From the day we got engaged, on April 13, 2013, there were countdowns on both of our phones. It's crazy to look back and see the screenshots of our countdowns at different stages of our engagements.
Planning a wedding is hard work! But I had the best team of planners. Me, myself, my mama, and my mama. There were a gajillion and one other wonderful people who did soooo much to help make it all I wanted it to be. But me & my mama. That's where it started and ended. I can't credit my mom enough for months and months of planning, sewing, shopping, brainstorming, fixing problems, and calming me down countless times. She is incredible for doing all of this for Dal and me.
Our engagement was hard. Dal was gone most of the summer as a wildland firefighter. He was wonderfully supportive and as involved as he could be. But, I felt pretty alone. My mom stepped up and filled so many roles for me. She played best friend, wedding planner, come-back-down-to-earth person, therapist, and most importantly, Mom.
For those of you who don't know, my family and I are not millionaires. We do not have endless money or resources. But, we do have creativity, time, and the determination to DIY the crap out of everything. And that's what we did. :)
As my Aunt Holly says, a motto for our family could very easily be "If we had the stuff and knew how, we could make that!"
Or as my mom says, nomatter where we are or what we are looking at, "I bet we could make that."
Anyway. This seriously was the best day of my life. I felt complete and utter happiness as Dal and I were joined as husband and wife. This is what I had waited for my whole life. From the moment Dal and I first met, the Lord was molding us into a perfect match. I cannot wait to spend the rest of eternity with my better half. He is truly the best thing to ever happen to me.
Without further ado, I give you pictures of the most beautiful, perfect, love-filled day of my life. Love because of my wonderful new husband, and our perfect little new family. Love because of being able to seal our marriage before the Lord in His holy house. Love because of the people that filled our day with kindness, generosity, and beautiful, wonderful memories.
First of all, let's introduce the bride and groom!
Prior to these pictures of us exiting the temple, was one of the best moments of the whole day: When Dal saw me for the first time. According to him, he got goosebumps and literally felt his knees go weak. :)
Also, when walking out of the door to greet family and friends, Dal stepped on my dress. Of course. :)
My amazingly handsome groom. :)
Suit: Men's Warehouse on SUPER SALE!
Cufflinks and Shirt: Also Men's Warehouse
Blush Pink Tie: Made by my mama!
(Crazy huh?We were searching for the right color tie and then one day I came downstairs in the morning and she was making them. Totally my mom.)
And the Bride...
Lace Wedding Dress: I ordered my dress from "foryoudresses.com" which is a dress company in China . Basically, I was able to custom design my own dress. I sent them pictures of various dresses saying "I want the sleeves of this dress...the bodice of this dress...the neckline of this dress..." etc, etc. I told them which fabric and color I wanted. Then they sent back a price estimate and asked for measurements. The dress was sent to me about five weeks later, and I absolutely loved it. They give you an incredible price. It's kind of scary because you never see it until it's done, but it worked out perfectly for me. Let me know if you have any questions about it!
Beaded Blingy Belt: We found the bling in downtown LA for like $20 and then I sewed it to a white ribbon.
Earrings and Bracelet: Some little no-name store in Fontana next to Target :)
Woops I used the picture on the right twice. Oh well.
All the peoples.
We are so blessed to have so many people who love and support us. So many friends and family shared in our big day.
I love that Grandma Greening is blocking out her granddaughters' faces.
I also love that only my Grandma's hair can be seen.
I love that Erik is doing my signature cheerleader wave.
Love this picture.
Our families.
The Stanton Family.
Dal's mom, step-dad, and siblings.
The Brown Family.
Dal's dad, step-mom, and siblings (and two adorable nieces).
The Knudsen Family.
My parents and siblings.
My Mama Llama Loo.
I know I already talked about my mom, but I can't say enough about this wonderful woman. She is my best friend. She's been there for me through everything and she is everything I aspire to be. I love my mama llama loo so dang much.
Dancing with my Daddy.
Song: "My Little Girl" by Tim McGraw
I have always looked forward to dancing with my daddy at my wedding. This is the first man to ever have my heart. And he'll always have a piece of it. I will forever be his "sweetheart baby angel cakes."
My beautiful Maid of Honor, Briana.
This is my sister, Briana. (or "Bana," "Brrrnana," "loveydove," etc.) I love her will all my heart and I was HONORED to have her as my Maid of Honor.
My sweet Briana is now "Sister Gonzales" serving her mission in South America. I am so incredibly proud of her and the wonderful things she is doing. Granted, I miss her like crazy. I miss talking on the phone every single day. I miss blasting "Get Out of Your Mind" with her in the Kaiser parking lot every morning, and being late to Dodd's economics class. I miss laughing hysterically with her over our dumb little inside jokes-- like Clythwania, umbrellas, etc, etc. I miss crying together. I miss sharing all the stories and all the lessons we've learned. I miss holding her pinky.
But in 16 months, I'll get to see her again. And I cannot wait for that beautiful day.
My lovely bridesmaids.
Bridesmaid dresses: Target online. Sleeves added by my wonderful Aunts. Beaded belts made by me. :)
(From left to right: Marisa, Beth, Courtney, Madie, Me, Briana, Mikelle, Sarah)
Heavenly Father knew I needed sisters in some form. And he's sent them to me. I've been so blessed with incredible friends who fill that role. Briana and Sarah have shown me what it's like to be a sister. They've taught me about trust, love, loyalty, and having fun. Marisa is my boof-mama butterfly. She has been my friend for years and I feel so blessed to have maintained a close relationship with her after moving away. She is such a sweet, beautiful person that radiates good-hearted enjoyment of life. I love her and am so excited for the things in her future.
I am so thankful for the sisters that have been added to my family through marriage. They are wonderful and beautiful- each in their own way. They've taught me so much about the diversity of beauty. I've learned to love them and accept them as sisters... and I'm so glad they've done the same for me. I can't wait to grow closer to them over the years.
The dashing groomsmen.
Blush Pink Ties: Made by mama.
(From left to right: Noe, Tyler, Jacob, Van, Jake, Dal, Cody, Bennett, Braden, Matthew, Taylor)
So Dal and I have been blessed with incredible guys in our lives too. Dal has five wonderful brothers (one is on his mission) who have treated me like their own sister. I have three awesome brothers who have watched over me for years. Two of Dal's cousins have been his best friends forever and I've grown to love their ridiculous sarcasm and constantly repeated jokes. Matthew (Matty) has been my best friend since fourth grade and it was SO important to me to have him in our wedding. He means the world to me and I'm so grateful he was able to be part of our wedding day.
My boofs.
(From left to right, bottom picture: Jeffery, Briana, Erik, Me, Joe, Matty, Marisa)
I don't really remember where the title "the boofs" started, but this is it. These are some of the best people I know. We got super close in high school and I'm so grateful we have been able to maintain our friendship despite living all over the place. Some of us are in Utah, some in Berkley, some in Long Beach, some back in good old Fontana...but when I got engaged, you know what the first thing these people did was? They created their own Facebook event page to plan how they were going to get all the way to Utah for my wedding. That's the kind of people they are. They care about people-- regardless of money, schedules, time, and distance. These five poor college kids rented a car, drove 500+ miles, and stayed in Utah just to see me and Dal come out of the temple as husband and wife, and come to our reception. Wow. I love these guys. They'll never know just how much that meant to me. I vow to be there for their big life events. I vow to maintain this friendship we have been so incredibly blessed to have. These people are family, and I love them dearly.
The First Dance.
Song: "Then" by Brad Paisley.
Dancing is special for Dal and me.
The first time we ever really "connected" was shortly after we met, when Dal asked me to slow dance with him in my apartment. It was so beautiful and so right. And I think even in that moment, before we even started dating, we both knew.
Then, over the summer while Dal was away fighting fires, dancing became special to us in a different way. Everytime he got to come home, our night seemed to end with us slow dancing. I'm not sure how it started...but it became something that was such a comfort and a peace to us. We held each other and danced. We didn't have to speak. It was such a beautiful thing that became so significant to us.
Our first dance as husband and wife was equally special and beautiful in a whole new way.
I have always loved dancing, and for a while before I met Dal, one of my favorite quotes was:
"Dance with God, and He will let the perfect man cut in."
And he did.
Cake cake cake cake.
Cake: Done by the wonderful "Cakes de Fleur" in Salt Lake City.
< http://www.cakesdefleur.com/index.php >
The different layers were Vanilla with Nutella buttercream, and Raspberry Almond. So yummy!
Pink doors behind cake: Given to us by my Aunt Susan. We painted them pink and sanded em down! Love em!
Yeah, we smashed eachother's faces with cake a little bit. Or a lot a bit.
The littlest details.
Food: Made by my family (Aunts, Cousins, Mom, Grandma)
Chandeliers: All were found at thrift store and garage sales. Then spray painted white and adorned with "bling" :)
Tablecloths: Made by my amazing mother. These were one of my absolute FAVORITE parts of the whole reception. Beautiful.
Candlesticks: HobbyLobby clearance, spray painted white
Mirrors: Dollar Tree
Wooden Sign: Built by my Grandpa. Painted by my aunt and me.
Our rings: Mine is a beautiful rose gold ring with a center diamond and a halo of diamonds. Dal custom designed it at Sierra West. Dal's ring is a Titanium band.
Pictures pictures pictures.
This will forever be the day my life changed, the day my new family began, the day I married my best friend, the day I became whole.
This is the start of "home."
This is the start of "home."
________________________________________________
My amazing PHOTOGRAPHER was Trey Mortensen. He is incredible, super helpful, and very reasonably priced. Check him out!
< https://www.facebook.com/Trey.Photo >
All of the FLOWERS were done by my incredibly talented cousins, Meg, Nicole, and Heather. They may be opening up a flower business in the near future. :)
Our WEDDING CEREMONY took place in the LDS Salt Lake Temple. Many of our photos were taken at Temple Square. It is the most gorgeous place! And a free venue! ;)
If you would like to know more about it, check out this link!
< http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/saltlake/ >
Our RECEPTION took place at Historic Wheeler Farm in Salt Lake City.
My cousin had her reception there several years ago and I've wanted mine there ever since. It is a beautiful big barn which was perfect for the style I wanted.
Here's the link to that page too!
< http://www.wheelerfarm.com >
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