are quirky and have unique interests and obsessions. It shows that they are engaged with their world and passionate about something other than a sports team, which seems to be the only socially acceptable obsession Americans are allowed to have.

Sometimes I make costumes and wear them to conventions. 

No, I wasn't Leia. I was Boba Fett. Who would want to be Leia when you could be one of the most feared bounty hunters in the galaxy? Apart from the helmet, I made my entire costume out of things I found in our basement.

You know, not so long ago, it was not cool to be a nerd. In fact, you were mercilessly teased and bullied for being a nerd. I'm not sure when it became socially acceptable to fly your nerd flag on high, but I'm glad that times have changed. Now you can walk into any Target or Walmart and purchase comic book or video game t-shirts. Attendance at comic book, anime, and video game conventions is higher than ever. Cosplaying  (creating costumes) even has its own TV show on the Sci-Fi channel. In the past, I would mention DragonCon (Atlanta's giant sci-fi/fantasy/video game/anime/comic book convention) to strangers and people would say, "What's that?" Now the typical response is, "Are you making a costume?" I feel like I'm living in an alternate universe!

Sadly, things were not so fun and accepting for nerds in the 90's. The photo above was taken when I was in middle school. Middle school, also known as an awkward adolescent's living nightmare. I was teased for reading books at school. I was teased for drawing. I was teased for being flat-chested. I was teased because I wore homemade pants. Kids were downright mean, to me and to each other. At school dances, boys avoided me like the plague. One word with me or my friends and they could easily end up in social purgatory. This usually meant that dances ended in floods of tears and bitter disappointment. Alas, things would not get much better; we were filed into the lowest middle and high school caste: the nerds.

But you know what? I survived. Not only did I survive, but I thrived. And so did my friends. Leia and Darth Vader in the photo above were actually two of my bridesmaids. Both are now happily married and both recently had their first babies! The X-Wing pilot was my roommate throughout graduate school and he was a guest at the wedding. We stuck by each other's sides through thick and thin and we provided support and encouragement for each other. The best part is that we had a ton of fun along the way. We wrote scripts and filmed movies in my basement. We developed elaborate Star Wars-themed capture the flag games which were held in my vast backyard. We made costumes and attended conventions across the country. We were creative and vivacious, constantly creating things and challenging each other. We didn't win any trophies playing sports. We weren't asked to school dances. We weren't even the super smart academic nerds, so we weren't at the top of our class or headed to an Ivy League university. All the same, I wouldn't trade my childhood or high school memories for anything in the world.

I will be honest though--I haven't always been so forthcoming about my interests. I haven't always felt so confident in my life choices or harbored pride for who I am. That all came slowly with age and experience. In college, with memories of the high school caste system burning fresh in my mind, I would downplay my interests for fear of frightening away potential suitors. This meant that I usually dated guys who tried to love me for who they wanted me to be (or I tried to be), not the person I really was. Mr C. obviously had similar experiences as it took me weeks to discover that a huge nerd was lurking under his kind smile.

For me, being bullied and teased was a humbling experience. It kept me from ever becoming one of those spoiled, entitled kids, even though at home I was one of those spoiled and entitled kids. It has also made me very sensitive about bullying in schools. I am always on the lookout in my classroom and the hallways for students who are being bullied. I even started a Gay Straight Alliance club for students at my school in an effort to provide a supportive, safe community for students to be themselves.

And as for my nerd life in adulthood? I think these photos might speak for themselves:

Yup, still a weirdo. But now I'm married to another weirdo who not only shares my nerdiest passions, but loves me 100% for who I am. The left photo was just taken over Labor Day weekend when Mr. C and I attended DragonCon in Atlanta. The photo on the right was from DragonCon 2012 when we were dressed as Skyrim (a video game) guards. Mr. C and I play video games together, make costumes, read comics, and get excited about the upcoming Thor, Captain America, and Avengers movies. How I ended up teaching in a classroom next to a handsome, single guy who shared so many of my interests and hobbies will always baffle and amaze me. But I am so, so, so thankful that it happened. 

Well, that's about it for me. I'm sure there are plenty more weird and embarrassing facts I could share but this will have to suffice for now! But now it's your turn: What are your strange or interesting obsessions or hobbies? I know you have them, don't be shy!

I'll Never Desert You: The Vows

Mr. C and I had a non-religious ceremony full of personal touches and of course, lots of love. After our vows I don't think there was a dry eye in the house, myself and Mr. C included! We had so many guests tell us that it was one of the most emotional and touching ceremonies they had ever witnessed, which is always a great thing to hear when you have some unconventionally written vows and no mention of God.

You'll notice that there are a lot of images of people smiling and laughing. I love this about our ceremony. It wasn't all serious, and I think that's an accurate reflection of the relationship that Mr. C and I share. We are silly, we joke around a lot--maybe too much! We don't like to keep things formal, so I am so happy and proud to see that our personalities were so perfectly incorporated into our ceremony.

It was a brilliant spring evening in May. The sun shining through the pecan tree leaves, dappling the ground around us in dancing shadows. There was a serene, magical quality to this evening -- warm and joyous. The love and support of our guests was palpable. I glanced out past Mr. C to catch the gaze of my brother who gave me a reassuring wink. I looked out over our guests, I saw smiles, I saw couples holding hands. I had to compose myself and remind myself to remain in the moment. It was time for the ceremony to resume after our reading from The Little Prince.




Todd (our Officiant): 

Eight years ago I met a shaggy haired guy who had many of the same interests as me. As a result, we quickly became fast friends and professional colleagues. We taught together, went to watch bands play, and mountain biked countless miles of trails in the beautiful woods of the Southeast.

As much fun as we had together, there was always something missing from Gavin’s life – a female companion, a better half. It’s not that Gavin didn't date or that girls weren't interested in him. The problem always seemed to be that none of them “completed” him.

Of course, that’s were Erin enters the picture. I can’t claim that I know Erin as well as I do Gavin, but I do know that she understands Gavin; appreciates him for all that he is, and shares even more of the same interests with Gavin than any of his other friends share. And of all the things they share, it is their love that brings us all here together today.

Erin and Gavin, this is the time you have chosen to become husband and wife; to proclaim your love for one another in the presence of family and friends.

The gift of love you share and receive today surrounds you, supports you, and makes you whole. This is as it should be. Real love is not total absorption in each other; it is looking outward in the same direction –together. It’s the confirmation you see in each other’s eyes.

It’s deciding to be best friends forever and each other’s greatest companions. It’s knowing that your greatest confidant and provider of security, peace, contentment, and true unconditional love is the one standing in front of you now.

Erin and Gavin, love can be one of the highest experiences that comes to humankind. It reduces our selfishness, enriches our personalities, and makes our lives far more meaningful. By its very nature it makes one want to give to another, and to feel joy in the joy of that other. Such love can call forth the best qualities in each of you.

Love makes burdens lighter, because you divide them. It makes joys more intense because you share them. It transforms a road trip to Tennessee into the lifelong story of companionship and family. It makes you stronger, so you can become involved with life in ways you dared not risk alone.

Over the years you will learn that what defines your love today will change. You too will change. Thus, this ceremony is the celebration of a single stage in a much larger process that is the love between husband and wife. It is an outward sign of a sacred commitment to love each other through the happy times and the sad, the smooth times and the rough.

The promises made today and the ties that are bound here greatly strengthen your union. As the years pass the ties will be tried. Call back upon this day and remember the love that you declared to one another. In this way you will re-marry one another each and every day by making a mutual commitment to love each other, and to work towards creating an atmosphere of care, consideration, and respect for one another.

Love is always patient and kind. It is never jealous. Love is never boastful or conceited, it is never rude or selfish, it does not take offense and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people's faults, but delights in the truth. It is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope. It is always ready to endure whatever comes. True love does not come to an end.)

And now for the big moment, that moment that you work and toil towards as you plan your wedding, as you reflect on your relationship and all of the amazing (and not so amazing) things that have happened in your life to bring you to this place. That moment where you try to package all of your experiences and emotions into words that, no matter how hard  you try, never seem to adequately reflect how you really feel.

Todd:

Having already declared your love for one another privately, it is now time for you to proclaim your love for all to hear.  

Gavin, will you please share the vows you wrote for Erin?

Mr. Camel: 

Erin, I can still remember the first time I saw you and the way my heart fluttered when I noticed you walking down the hallway.  I remember trying to think of something to say to you.  Unfortunately I was speechless.  When I proposed to you I sobbed out the words through tears of joy.  Luckily, today I get another chance to say the words that have been on my mind since the day I first saw you.

I love you for your beauty, your sense of humor, and your kindness.

I cannot even begin to count the ways in which you make me a better person or the ways in which the two of us make a better team than either of us would be on our own.

Though I’m not always perfect and our life will not be without its trials and tribulations, on this day I vow to give you my heart for always and forever.

I pledge my eternal love and faithfulness.

I promise to be supportive of all your dreams and aspirations, because they have become mine too.

You make me feel special and unique so above all of my other vows, I promise to never forget how lucky I am to have someone like you who makes me feel this way.  Most of all I promise to make you feel as special as you make me feel.

Wherever life’s roads take us I know that I only want to travel them at your side. 

I love you Erin.  Always and forever.

At this point, I was so glad I have that vintage handkerchief wrapped around my bouquet -- because I needed it!

Todd:

Erin, will you please respond with the vows you wrote for Gavin?

Me:

Friends and family, I think you should know a few things about Gavin. I knew Gavin was handsome the moment I first saw him on the social studies hallway four years ago. I knew I had a crush on him a few days after we started working together. I knew I had a BIG crush on him when he drooled on himself as he laughed uncontrollably while trying to explain an internet joke to me in the teacher workroom. But most importantly, I knew Gavin and I would get married only two days into our relationship. It was a calm and certain knowing, as if the chaos of life had suddenly settled peacefully into place. Being together was easy as breathing (and it still is). When you find something that unique in this world, you don’t let it go.

Gavin, you are the kindest, most compassionate and hardworking person I know. You are a friend to everyone you meet. Your big heart knows no bounds and the fact you wear your heart on your sleeve only makes you more endearing. You have the patience of a saint, the gentleness of an elementary school teacher. For all of these reasons and more, you encourage me to be a better version of myself each and every day. You magnify my inherent playfulness.  You extinguish my frustrations.  You are always interested in my many schemes. You encourage me when I feel defeated by the world. You lift me up out of the darkness. You nourish and embrace my soul. You make any place feel like home. And somehow, you still manage to love me for exactly who I am, which I know is no easy feat. Thank you for loving me unconditionally, thank you for staying by my side, thank you for always finding the good in everything. You are undeniably my better half.

Gavin, from now until our last days, I vow to be your best friend. I vow to love you, even when times are tough. I vow to use my inappropriate sense of humor to wash away your sorrow. I vow to stay up late making DragonCon costumes with you. I vow to tolerate your Gollum impressions. I vow to wake you up at 1:00 am with quotes from the Neverending Story. I vow to quell your worries. I vow to always encourage you, to support you, to be the place you can rest your heart. Every hour, every week, and every year of my wait to meet you has been worth it for this adventure that we are about to start. I love you with all my heart and soul.

And just like that, this intensely personal moment that we shared with our friends and family was over. It was then time to exchange rings and share our first kiss as husband and wife! 

Previously on the Camel Wedding Recaps: 

1) Getting Dressed & Exchanging Gifts

2) Putting on the White Dress

3) Our First Look

4) The Ceremony Begins

5) The Reading 

I'll Never Desert You: The Reading

In the spring of 2010 I was a long-term substitute in the English department of the school where I am currently employed. I landed the job because the English department chair called me the moment she knew one of the English teachers might be leaving mid-year. She knew that I had subbed in the school in the past, that I had a Master's degree in education, and that I was desperately looking for work. She even called me despite the fact I was not (at the time) certified to teach English.

Thus began my official teaching career. Ms. Tatum, the English department chair, offered me a plethora of advice and wisdom stemming from her 25 plus years of experience as an educator. She helped me survive that very rough semester and even gave me hope that I would be back the following school year as a full-fledged faculty member. The long-term sub job helped me build my reputation within the school which did eventually led to a full-time position in the social studies department the following school year. And that is where I met Mr. C. Our classrooms were right next to each other. We both taught economics. He was funny, kind, dorky, and compassionate and before I knew it, I had a big crush on him. You can read more about how we met here and here.

As you can imagine, Mrs. Tatum, beyond being an amazing and incredibly patient mentor, also played a pivotal role in my relationship with Mr. C. If it weren't for her advocacy when I was given the long-term substitute job, I really don't know if I would have ever gotten my foot in the door at my current school. It was the height of teacher layoffs and budget cuts, so teachers everywhere were losing their jobs. Since then, Mr. C and I have have "adopted" Mrs. Tatum's awesome 19-year-old son. We took him to DragonCon a few years ago, Mr. C plays card games and war games with him, and we pay him to watch our cats when we are out of town. We've enjoyed having Mrs. Tatum and her family in our lives, so when it came time to choose a reader for our wedding ceremony, her name was the first one that popped in my head -- hands down, no contest!

All photographs are by Christopher Helm Photography. The venue is Cloverleaf Farms just outside of Athens, Georgia.

I wrote an entry a while back about using a passage from Antoine de Saint-Exupery's The Little Prince as a reading during our wedding ceremony. Well, we went ahead with it and everyone seemed to love it! Actually, one of our co-workers gifted us two Little Prince cups that once belonged to her mother. She told us that The Little Prince was her parent's favorite book, so much so that her mother asked for a quote from the book to be engraved on her gravestone. Obviously hearing this passage read at our wedding had our coworker in tears as it already held so much personal significance. Stories like this just warmed our hearts and assured us that we made the right choice in our ceremony reading.

Mrs. Tatum did an incredible job reading. She has a clear and gentle voice (must be all those years of teaching English) that lend themselves perfectly to such a task. And for the curious, here is the somewhat abridged passage from The Little Prince that was read at our wedding:

“Who are you?” asked the little prince, “You are very pretty to look at.”

“I am a fox,” the fox said.

“Come and play with me,” proposed the little prince. “I am so unhappy.”

“I cannot play with you,” the fox said. “I am not tamed.”

“Ah! Please excuse me,” said the little prince.

But, after some thought, he added: “What does that mean—’tame’?”

“You do not live here,” said the fox. “What is it that you are looking for?”

“I am looking for men,” said the little prince. “What does that mean—’tame’?

“It is an act too often neglected,” said the fox. “It means to establish ties.”

“’To establish ties’?”

“Just that,” said the fox. “To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world …”

“…If you tame me, it will be as if the sun came to shine on my life. I shall know the sound of a step that will be different from all the others. Other steps send me hurrying back underneath the ground. Yours will call me, like music, out of my burrow. And then look: you see the grain-fields down yonder? I do not eat bread. Wheat is of no use to me. The wheat fields have nothing to say to me. And that is sad. But you have hair that is the color of gold. Think how wonderful that will be when you have tamed me! The grain, which is also golden, will bring me back the thought of you. And I shall love to listen to the wind in the wheat…”

The fox gazed at the little prince, for a long time.

“Please—tame me!” he said.

“I want to, very much,” the little prince replied. “But I have not much time. I have friends to discover, and a great many things to understand.”

“One only understands the things that one tames,” said the fox. “Men have no more time to understand anything. They buy things all ready made at the shops. But there is no shop anywhere where one can buy friendship, and so men have no friends any more. If you want a friend, tame me…”

“What must I do, to tame you?” asked the little prince.

“You must be very patient,” replied the fox. “First you will sit down at a little distance from me—like that—in the grass. I shall look at you out of the corner of my eye, and you will say nothing. Words are the source of misunderstandings. But you will sit a little closer to me, every day…”

The next day the little prince came back.

“It would have been better to come back at the same hour,” said the fox. “If, for example, you come at four o’clock in the afternoon, then at three o’clock I shall begin to be happy. I shall feel happier and happier as the hour advances. At four o’clock, I shall already be worrying and jumping about. I shall show you how happy I am! But if you come at just any time, I shall never know at what hour my heart is to be ready to greet you… One must observe the proper rites…”

So the little prince tamed the fox. And when the hour of his departure drew near—

“Ah,” said the fox, “I shall cry.”

“It is your own fault,” said the little prince. “I never wished you any sort of harm; but you wanted me to tame you…”

“Yes, that is so,” said the fox.

“But now you are going to cry!” said the little prince.

“Yes, that is so,” said the fox.

“Then it has done you no good at all!”

“It has done me good,” said the fox, “because of the color of the wheat fields.”

“Goodbye,” he said.

“Goodbye,” said the fox. “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

“What is essential is invisible to the eye,” the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.

Previously on the Camel Wedding Recaps: 

1) Getting Dressed & Exchanging Gifts

2) Putting on the White Dress

3) Our First Look

4) The Ceremony Begins

I'll Never Desert You: The Ceremony

Mr. C and I only had a few extra minutes after meeting up for our much-awaited first look. After only a handful of  photographs, I noticed that cars seemed to be pulling up to the venue in droves. Despite the calm assurance seeing Mr. C gave me, I was starting to feel nervous all over again as it was time for the ceremony! We had been running behind schedule all day, so everything after this moment was a blur of activity and emotions.

All photographs are by Christopher Helm Photography. The venue is Cloverleaf Farms just outside of Athens, Georgia. 

I love this photo. This is exactly how I always visualized our wedding ceremony in the months of planning leading up to this day. This image is special to me because it captures our day perfectly: the bright sunlight streaming through the leaves of the pecan trees, shadows stretched lackadaisically across the grass, the serene fields dotted with haystacks. It was truly the perfect day for a wedding and it exceeded all of my expectations. How often does that happen? 

The only downside to getting married in a field like this, is that it was quite a walk from the back of the barn to our ceremony spot under the pecan tree. Our venue was really concerned about the long, potentially awkward walk to the ceremony site. They kept suggesting that we get married under a smaller pecan tree closer to the house. But honestly, the tree was scrawny and did not have the impact and majesty of this particular tree. Plus this tree had a convenient branch for hanging our rented glass chandelier. I'm glad we stuck to our guns and insisted on getting married there, instead of closer to the house, despite the long walk to the aisle. In hindsight though, I wish I had better warned our guests that the ceremony would be in a field so that they could have chosen their footwear accordingly. It was definitely hard for those women who chose to wear heels. I think the website would have been the perfect place for this sort of information. Keep this in mind if you are planning a similar sort of outdoor ceremony! 

After a few post-first-look photos, Mr. C and I were ushered back into the house where the groomsmen, groomsladies, and the bridesmaids were gathered. We were lined up outside behind the barn (seen in the background of some of these photos). I could hear classical music playing in the background. Our venue coordinator asked if I wanted to wait inside alone while the procession began (it was a long wait as all the groomsmen, groomsladies, and bridesmaids made their way down the aisle). I stood inside the house by myself for about five minutes. It allowed me a moment to gather myself and focus on what was about to happen. Oh, and I was able to grab a much-needed drink of water! The venue and catering business owner was inside and she was so sweet. She told me that we were always welcome to return to the venue and watch as they develop and grow. Then it was time for me to join my dad waiting for me outside. 

Mr. C and I hired two of our ex-students to play the violin and cello for our ceremony music. It was a great idea as it solved our issue of getting music and speakers out into the field. Grace played the violin and was in my AP World History class and Jordan was in Mr. C's AP Macroeconomics class. They had actually never performed together before the wedding, but you would never have known it from their professionalism and skill. I requested that they learned to play instrumental versions of two specific songs and to ad lib the rest. Honestly, I have no idea what music they played before the ceremony or the beginning of the processional. I didn't have any songs in mind, so I asked them to play some soothing music that they could both learn in a short period of time. To this day I have no idea what they were playing but I received so many compliments about them after the wedding, so whatever it was -- it was awesome! 

All of my bridesmaids (there were six) wore mix-matched dresses in our wedding colors: pink, blue, and light orange and some with ivory accents. My bridesmaids live all across the country and it was impossible to coordinate specific styles, especially since two of my bridesmaid had just become new mothers! This way they each chose a dress that suited their style, budget, and body type. You can see a better picture of them all together at the bottom of this post. 

Our officiant was Mr. C's good friend and former co-worker, Todd. I am so glad that Todd was available to officiate our ceremony as he had already performed several previous weddings and it allowed us to customize the ceremony to fit our personal preferences. Mr. C and Todd spent a lot of time together in Mr. C's bachelor days teaching in Athens, so he had a lot of fitting remarks about Mr. C before we met and how he has changed for the better over the years that we have been together. We had a non-religious ceremony full of lots of love. I was worried that some of my more religious relatives would comment on the lack of God in our ceremony, but I think it was so sweet, pure, and emotional that no one even noticed!

But back to that big moment. That moment that so many women and men dream of: walking down the aisle. 

I walked down the aisle to an instrumental version of "The Scientist" by Coldplay, which I realize is actually a sad song about a failed relationship, but it is so hauntingly beautiful that I couldn't help using it in our ceremony. I'm not even that big of a Coldplay fan! I asked Mr. C how he felt about it and let him hear the other options I was considering. This was hands down his favorite, even after I read the lyrics to him. Nothing else spoke to me like this song did. Jordan and Grace did an amazing job performing it with just one violin and one cello. 

I heard the song begin to play. We were given the cue from the ceremony coordinator and suddenly my dad and I were off. I could see Mr. C smiling at the end of the aisle. It was a surreal moment, the one that you replay in your head over and over again before the wedding as you attempt to visualize what your big day will be like. Then suddenly you are there, for the first and (hopefully) last time. My poor dad was also really nervous. He doesn't like standing out in a crowd and walking your daughter down the aisle has all eyes on you!

Unfortunately the tree stump and barn weren't the most picturesque backdrops for these shots, but the ceremony site made it all worth it! This was such a nerve-wracking moment! The entire walk I felt as if I was having an out-of-body experience--a dreamlike moment where I wasn't entirely present. When we actually got to the aisle it felt impossibly narrow. People seemed to closing in around us, although I'm sure that did not actually happen. All I could do was grin from ear to ear. I've mentioned this before, but I'm so glad that Mr. C and I shared a first-look. It wasn't so intimidating seeing him standing there waiting for me beneath the tree. 

Had we been walking too fast? Too slow? I can't remember and it was no longer important! 

I can't believe how perfect our chandelier turned out! This tree happened to have a great branch positioned directly over where we wanted to stand during the ceremony. 

And at last, after 14 months of planning and with all of our nearest and dearest family and friends gathered before us, it was time for us to say the vows that would bind us together in marriage. Up next: the ceremony reading, vows, and ring exchange! 

Previously on the Camel Wedding Recaps: 

1) Getting Dressed & Exchanging Gifts

2) Putting on the White Dress

3) Our First Look