Wedding Day.

Happy Friday, Everyone! I figured I’d make today’s post a little more focused since my last post was such a shmorgishborg of a gajillion different life-altering decisions jam-packed into a few paragraphs. So, today’s post is about 1 thing—1 BIG thing. My wedding day.

Weddings—in their primal state—are actually very simple, if you think about it. They are two people, who love each other so dearly that they decide to become one whole with God; that’s it. Boom. It’s a wedding. God does all the work on his end (the bringing the two people together in the first place, creating love between their hearts and then binding them to Him as one in a covenant of love) the bride and groom just make a commitment to each other and to God. It’s strong, it’s binding, it’s forever—It takes 30 minutes. Weddings are—in essence—simple.

It’s the binding commitment that lasts forever that makes weddings epic to our timelines, and it’s HOW we do weddings that makes them CRAZY, fun and stressful. We make weddings un-simple… we make them unique, representations of the impact the decision has on our lives—we make them larger-than-life.

But that’s what I love most about them. Each wedding you go to is filled with characteristics of the hearts that planned them. It’s very rare that you go to a wedding and leave without a better understanding of the two families involved in the merging. Weddings are mountains of details—the SMALLEST details imaginable—every single one of which was strategically planned to be what it is. That’s why brides (and mothers-of-the-brides) LOVE to share the small things—they want everyone to know just how much affection and attention went into every decision.

Also, a wedding done right has NOTHING to do with the bride or groom. Every decision made is (or should be) intended to appeal to the guests, family or the wedding party. The colors are picked because the guests might find them pretty, the dresses are picked because the bridesmaids will love them. While the wedding should demonstrate who the bride and groom are, it has nothing to do with them. Why do brides freak out at weddings? Mostly because they’re worried about whether or not the guests are having fun, or if something doesn’t look perfect… think about it.

My point is… Franklin is my best bud. Marrying him was the easiest, simplest decision I’ve ever made, but the wedding was a ton of work—and totally worth it all! That day was so full of the love I have for Franklin, my family and my friends, that I just love sharing it with the world! (I do have to say that if there is something you love in these photos, it’s probably because my mom came up with it! She is brilliant and stylish and loves me very much. She made this happen—with the help of her best friend, Aimee and our wedding coordinator, Barbara Shorts.)

Enjoy!

We stayed at the Historic Intercontinental Stephen F. Austin Hotel in downtown Austin!

 The entrance to the church. We wanted it to be a classic, winter, Christmas wedding. Instead of the typical red and green, we went French with golds, ivory's and jewel tones!

 We watched the Baylor vs. UT game while getting ready! (We also sipped on blue champagne!)

 My sisters and Franklin before the ceremony

 I treasured this moment with my mom and dad before the ceremony!

 House Party Dresses--I love the green with the pearls!

Bridesmaid Dresses--For a winter wedding, I loved the idea of having them carry fur muffs covered in flowers as opposed to bouquets!

My daddy and me before walking down the isle

Franklin and I love children. I wanted to be surrounded with children on my wedding day--they are the perfect symbol of purity and they love with all they have, no fear, their futures ahead of them... A child's heart represents all I want my marriage to be! (Plus, each of these little ones are dear to me heart!)

Joe White, the president of Kanakuk Kamps, married us. Before the ceremony, he prayed with me. What a blessing he is to our lives!

The flower girls wore angel wings!

I love this little moment

We were married in the church my parents were married in. After Joe White said a few words, Ralph Smith, the pastor who married my parents presided over the ring and vow exchange. It was so wonderful to be married by the man who married my parents!

My Bridesmaids and Junior Bridesmaid

Before the ceremony, Franklin and I ate a (very quick) dinner together.

We entered the ceremony by descending a staircase lined with hydrangeas, peonies and roses. The children stood at the bottom and threw flowers, since they didn't get to "throw flowers" during the ceremony...

Our first dance was to "Just the Way you Look Tonight" by Frank Sinatra. Cliche, we know, but Franklin has said that song reminds him of me since we first started dating in 2009. (There's a line about how she wrinkles her nose... I do that after a few drinks... totally un-romantic, but that's us!)

During the father/daughter dance, my dad and I broke out in a choreographed flash-mob with my siblings!! It was so fun, funny and set the tone for the rest of the night!

The foyer with the grand staircase... That's the wedding cake in the center.

Party favors were beautiful Christmas ornaments for guests to take with them.

The groom's cake made by Scott Calvert with The Cake Plate

http://www.thecakeplate.com/SCOTT.htm

The wedding cake made by Sylvia Weinstock

http://www.sylviaweinstock.com/index_fl4.html

Our amazing photographer was Jennifer Lindberg!
http://www.jenniferlindbergweddings.com/home_content.html
We also used Joe Simon Wedding Films to create a video of our big night!
http://www.joesimonweddingfilms.com/

Now let the fun begin....

Baylor Kappas doing our traditional "Kappa Arms"

Yup. That's my grandmother, Nonny.

Kappa circle... the Baylor KKG's did a celebratory Sic 'Em in honor of the Baylor W earlier that day!

My precious husband with two of our flower girls!

My brother had the most fun of all... 

I love that we chose to go with sparklers! They created an intimate winter feel, plus the lighting was great!

And we're living happily ever after...

Hope you enjoyed them! Until next time!

xoxo, Mrs. Chandler Hatchett