An Autumn Affair: Pictures

After our last walk down the aisle, we made a beeline to the room where I got ready.  And there, we gathered there with our family and bridal party. 

We hugged.



We smiled.

And many congratulations were shared.

Then we made our way back to the church sanctuary to take lots and lots of pictures.

Finally, it was time for us to make our way over to the reception. 

I surprised Mr. Beagle by renting us transportation for the evening.

And off we rode...

*Ashley + Laura + cameras = our pictures.

Back in Time:

• We rehearsed.
• My hair was done, my face got painted, and I arrived at the church.
• The guys got pinned and had their picture taken.
• I transformed into a bride.
• Our ceremony procession began and I found my dad.
• I walked down the aisle and Mr. Beagle finally saw my dress.
• We listened to some readings and a message.
• He did, I did, we did.
• We were unified.

An Autumn Affair: Unification

In lieu of the traditional unity candle, we decided incorporate a Hispanic unity ceremony.  My MIL read a brief explanation, while our Padrino/as performed each part of the ceremony.

The Lasso.

The Arras.  Mr. Beagle was handed a box containing the arras and he then removed them and handed them to me.  We used the same lasso and arras that were used at my in-laws' wedding.

 The Biblia.  Mr. Beagle's aunt gifted us a really beautiful Bible.

We were both really happy that we were able to include this tradition in our ceremony.  Since our ceremony was Lutheran (my religious upbringing), I felt that it was really important to incorporate something that also honored Mr. Beagle's upbringing.

After our unity ceremony, the Bible and Arras were retrieved and the Lasso was removed.  We (very slowly) got up from the kneeler that the church provided.  A short prayer was said.

 A kiss sealed the deal.

And we were officially Mr. & Mrs. Beagle.

With one more walk down the aisle.



It was time for our guests to make their way over to the reception, while we took some quick family pictures.

* ALCollective are the ladies in charge of the cameras.

Earlier:

• We rehearsed.
• My hair was done, my face got painted, and I arrived at the church.
• The guys got pinned and had their picture taken.
• I transformed into a bride.
• Our ceremony procession began and I found my dad.
• I walked down the aisle and Mr. Beagle finally saw my dress.
• We listened to some readings and a message.
• He did, I did, we did.

An Autumn Affair: We Do

After our Pastor finished his message, Mr. Beagle's cousin serenaded everyone with a song, "The Prayer".

Yet another reason I wish I had a recording of our ceremony.  Charlotte Church is great, but cousin Beagle was better.

All right everyone, I have a confession.  I've delayed posting more recaps because, *gulp* I don't remember our vows.  Apparently my husband doesn't either, so I don't feel as bad as I did originally.  But really, I feel very, very sad about this. 

We think they were very similar to this:

Miss Beagle/Mr. Beagle, I take you to be my wife/husband, and these things I promise you:

I will be faithful to you and honest with you; I will respect, trust, help and care for you;

I will share my life with you; I will forgive you as we have been forgiven;

and I will try with you better to understand ourselves, the world, and God; through the best and the worst of what is to come as long as we live.

And then it was time for the rings.

Prior to handing Mr. Beagle my ring, our Pastor decided to interject a quick description of it, saying that it looked beautiful and that everyone should ask me to see it.

Miss Beagle, I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and all
that I have, I honor you.

Again, our Pastor included a brief description of Mr. Beagle's ring before handing it to me.  He said it was nice, but didn't look quite as valuable as my ring.  But everyone should still ask him to see his ring too.

Hehe.

Mr. Beagle, I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and all
that I have, I honor you.

Husband. Wife. 

There was one last part left of our ceremony, before we were declared officially official.

*A|LCollective were the ladies snapping away during our ceremony.

Here's how we arrived at this point:

• We rehearsed.
• My hair was done, my face got painted, and I arrived at the church.
• The guys got pinned and had their picture taken.
• I transformed into a bride.
• Our ceremony procession began and I found my dad.
• I walked down the aisle and Mr. Beagle finally saw my dress.
• We listened to some readings and a message.

An Autumn Affair: The Ceremony

Our church's assistant Pastor read a few scriptures.  It was a great way to include her in our ceremony, which we really wanted to do!   

I fell in love with this verse after Mrs. Cheese posted about it:

Ruth 1:16

Entreat me not to leave you, or to return from following after you.  For where you go, I will go, and where you stay I will stay.  Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.  And where you die, I will die and there I will be buried.  May the Lord do with me and more if anything but death parts you from me.



We had a really hard time finding additional readings after we got the first one squared away.  (I went through pages and pages of the interwebs- weddingbee included- in search of them). This one came from a list of readings recommended by our Pastor.

Colossians 3:12-17
As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.  Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so that you also must forgive. 

Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.  And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body.  And be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymn, and spiritual songs to God. 

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

 

Then our bridal party sat down, while our Pastor presented us with a really beautiful message.

 

Looking back, I really wish I had bit the bullet and hired a videographer (or even enlisted someone in the audience with a Flip) for our ceremony.  While I remember feeling very touched by his words, and very, very happy about our choice of officiant, I cannot remember exactly what our Pastor said.  Our ceremony was, by far, the best part- my favorite part- of the day and I'm sad that I don't have a recording of it.

 

Our Pastor ended his message with this reading (also one of my favorites):

Blessing For a Marriage | James Dillet Freeman
May your marriage bring you all the exquisite excitements a marriage should bring, and may life grant you also patience, tolerance, and understanding.

May you always need one another-not so much to  fill your emptiness as to help you to know your fullness.  A mountain needs a valley to be complete; the valley does not make the mountain less, but more; and the valley is more a valley because it has a mountain towering over it.  So let it be with you and you.

May you need one another, but not out of weakness.
May you want one another, but not out of lack.
May you entice one another, but not compel one another.
May you embrace one another, but not encircle one another.
May you always succeed in all important ways with one another, and not fail in the little graces.
May you look for things to praise, often say, "I love you!" and take no notice of small faults.

If you have quarrels that push you apart, may both of you hope to have good sense enough to take the first step back.

May you enter into the mystery which is the awareness of one another's presence- no more physical than spiritual, warm and near when you are side by side, and warm and near when you are in separate rooms or even distance cities.
May you have happiness, and may you find it making one another happy.
May you have love, and may you find it loving another.

And with that, we were almost husband and wife.


*Ashley and Laura are the artists behind the cameras :)

Previously in the Beagle Recaps:

• We rehearsed.
• My hair was done, my face got painted, and I arrived at the church.
• The guys got pinned and had their picture taken.
• I transformed into a bride.
• Our ceremony procession began and I found my dad.
• I walked down the aisle and Mr. Beagle finally saw my dress.

An Autumn Affair: Down the Aisle

Thankfully (for me), the walk down the aisle was very, very short.

Pam gave my dress one last fluff to make sure the train was lying perfectly.

Funny story.  Pam had given me a tic-tac about ten minutes before I got to this point.   I was trying to calm my n, so I took a really deep breath.  The photo below shows me almost choking on the tic-tac.  



There were so many thoughts running racing through my head right as we started to walk down the aisle.  Remember to look at everyone.  Remember to hold the bouquet low.  Remember to smile.  Remember to breath.  Remember to walk slow.  Remember to look at the groom.  It was more overwhelming than I anticipated.

The very beginnings of an ugly cry face.  

A few seconds later (after the realization that lots of people were watching this and that many cameras were capturing it), I remembered to smile.  (and I think my dad is winking, presumably at Mr. Beagle :D ).

The waiting groom.

We made it!

Pastor:  "Who presents Ms. Beagle to Mr. Beagle?"

Papa Beagle:  "I do, on behalf of her mother and I."

And our ceremony began.

*ALCollective captured all our wedding day moments.

Can't get enough?

• We rehearsed.
• My hair was done, my face got painted, and I arrived at the church.
• The guys got pinned and had their picture taken.
• I transformed into a bride.
• Our ceremony procession began and I found my dad.