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.

An Autumn Affair: The Countdown Begins

While I was holed up in my room getting ready, I kept wondering where the heck my father was.  (Cue more nerves).  And before I knew it, the time had come to line up outside.

There, I found my dad waiting for me.

My church has a wall in it's entryway that is covered in crosses that church members have donated.  This is one of my favorite pictures of my dad and me.  Now, if only I was actually looking at the camera.

Meanwhile, in the sanctuary of our church, the ceremony procession had started.

My dad's parents and my mom's dad (escorted by her sister).

Mr. Beagle's Parents.



In memory of my mom, my cousin escorted this orchid down the aisle.  During the planning process, my mother and I were at odds on the "no fresh flowers" route I was going and requested to wear an orchid corsage (instead of a fabric/dried flower one) as a sort of compromise.  Coincidentally, this orchid was actually gifted to me at a shower by my aunt a few weeks prior to the wedding.  The pianist played the wedding song she loved, "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring", while my inlaws and the orchid made their way down the aisle.

Originally, I was going to put together some containers of potted mums to be placed around the alter for decoration.  As the weeks prior to the wedding began closing in, I decided to scrap this idea and do nothing.  However, my papa took matters into his own hands (Thanks, Dad!).

Laying below the orchid, are a few of the flowers my father picked out and had delivered for the ceremony.  They turned out so very beautiful.

The men lined up.

And the ladies did the same.

I was up next.

I love my pictures, I hope you do too!  Thanks ALCollective!

Miss Something?

• 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.

An Autumn Affair: Dress Time

Finally, it was time to transform into a bride!

Old and borrowed.  The bracelet and necklace my mom wore on her wedding day.

New earrings that I loved. (from etsy shop Favor)

Blue.  I didn't have something blue, but I think my day turned out pretty perfect nonetheless. 

Sister Beagle helped me into my dress.

Yay!  My dress still fit!

Earrings? Check.



Shoes? Check.

Veil?  Check.

Bouquet?  Check!

It was almost "Go Time".

*ALCollective is responsible for all the lovely images in this post.

Need a refresher?

• We rehearsed.
• My hair was done, my face got painted, and I made it to the church.
• The guys got pinned and had their picture taken.

An Autumn Affair: The Guys

While I spent my morning tying up loose ends and getting myself pretty, Mr. Beagle's morning was far more slow paced.  He enjoyed a late breakfast with his brother, hung out with his groomsmen, and finally put his suit on and headed over to the church.

He may look calm here, but later that evening, Mr. Beagle confessed that he was just as nervous as I was.  (Or maybe he was just saying that to make me feel better about it :P)

After lounging around upstairs, they made their way downstairs to the church narthex to get their bouts pinned.

Speaking of bouts, I never really blogged about them, but here they are:

I made them from left over items used from our centerpieces, dried lavender, tallow berries, and hydrangea (that I purchased at the very beginning of planning, thinking they would become bouquets), skeleton leaves and ribbon.  The lavender is actually french lavender which holds up much, much better and doesn't break apart as easily.

They made their way outside to pass more time, take some pictures.

The groomsmen + groom.

Groomsmen, groom + ushers.

* all the pretty pictures are brought to you by Laura + Ashley of ALCollective

Want more?

• We rehearsed.
• I made it to the church.

An Autumn Affair: Get Me to the Church!

On the morning of our wedding, I woke up surprisingly calm.  My cousin, bridesmaid S, and best girl, Sister Beagle stayed over at my house after the rehearsal dinner, while my soon-to-be husband stayed elsewhere.  We decided not to see each other until the ceremony, so my morning was without any major time constraints.  I finished putting the last minute touches on the bouts and bouquets while the girls slept.  Once everyone was up and about, we had a wonderful breakfast at one of my favorite local cafes and then, headed over to Aveda to get our hair done.  I treated all my bridesmaids to a hair-do to keep things simple (I didn't want the out-of-town girls to worry about finding a salon Saturday morning), while my sister and I had our make-up done.  Once everyone was done with our appointments (and a quick at Target), we went back to my house where the girls put on their dresses and I collected my bridal attire, accessories and any straggling wedding/reception items.  It was finally time to head to the church!

I'll admit that at this point, I started getting a little nervous.  It wasn't too terribly bad, but I completely regretted not seeing my husband before the ceremony.  I think it would have nixed all the unnecessary nerves, anxiety, and butterflies.

We arrived at the church about two hours before the ceremony started and camped out in our room:

Shortly after our photographers showed up, our day-of-coordinator arrived fully prepared:

After about an hour or so of chit chatting, I decided it was probably time to fix my hair.  Since I was wearing my hair down, my stylist just rolled my hair and gave me instructions on how to prep it when the time came.  Bridesmaid C and Sister Beagle unleashing the curls:

 

The trick to keeping my locks curly?  Hairspray, hairspray and more hairspray (of this variety- I love this stuff, it's light and lets your hair move while still keeping everything in place):

While we were still waiting, I had many visitors stop by to check on me.  My beautiful mother-in-law (holding one of our wedding programs and wearing the corsage I made/not blogged about...):

And several of my aunts (my mom's sister, far right):

Then suddenly, it was time for me to put on my dress!

*all images courtesy of the lovely ladies at ALCollective

Need to rewind?
- We rehearsed.