it's official

after 9 months of planning, picking out flowers, dresses, ties, music, party favors, the set up...i'm a married woman!

after 9 months of planning, picking out flowers, dresses, ties, music, party favors, the set up....almost nothing went as planned!

the cute ties

koozies

the day began beautifully!  sunny, warm and gorgeous.  all was right and i was so ready for it.

my flowers from joe with a card that read
"the beginning of your first day as Mrs. Harl! I love you"
SWOON

 after getting ready and having lots of champagne, the girls and i headed to the venue.  running a little late (of course) but on our way.  and as we got closer...clouds.  dammit.  after getting dressed, we ventured out for some pictures.  it was humid and a bit cloudy, but overall, still a pretty day.

the boys

joe's ring

 then it was time.  i finally got nervous.  not sure why, i was more than confident in the fact that i was marrying my best friend, i knew he would be up there and not running for the hills.   but, i was nervous.  i think it was all the people.  and the fact that they would all be looking at me.  YIKES!  get me up there to teach sex ed, and i would be cool as a cucumber.  this, me walking in a white dress down the aisle, however, terrified me.  oh well...here we go!

my dad and me.  he did so good!!!

the ceremony was PERFECT!  everyone did a fabulous job.  big thank you to brendan, our friend and officiant, on performing an awesome ceremony.  his first!  it is all kind of a blurr because i just kept chatting with joe.  i thanked him for my flowers and my hanger.  (he surprised me and my dress was hanging on a "Mrs. Harl" hanger) i asked how his golf game was, what else he did during the day....  anything to keep me from crying or getting shaky.  :)

then.....WE WERE MARRIED!!  MR. & MRS. HARL!  WOOHOO

it was over and i was thrilled.  and happy.  beyond happy.  we rushed to take pictures before the light was gone.  as we are standing there, smiling and posing, we heard it.  thunder in the distance.  i was still hopeful at this point.  i mean, it IS oklahoma and we can have thunder and no rain.  happens all the time.  but....despite all my positive thoughts, it came.  ugh....rain!  we hadn't really planned for this.  i mean we had, we could have had a tent set up.  but there had only been a 30% chance of rain.  no biggie.  no tent.

after having a private dinner, we were hopeful that it would pass.  and it did... just long enough for us to run out and be introduced, say a few words and go cut the cake.  and then, then the clouds just let loose and it was a for real deal storm.

sh*t.


after the beautiful set up, and my visions of what our reception would be, it was nothing like that.  our photo booth was ruined, the music equipment was drenched, everything that was to be outside, was done.  people had high-tailed it out of there when the rain came.  i can't blame them, there wasn't a whole lot of room for cover.  the whole time planning, i had looked at this event as a huge party and wanted it to be fun and amazing for all of our guests.  yes, it was our wedding, but i really looked at it as an event for our friends and family.  but the rain put it all in perspective for me.  yes, it was a party.  it was for everyone else, but more specifically, it was for us.  and as much as i hope everyone had fun, the most important part of the night was the fact that we were married.   so, even though we danced to an i-pod, lost many of our guests, and were crammed in a small room, it was the most wonderful night of my life!


i honestly believed that getting married would be fun, but that it wouldn't really be any different.  what difference was a piece of paper going to make?

turns out.....it's a HUGE difference.  i absolutely adore being the wife of Joe Harl!