Wedding Wednesday: The Ceremony

Well Ya'll... It's time to get hitched! 

Everything we'd been through had finally led us to this moment. It was 5 pm on December 15, 2012 and it was my turn to walk down the aisle (after the cutie pictured below, of course!) 

Cutest Ring Bearer EVER!

I was extremely nervous, which is clearly evident by my facial expression in the above picture! I was never nervous to get married. Most of my nerves were caused by a fear of tripping during my walk up the aisle or flubbing my words during the vows. 

We were very fortunate to have Ryan's cousin-in-law officiate our wedding for us. It was his first wedding but it couldn't have been more perfect for us and meant so much to have family standing up there with us to help us start our journey together. When my dad and I reached the front of the aisle, everyone was asked to bow their heads in prayer.

After the prayer, we jumped right into things. Wesley did an amazing job with the statement of marriage and we had two readings before the vows. Ryan's grandfather read 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8, 13 and my cousin Olivia read Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

And my cousin Olivia read Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12

9 Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor: 10 If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. 11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? 12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

After the readings, we recited our vows and exchanged rings! Unfortunately, Ryan had a bit of trouble putting my ring on my finger, which was actually pretty funny. He ended up putting it on my pinky finger in order to save time! Stupid knuckles!! 

Couldn't get the ring on! Whoops! 

We finished out the ceremony in prayer and then Wesley said, "You may now kiss the bride!" Just like that, we were husband and wife! 

Wesley introduced us as the new Mr. and Mrs. Smith and we walked back up the aisle I came down 20 minutes ago as a Schoeff! 

The ceremony was short, sweet, intimate, and everything we imagined! Thank you Wes for leading us through that unforgettable moment in our lives! And thank you to everyone that could be there to witness our wedding!

"What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder."

-Sarah