August 6th 2011 Our wedding day

I've spent the last year dreaming about our wedding day. Obviously I had expectations but I can honestly say it blew me away and was the single most glorious day of my life. Every moment of it was perfection. I think there was a moment that I got to choose whether or not I was going to 'sweat the small stuff' in the early morning my maid of honour and very best friend, Brittany Smith, assured me the rain was not going to come even though the clouds were rolling in and the weather network promised rain by 80 percent. When you have as many people as we had praying to the sun gods, collectively we made a difference! And the rain held off! It held off just long enough for the campers to pick up the last of their things the next morning and then it poured for two days! We had angels surrounding us that day. My allergies were no where to be found, I suffered not a single mosquito bite and the eye twitch I've had for well over three months vanished a couple days before our big day. That's all I needed, to squint my way through our vows! I decided to come in to the ceremony on a tractor, a flat bed to be exact, perched on a bail of hay. We met Willard at the end of the road and dad helped get me situated on the tractor and then he and Britt drove off and over the hill they went. There I was, all alone on my bail of hay, the wind gently blowing through my hair. I was overcome with joy as we descended the hill towards my love, and our family and friends. I was so overcome that I squealed at the top of my lungs, of course having no idea that they could all hear this yelp echo throughout the valley below where they were waiting patiently. I guess it cut some of the nervous tension building as Tyler stood waiting for me to arrive. And what a moment that was. As I approached, the group stood and clapped and cried and laughed and it was truly the most love I have ever felt in my life. Seeing Tyler for the first time was nothing short of magical. Not a moment is blurry, as I was more grounded and more present than I had ever hoped I would be. The vows resonated so deeply as we spoke them. Nothing felt rushed. The biggest surprise and certainly the best gift we could have given ourselves was to have my father marry us. I knew being pronounced husband and wife was BIG but I had no idea it would be as profound for me as it was. I also didn't expect to feel any different now, exactly one week later, but I do feel different. It's a deeper commitment and we've been speaking to each other with even more tenderness, if that's possible.
The rest of the day played out much like the beginning, with abundant joy. Our families now joined and loving each other more than we could have ever hoped, gathered on the tractor following the ceremony and headed up the hill for pictures. Joseph and Jaime our amazing photographers were like super heroes dangling off the flat bed like spider man, they helped make the experience even more magnificent! We can't wait to see how they captured our day and as soon as we have something to show you we'll post them here on the blog! The dinner and dessert was superb and the dance was killer! We had karaoke intermixed with dance beats and I think it worked really well. I'll never forget singing a duet with my nephew Jack to Billy Idol's White Wedding. Our MC's, Aly and John were hilarious, the speeches were so heart felt and our families amazed us with just how much they could share their emotions. It was beautiful to see so many tears that night.... Bill. ;> And the laughter was infectious.
There are too many people to thank all at once here and so over the next few weeks I'm going to shine a light on the people who helped make our day so amazing. I had to at least say hello for now and give you the highlight reel.
Can't wait to share more of this incredible day with you. Thanks to everyone for your love and support.
All my love.
Alison xoxo