Our Honeymoon in London and Ireland

It was very important to me that for our honeymoon we went to somewhere amazing because 1. Ryan has never been overseas before and 2. we want to start trying for kids sooner rather than later.
This was our best opportunity to go and so we went for it... and it was such an AMAZING trip and I am pleased to share it with you.

First off, here is a quick preview I made of the trip using some videos we made:

Now, let's talk about the trip shall we?

First off, we flew Virgin Atlantic over to London and I HIGHLY recommend them... they gave us all sorts of goodies when we got on the plane (sleeping mask, blanket, socks, toothbrush, etc.) and the food was pretty decent. 

Once we arrived in London we were ready to go!! (but also REALLY jet lagged!!) Ryan might look happy in these next two photos but he was also starving and sleep deprived. ha

But once we arrived in the city of London we decided to go full force and pretend we hadn't had more than 2-3 hours of sleep. That's what they tell you. Just try and stay awake and ease into the time zone... 

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 After lots and lots of walking (and getting a little lost...) we found Parliament! And Big Ben (inside the Elizabeth Tower, of course)

Then we stopped by Westminster Abbey. Isn't she beautiful? Unfortunately it was closing in 15 minutes so we didn't want to pay to go in. And we never went back to do so... (sigh) Guess I will just have to go back :) 

And on the other side of the Thames is the London Eye! We bought tickets to ride it later in the evening. 

The first place we ate at in London was this pub. It was bittersweet... this was a place I had eaten at with John. So, I was excited to share this with Ryan. Granted, it was a great choice. The pub is literally feet away from the beautiful sounds of Big Ben and has THE BEST Fish n' Chips we had the entire trip. Yumm!!!!!!!

A lovely view of the Eye from down below... we bought tickets, took a walk, and then came back for the ride.

I finally got to cross over the Millennium Bridge. Yes, the ones the Dementors ruined in Harry Potter. Good thing they built it back up again (wink)

A view of the Thames

Locks on the Bridge. A tradition stolen from France. 

And then we met St. Paul. :) And attend an Evensong service. It was really nice buuttt... we kept falling asleep whenever we bowed our heads to pray. At this point the jet lag was hitting us HARD. I started to question if buying the London Eye tickets was a good choice. haha

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The Story of Our Big Day

On Friday, March 28th, 2014 I married my best friend.
I have been dreaming of getting married since I was a little girl... and I always thought it was going to be super magical. The whole experience.
Let me tell you, planning a wedding is very STRESSFUL and time consuming. I had a couple break downs along the way... but the DAY OF my wedding was pretty much as magical as it gets.
But it wouldn't have been possible without special people in my life to make it happen.... and special vendors. I want to try and remember this day as best as possible. Because it really was the best day ever. It was something I will never want to forget and something I want to share with others.
So, I present to you my big day.... in pictures!

My Vendors:

Venue: Orlando Science Center

Dress: "Judith" by Maggie Sottero

DJ: DJ Mike Jenks

Ceremony Musicians: Strings Etc.

Photographer: Andi Mans Photography

Catering: Cocktails Catering

Florist: Country Club Flower Shop

Cake: Anna Cakes

Officiant: Sensational Ceremonies

Hair and Make-Up: Flawless Faces by Alicia

Popcorn Bar: Ms. Bee's Gourmet Popcorn

My girls. They saved the day!! That's what bridesmaids are there for. :) And I was pretty much obsessed with getting us robes! 

Let's talk about the bridesmaid dresses, shall we? This was one of my BIGGEST wedding stressors. In fact, I stressed about it until the day of. Mis-matched dresses are becoming a thing now... but finding the right color "mint" was NOT easy for any of us. Even I started to question the color. So, I told the girls to stick around "shades of mint." And the result came out pretty nicely. Everyone thought they were neat. (agreed). ** sigh of relief**

            

One of my wedding gifts to Ryan: cuff links that were made of maps. Two locations. One being Denver (where we first met in 2004) and the other Orlando (where we met again in 2011).

We did ribbon wands for the ceremony and our exit. Very whimsical (my favorite wedding word! haha)

My sign that pointed to the reception. From Etsy, of course.

Programs made by my friend and bridesmaid, Tracy. I told her what I wanted and she literally had no problem doing them... she has such a creative mind and they came out beautiful!

      

My shoes :) I made those shoe clips. They were far too expensive on Etsy and I think they came out lovely. I also added the "I Do" stickers on the back.

I borrow my sister's earrings until the ceremony because the earrings I bought the day before were accidently left at home. When I called my soon-to-be-hubby to ask if I had left them on the bed he said "no" and puzzled I told him to check the trash just in case. He ran outside to grab the trash just as the waste management truck was coming up to our driveway. Good thing!! They were in there!

Getting ready for the big day with my fantastic bridesmaids. Everyone did so wonderful with making me feel at ease. And my make up was done by Flawless Faces by Alicia.

This was the only time I truly felt "nervous." I think it was more anxious than nervous... I couldn't wait for the ceremony. We spent a lot of time in our room getting ready, eating Panera (thank you, Courtney), and listening to Frozen. HAHA

*Happy* 

           

Instead of getting an expensive hair clip I opted for natural babies breath. I wanted my flowers to have a romantic feel to them as well.

This was me hiding in the Escalade before seeing Ryan. Jim got this pretty shot. 

                  

We decided to do a "first look" before the ceremony...something I always told myself i would never do... but I am SOOOO glad we did for a few reasons. 1. It got my nerves/anxiety out of the way (I couldn't WAIT to see Ryan) and 2. It allowed for us to take beautiful pics before the rain came later (post ceremony)

This one. Makes me smile :) See? Excited!! I couldn't wait to see my handsome hubby-to-be.

We held each other like this for awhile. It was a very special moment. My heart is full of love. <3

Let's talk about these shoes. So, the color of my wedding was mint, yellow and gray. It was soooo hard to find ANYTHING mint. And then Spring came and BAM! Mint everywhere!! Kelly and Andrea helped me find these beauties and there was no doubt we had to get them. We, as in, we all three got a pair. Because after all, we are the triplets. :) 

A funny little shot here. I accidently ran into guests/friends on the way to the ceremony. And it made my day! This is because there was uncertainty if the ceremony was inside or outside so everyone kept going back and forth. Funny to laugh at now... 

My two little sign bearers. I let the best man handle the rings. These are my twin nephews, James and Matthew. They were a hit!

I was so impressed with how handsome my daddy looked on my wedding day. I don't know if I have ever seen my dad's daily attire before but this is far from it. He was so happy and continues to rave about the wedding. :) I am glad he had fun.

This is the moment I never want to forget. Walking down the aisle to my dream husband at my dream ceremony. This tree. 200 years old and nicknamed "The Mayor." It is right across from the Orlando Science Center.

This almost didn't happen... an hour before the ceremony the event coordinators told me they were going to move the ceremony inside due to weather. I was devastated. But, I decided to risk it and have no mics for the musicians or officiant. And in about 30 minutes they got it set up and saved the day. Special thanks to Brandon Goodman for making sure I got my way.

And thank God because LOOK AT THIS.

(this was before I walked down the aisle) GOOORRRGEEEOOOUUSS. Andi captured this beautifully!!!

The dress. My dress. 

I have always LOVED Maggie Sottero dresses and when I went to Minerva's to try on dresses they won't let you know what designer you are trying on. But, I know my Maggie. And almost EVERY dress I ended up trying on was a Maggie. And then I chose this beauty... the Judith.  :) 

My niece, Makenzi, was having a great time as my flower girl. 

I just loved the dress my sister picked out for Makenzi. It was so pretty :) And a love her flower halo. 

Once again... I am in love with this tree.

Ryan and I decided to write our own vows. This was not easy. I bought these cute little books to keep them in and I had them for two months... but decided not to write them until the night before. (of course). However, it was one of the best decisions we made. It was so meaningful and as you can see here in this photo... a very emotional time for me. 

It was so hard to get through these. I am surprised my photographer, Andi, didn't catch my ugly cry face more often ;) haha

Wiping tears off Ryan's face after our vows.

Something I was very persistent about doing at the wedding was sealing a wine box. I ordered the personalized box from Etsy and had a custom wine label made as well which our family and bridal party signed at rehearsal dinner. We also added in our vows. We will open the box back up in a few years when we need it most. 

Our brave musicians played with a little rain. Thankfully, it didn't rain much :) 

The flowers were rustic and chic and well done by Country Club Flower Shop in Lake Mary, FL. I was pretty obsessed with babies breath so it was incorporated in everything :)  (and it's affordable!)

The Kiss!!!

Husband and Wife!!!

During my wedding I was surrounded by people I love and hold dear to my heart. Probably one of the dearest are the Seays. Above his me and my husband with Jim and Sarah. These are my late fiance, John's, parents. They have continued to support me throughout the years and remain my family. They always will be... forever. And I blessed to have them in my life.

We had a "twinphony" in our wedding. Two sets of twins!! That must be a record, yes? :) 

My husband and his "bros." The guy in the middle making that hilarious face is his brother, Patrick. Such a fun group of guys. 

My ladies. Girls who I have met through all different journeys in my life. Each very dear to my heart. Each special. My niece and sisters are the 3 on the right. 

Shades of mint! Perfect!

The whole gang. Mint bow ties and mint dresses. yay!

           

 The Hassell fam :) (all coming from various locations: New York, North Carolina, etc.)

My new family: The Sirmeyers

This is our T-Rex that welcomed everyone to our reception :) 




                   
I loved the whimsical decor. I HAD to have the birdcages... especially because it was a "love bird" theme. I bought the cages before I even picked out a dress! My florist did all the rest with the wood, candles, ribbon and lace. The table numbers were made by my friend, Brandi :) I have such crafty people in my life!

My absolutely adorable cake done by Anna Cakes. I got the little love bird topper from Etsy and the banner says our names and wedding date. The cake stand was borrowed from our friends, The Fornacis.

Our First Dance was to "Such Great Heights" by Iron and Wine

Dancing with my Daddy <3

 

I loved our sweet heart table.  And right next to one of my favorite dinos! hehe       

Our guest book. With birds, of course. Now it's in our living room. 

                                   

   

My niece got up and sang "At Last" and blew people away with her powerful voice. It was AMAZING.

Our exit :) 

I bought that parasol for photos and it never made it's way outside to us so I used it for the exit. Seemed fitting. Also found on Etsy. 

"Happily Ever After"

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