Two months!!

Stephan and I were married two months ago today. We are currently spending the weekend at my in-laws--they are all in Disney Land and we're house sitting. Stephan did a little bit of homework and then we took off for the mountains to see the fall colors. It was beautiful! I've got some issues with Utah, but it sure does know how to do scenery! Now Stephan is making dinner, and I feel like reflecting on my wedding day, a la my friend Amy (who I remember best as Sister Hanson when she was a missionary in my home ward).

Hats off to The Silver Hanger for providing my wedding dress, veil, and shoes (well, temple ones at least). I first went to Allyse's Bridal in Orem with my cousins, but didn't get anything there because they told me it was too expensive. I have since learned that they are not that expensive, but rather Mormons are cheap. Anyway. My mom and I went to The Silver Hanger out in Katy, TX when I was home for a break between Winter semester and Spring term. It was a small store, but they had a nice selection and we went during the day when there was almost no one there. We got great service from the lady who owns it! I finally selected my dress, which was a semi-popular dress, but not so much. Hats off to my wonderful mother who altered my dress and replaced the too-tight cap sleeves with much more flexible tulip ones.

A wag of the finger goes to China, for not having the material for my sleeves ready until the middle of JUNE!!!! As if my mom didn't have a busy enough summer getting my brother ready for a mission besides. Another wag of the finger goes to all those people who thought it was terrible that my mom wasn't making my wedding dress. While my mom is an amazing seamstress, she wasn't going to be able to pull off making my dress in only a few months and with me being away from home for most of that time.

Tip of the hat to Le Jardin for being so helpful and not being too expensive. Seriously, I highly recommend having your wedding reception here. They aren't outrageously expensive (especially if you have it during the day like I did), and it includes setting up, linens, and all that jazz. They also did our flowers (my bouquet and the various bouttenieres) and they were beautiful!!! You get the beauty of nature without worrying about the weather, which goes to...

Wag of the finger at the weather. When I decided to have my wedding in August, I assumed it would be like all Augusts past and be BLAZING hot. Nope. When I woke up on my wedding day, it was cold and windy. And then it started raining right before my sealing! I was upset. But thankfully, the rain let up for pictures, but it was still wet out. And our photographer still got some amazing pictures despite the rain.

Tip of the hat to Rachel Spencer, who took our engagements; Jacey Jensen (my cousin) who took my bridals; and Scott Jarvie, our wedding photographer. Rachel was in my ward when I lived in Glenwood, and she's really good with a camera! We were very happy with our pictures, and had a hard time choosing which ones to go on the announcements! My cousin Jacey was very accommodating with my bridals--especially when I didn't know when I would have my dress (my mother was altering it). The wait was worth it, and she took some really beautiful pictures!

I searched long and hard for our wedding photographer. It always seemed like photographers were too expensive or did not take good pictures. My mom suggested having an aunt take pictures, but I didn't think that was a good idea at all. I have certain relatives who would hijack the picture-taking process and take forever if she were the photographer. I reminded my mother of this, and she agreed that a professional would be best. I finally found Scott Jarvie through a facebook ad. He had some amazing pictures and his asking price wasn't too shabby either. I got him for the last available Saturday in August he was available! I am so glad I hired him because he knew how to operate in the rain. And he was really mellow and easy to work with. I would highly recommend him to all my friends, and not just for wedding pictures! And certain relatives kept their mouths shut during our pictures. Our pictures turned out wonderfully!

Tip of the hat to my mother-in-law Kathy for doing our cake. We basically decided to have her do the cake before we were engaged because she had done it for Heather's (Stephan's older sister) wedding, and she does good work! We saved a ton of money having her do it, and the cake was beautiful! Plus, it was tasty. And if you know me, you know I don't usually care for cake.

Tip of the hat to my brother-in-law Alex for desigining our wedding announcements for the price of a $25 iTunes gift card. He also offered to do a slideshow for the reception, but unfortunately we never got around to it. We got a lot of compliments on our announcements, which honestly weren't so different from others! I guess Stephan and I just look that good together ;)

Tip of the hat to the Maywood String Quartet for performing at our reception. It also turns out we had a celebrity cellist in that group--Steven Sharp Nelson. I didn't even know! My parents were the ones who booked them, and they definitely didn't know! My dad also jumped in for "Sunrise, Sunset" (he plays violin). Everyone (including me) loved it! Although wag of the finger at the quartet for playing "Canon in D". As a violinist of several years, I think it's one of the most OVERPLAYED pieces of all time. I thought my dad explicitly told them not to perform it...oh well.

Wag of the finger at the many people who did not read their invitations and assumed that the reception was going to be in the evening. You have NO IDEA how many people e-mailed me later to tell me that they were going to come, except they thought it was in the evening and didn't know until they looked at the announcement and saw that it was that afternoon. To be brutally honest, all I can really say is: LEARN TO READ!!!!! Honestly, it wasn't hard to see that the invitation specifically said 1 to 3 PM. Gee manee. Okay, I got that out (it has been bothering me for a while). Please don't think I hate anyone, I just don't have patience for people who "assume".

Tip of the hat to the many people who provided me with transportation during the wedding planning. Tiffany, Tia, Kerry Andersen, Anika, and if there is anyone else I am forgetting, forgive me! And for those people who listened to my rants and worries during the whole process, namely my roommates, and especially Jessica.

But really, the most important part of my wedding day happened at ten o'clock that morning when my great-Uncle Herschel Pedersen performed our sealing. One of the reasons I chose the Mount Timpanogos Temple was because Uncle Herschel is a sealer there, and my Grandpa Slack (who had been the family sealer for years) passed away almost two years ago and couldn't perform mine. And my entire immediate family was there, which I was very pleased with because we were afraid Paul wouldn't be able to come because of his school schedule (he's a teacher). He caught the last flight out of Yuma, AZ the night before the wedding just so he could be there! Plus, his aides were determined that he would make it to my wedding, so they really helped him get everything ready. I was so happy to have him there, along with the rest of my immediate family. I know it is a great blessing for my parents to have sat in the temple with all four of their children. I am grateful that we all kept ourselves worthy to be in such a holy place. I was also grateful that so many of our relatives could attend.