1 / 9 / 2016

3:12 PM

One of my goals in moving to Wisconsin is to blog more-- so I best get to it!

First, we need to catch up, because some important milestones have happened in my life since we last talked. Thus, this entry is going to be dedicated to The Wedding.

I cannot tell you the amount of times that people told me to make a specific point to stop and breathe in the day, because it will go by in a flash. I knew this would be true, and it was. So I took people's advice, and at different points, just stopped to look around and savor the moment. I can remember being upstairs in my parents' bedroom at one point, all by myself, waiting for our first look. And I thought to myself-- This is it. This is my wedding day. How does it feel?

It felt good-- a lot like a dream, but one that was rooted in the reality of our Amazing God who brought it all together!

The best way I know how to tell you about the day is by photojournalistic approach, so here are some of my favorite images and moments from the day.

And let it be known that all of the following images were taken by the wonderful and talented Meredith Washburn {www.meredithwashburn.com}!

I woke up feeling nervous. Up until the day before, I was nothing but excited. I remember it was the kind of nervous that had an accompanying stomach ache-- the kind where you panic and think, "Oh no-- am I sick?! How can I be sick on one of the most important days of my life?!"

I wasn't sick.

But I was worked up enough to need one last encouraging pep talk from my mom as as single woman-- the kind of pep talk that always makes you feel better from any nerve-wracking ailment you may think you have. After this, I took a peaceful bath in my mom's amazing stand-alone tub and was ready for my wedding day!

The house began filling up around 9am and grew exponentially in number all day long. I have always loved my parents' house-- it's old-fashioned, 1920s frame and colorful, whimsical decor. And the day outside was pure perfection for a January wedding-- SNOW! Big, beautiful flakes that fell all day long at all the right times. Here is 317 in all her beauty, ready for the big day.

I love my wedding dress. We found it at BHLDN (a bridal off-shoot of Anthropologie) a few weeks before Ryan proposed ;) That may sound bold-- but I knew it was coming-- "soon" :)

I was actually debating between this dress and one other. The other one was the "dress I always thought I would have"-- the unique, knee-length, beaded and 1920's-esque statement that had been floating in my head for years. I remember that I kept going between both of them, but the final deciding factor is that I felt the most "special" in this dress. And if you should feel anything on your wedding day, it's special. So I went with it, and never looked back. I have not regretted this decision for a moment and loved my dress even more when it arrived in the mail! I love the beading detail, the high neckline, and the ombre blush at the bottom full of lots of whimsical ruffles.

My mom made the amazing hair piece that I wore in my hair, and it was everything I dreamed it would be-- whimsical and old-fashioned with a little bit of blush and bling. And the shoes-- I literally just found them online, ordered them, got them in, and they were good to go. They fit and matched the dress perfectly.

I love our rings (Bremer Jewelry), because they are a visual representation of how different Ryan and I are :) We went ring shopping on the 4th of July weekend, a little over a month before he proposed. I narrowed it down to 3 bands and pretty much told him the Princess cut was my favorite. Ryan did an amazing job-- I LOVE my ring! The wedding band is not it's pair, but I like that it's a little different yet also goes with it well. Mine is rose gold with curves and bling, and Ryan's is plain, simple and tasteful!

My oldest sister, Tonya, did my hair and makeup. She is so artistically talented-- and it was so special to have her make me pretty for my wedding day! The morning was laid back and fun... the girls enjoyed breakfast together, then got ready in the kitchen while the little girls enjoyed playing games and watching it all unfold.

Kristi was my maid of honor. She is a true friend, and we have been through thick & thin together. God has taught us both so much by having us in each others' lives, and I was honored to have her stand by my side as I was married!

We have pictures almost identical to these that were taken on Kristi's wedding day in December 2007! Her photographer told us to "get close for a picture," and we both looked at each other and said, "Um, we don't really touch." Which evoked laughter :) It is unnerving when you put them side-by-side how similar the pictures look-- just a 8 year difference in age ;)

How fortunate I am to have 3 amazing sisters and an awesome friend in my life to share this special day with me!

And darling nieces!! I'm up to 7 :)

Putting on the dress...

And finding the perfect place to pin on the head piece

Pearl earrings (given to me by Ryan on my birthday!) and sweet pearl bracelet (made by Tonya)

There were lots of smiles and laughter this morning :)

What would I do without my Mom?

Meanwhile, my handsome husband-to-be, Ryan

Next up was our first look. It was special to do this in my parents' backyard. By this time, big awesome snowflakes were falling from the sky!

Waiting for me to join him in the snow...

Here I come...

It truly felt like we were in a dream land, with all of the snow falling around us while we saw each other for the first time. It was a moment I will never forget!

His first words to me were, "Oh my goodness-- you look so..." Hug... "Beautiful."

I remember asking him if my dress is what he expected. His reply is that he didn't know what he expected... ;) and I don't blame him, considering my style can be quite unique!

After the first look, we were a little "damp" but I don't remember ever being that cold. In moments like those, you are unaware of what is going on around you, and you just relish in the wonder of it.

Enough of Ryan and I for now... here are a few bridal party shots of the special people in our life.

Tasha... my dessert-loving older sister who is amazingly musically talented, and who sang a special song at our wedding with my brother. She was a fabulous support as we prepared for the wedding!

Kristi... she is like a fourth sister in this family! She does not have any sisters of her own, so spending time with the girls is always fun for her, and she fits right in :) I do not know what I would have done without her during my wedding-- she was a huge help and made it so memorable with her amazing planning skills and funny humor in her maid of honor speech!

I loved my bouquet, creatively crafted by Floral Designs, Ltd. in Morton. They always do a fantastic job, so I knew going in that it would be a home run. I wanted something with succulents, old brooches, and colorful flowers that tied in my color scheme-- and they did a beautiful job!

Melissa... she married my brother, Tate when I was 16. Even so, it is like Melissa has always been a part of our family. It wouldn't be the same without her!

Tonya... my dear oldest sister. She is the glue that holds us all together! Her creativity and kindness exudes, and is always there to give advice.

Ryan had his brother-in-laws (two on the left), cousin (on his right) and friend (on the far right) as his groomsmen.

Oh... they had fun. :)

This shot was after the ceremony, so we took a bit more liberty with pictures and walked through the snow. We were slightly cold :)

I love all these people!

The entire bridal party with Jr. bridesmaids, flower girls and ushers

All of our sweet little flower girls and Jr. bridesmaids!

Here are a few more shots of Ryan and I... we stayed indoors for some. (Note-- Ryan's socks :)

I love it that we were able to get some inside my parents' house-- the place I grew up. All of these areas hold special memories for me.

Still to this day-- and I hope I never lose sight of the miracle of it all-- I cannot wrap my mind around how perfect Ryan is for me in every way. All along, I knew God had a plan, and even though at times it seemed like it might never happen, His faithfulness shone through in giving me the desire of my heart. And as I said on my wedding day, "Ryan is the desires of my heart."

Ryan nor I would be the people we are today without the love, support, Christian upbringing, and role modeled values of our families. We are beyond blessed to have amazing parents, siblings, nieces and nephews.

The Knepp Family-- a very special group of people that I am honored to join!

The Kaiser Family-- some of my very own! I love them all dearly!

Ryan with his sisters

Me with my brother

And all of our nieces and nephews! Whew!

And now for the ceremony...

It was beyond special to have my Dad walk me in.

A couple weeks prior, my mom asked my Dad if he would be emotional or have tears.

"Of course not!" He said, "I'll be happy!"

And he was :)

We opened up with a hymn that everyone stood to sing-- it sounded amazing from our place on the stage!

Prayer

It was so special to have a close family friend give the wedding message. He did a phenomenal job of tying together our theme of iron sharpening iron, two becoming one and a three-fold chord.

Tasha and Tate sang the song "Sharpened in Time," which was not only a perfect end to our ceremony message but it also sounded beautiful!

My dad's first cousin and one of his best friends, Ted Witzig-- and a leader in the Morton church I attended before moving-- married us.

Exchanging our rings and our first kiss as husband & wife!

Ryan's brother-in-law, Blake, sang "The Wedding Song" right after we said our vows and became husband and wife

Here we are... Mr. & Mrs. Knepp!

Our ceremony was the first to be held at the Bertha Frank Performing Arts Center in Morton. While it was the first, I doubt it will be the last-- it was perfect! The staff was amazing to work with-- so knowledgeable and helpful and accommodating throughout the entire process. The ceremony ran very smoothly. They sure know what they are doing!

The front lobby area is nice and spacious, and gave us opportunity to decorate and create a space for the guests to enjoy before and after the ceremony.

We set up a desk by the doors where you walk in for guests to sign the guest book...

Not "1916"... but 1/9/16 :) P.S. I get to keep my last initial!

Hankies for the happy tears :)

For guests to get their assigned table # for the reception...

On a peanut butter cup... our favorite candy :)

A little snack of popcorn... our favorite snack...

And the combination of our two favorite drinks... "hot chocolate" + "chai latte"

And... remember seeing these?

Wedding wands for our exit!

Off to the reception!!

First Dance... to "Bread & Wine"

And cutting the cake. Ryan did not play nice ;)

Our maid of honor and best man speeches-- they were both amazing! Funny, sweet, and memorable.

My dad did a great job welcoming everyone and had a meal prayer. I also had Tom & Brad (my two brother-in-laws) be the "DJs" for the evening and make announcements. They were the perfect duo, and kept things run smoothly but also had us laughing every step of the way! I love this picture because you can tell they are already scheming in the background...

Sigh... my cake... by the talented Tammy Woodmancy (Cake Crumbs Unlimited). She does amazing work.

We had 16 cakes total! A lot of the guests tables had a 16" round as its center piece. Tammy did an awesome job of making each cake unique, incorporating beautiful flowers that were used in my bouquet, broken jewelry and brooches. We also had 12 cake flavors :) I am pretty sure I sampled at least 3. Flavors included but were not limited to things like chocolate peanut butter cup, white with raspberry, cinnamon roll, mocha, lemon, mint chocolate, pumpkin...

Each table also had a # and name of a member of one of our families, with their picture and a description of what they mean to us. This was the Tasha Table :)

It was also a first-time wedding at this venue-- which is Warehouse on Water St.-- awesome renovated building right next to the opening-soon restaurant, Thyme. The owner also owns Cracked Pepper, Salt, and Sugar-- amazing food at all 3 locations! This venue JUST opened up right before our wedding, and I'm excited to see it host other events this year. Also looking forward to the opening of Thyme-- I know it will not disappoint! (Cracked Pepper catered our meal-- we heard nothing but good things!)

It was a beautiful, perfect day. It was everything I imagined it would be and more. I wish I could freeze certain times of the day so that I could look around, breathe it in, and have 5-10 minutes to talk to each guests that came, relish in the memories made with each family member, and walk around and take in every single detail. Even though that is impossible to do, I was able to re-live just a glimpse of 1/9/16 through the photographer who helped captured the day and via ParkLife Films, who captured and constructed this amazing same-day-edit that was played at our reception.

A huge thanks to all of the family, friends, and vendors who made this day amazingly special.

Next up is The Honeymoon... and then we might be able to ease into life in Wisconsin :)

Stay tuned!

T

P.S.-- 1/9/2016 is special for one other reason-- it's Ryan's 30th birthday! This was the day he came into the world AND the day he was married... I would say it's a pretty special day.