wedding moments, part 2

hey, i just want to say that i know my writing about my wedding (well, and in general) is pretty over-the-top - i get that; i'm aware. but the passionate language is just kind of the point...if the title of this blog and my little blurb doesn't warn you sufficiently...lots of adjectives and dramatic descriptions are my schtick. i genuinely feel that language is so inadequate in expressing the experiences of mortality, but i'm pretty determined to make it work...and with my schtick as a starting off point, certainly the best and biggest 56 hours of my life will yield some dramatic writing. i certainly want to remember those hours as vividly as possible, and i really did feel them deeply.

i also want to say how tremendously grateful i am for my family and friends and all the sacrifices they made to be present at my wedding and to be so amazingly helpful in making it such a dreamy, magical weekend. the boy and i wanted our wedding to be a celebration of not just us, but of everyone who impacted our lives in a way that led to our love and decision to be each other's forever. a huge part of our wedding planning was thinking of things we could do to make not just ourselves feel special but especially to make our loved ones feel special. we wrote personal letters to all of our wedding dinner guests, spent a lot of time making sure that everyone liked what we asked them to wear, had friends and family weigh in on menu items and seating arrangements, contributed financially to travel expenses, and expressed gratitude as much as possible in the midst of the whirlwind of wedding festivities.

our friends and family were so generous and loving in offering to help execute the plans that i worked very, very hard on (and the boy contributed too! :) ) so that we could really peacefully enjoy our events (and because we don't live in the same place where we got married!). we will forever be so grateful for everything they did, from creating table numbers to picking up rental items to greeting vendors to coordinating shuttles to setting up music. i couldn't even make it to our hotel without shooting off some texts and emails of thankfulness. we were so eager to know how things went behind the scenes, and it has been pretty fun to learn about the adventures that happened when we weren't around! it's an amazing thing to have so many people who desire your joy and support your pivotal life events so loyally that the stress of helping to execute your so carefully made plans and dreams is truly an adventure rather than an ordeal.

the boy and i both can't stop talking to each other about how grateful we are to our family and friends, who came from texas, pennsylvania, ohio, arizona, massachussetts, hawaii, new york, california, china, colorado, virginia, washington and various parts of utah to celebrate with us. and it was truly celebration, all around.

okay...to pick up where i left off...some amazing, transcendent, gorgeous, joyful, magnificent, sublime, celestial moments from our wedding day (how's that for overkill? :) ) --

{it was the most beautiful, perfect autumn day on october 9 - brisk but balmy with slanty sunlight. we'd been hoping and praying so hard for good weather, and we had the best!}


-when the boy and i first met in a room in the temple dressed in our temple clothes, we had the best hug. everything was just so surreal. looking back on it feels like i was totally floating through it all. we got to sit together in an intensely beautiful and peaceful place for quite some time together. we weren't sure when we were going to be instructed to enter the sealing room, so we just drank it all in. i remember feeling soooooo in love and sooooo at peace.

-walking into the sealing room, crammed with the people we love most in the world, each watching us with such a glow of love and excitement - wow, that was a spectacular moment. we took our seats and it was quiet and still for a couple of minutes before our sealer arrived. i scanned the room and gosh, there just aren't words for that feeling. my fingertips were tingling and the boy's body was trembling next to mine. the air was heavy. i've thought about being in that spot in space and time quite a lot in my life, and there i was. it was just indescribably sweet.

-when we knelt across the altar from each other, and as the sealer pronounced the words of the ordinance, the boy looked deep, deep into my eyes and did not look away. it was like everything else was a little hazy around his face, but his face was so so crystal clear.

-after the words were said and we were sealed (!!!), the sealer said, playfully, "well, a kiss across the altar is not technically part of the sealing ceremony, so we can skip it if you want," to which the boy confidently replied, "no way." that was surely the best kiss ever. the sealer mentioned that it was sufficient and i mentioned that we could continue if he wanted us to :)

-as i slipped a wedding band onto my new husband's finger, i felt completely and utterly sure that we would keep our promises to each other and to god forever.

-we got to give a hug to each guest as they left the sealing room. this was the tenderest part of the day for me. the constant flow of different brands of love that i have for each person in that room ran through my veins and i just felt doused with adoration and appreciation. every embrace was so so special. oh my goodness, just thinking about it now makes me feel so full up with joy and love.

-after changing into my wedding dress and getting all ready for pictures with my mom and sister saydi, we walked down a long corridor to meet the boy. when we came to an intersection with another corridor, the temple worker who was helping us peeked around the corner to see if the boy was there ready to meet me. i was so bubbly inside and my mom and sister and i giggled together as she spied quickly :) he was there, so i walked around the corner and he had his "first look" at my dress, at me as his wife. i keep saying this! but it was just the best moment - the most pleasing, honeyed, melodious moment of true love.

-we walked together up the stairs to the exit doors, beyond which all our family and friends were waiting for us to emerge. our photographer was there to greet us and give us some instructions and it was this little mini frenzy as a temple worker tried to make sure everyone was ready and my sister splayed out my train and the boy and i looked at each other incredulously, like "this is happening!!" and then we opened the doors to lots of cheers and then so many little hugs.

 to be continued...

Comments

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Hooray for overkill, and over the top, and "dripping with passion." I love everything about this post and your blog! Congratulations on your amazing day and your beautiful new life together. :)

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  3. Beautiful, incandescent love story! I have been eagerly following your honest writing about searching for "the one" and am so genuinely thrilled that you are so happy. Thank you for sharing your day in such magical detail.

    Lots of love

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  4. That was incredibly generous to contribute to traveling expenses. Not many would do that.

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  5. i never comment, but i just wanted to say i don't think your language is overkill! i think you are totally right, life is so surreal, language really does do it an injustice, but it's all we have to explain and express it, so why not do it the best we can? you're wedding is beautiful. i love your blog, and the way you view life, it is inspiring. keep it up!

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  6. Another "never comment-er" who enjoys the way you write. You shouldn't feel like you need to explain your writing style on your personal blog to anonymous strangers who are not, in any way, shape or form, required to read it.

    Personally, I enjoy your enthusiasm for life (and language), that's why I keep coming back.

    I'm glad your wedding was so lovely!

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  7. This is beautiful...don't change a thing about your writing style...Thank you for sharing your wonderful, magical day with us. Wish you only more magical days ahead.

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  8. I enjoy your hyperbolic writing and I don't understand all the snarking about it. Reading someone's blog is an affirmative act--one does it voluntarily. It seems so simple--you don't like this blog, DON'T READ IT. Anyhow, enough of that--best wishes for a lifetime filled with surprise, delight, adventure, and JUUUUST enough tristesse to sweeten the rest of it. Warm regards to you and "the boy."

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  9. What a great gift you are giving your future children with your blog.

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  10. Again, yet another never commenter.

    Thank you for sharing the magic of your wedding! I really hope that every girl feels about her wedding how you've described it! :)

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  11. They way you write is why my daughters and I read your blog. Your zest for life helps us see the beauty and wondefulness that we often miss. You have helped me light that over the top passion in my viewpoints once more. So happy for you!!!!

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  12. Yet another new commenter here to say that I really enjoy your blog. You are super upfront about your love for superlatives (i mean look at the blog name!). While it is not even necessary to explain your writing style, it shows a lot of humility and awareness to be able to poke fun at yourself like that. I could not agree more with the commenter that called reading a blog an voluntary act. I choose to read your blog because it makes me happy! Keep it up and wishing you and your husband the best!

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  13. Never apologize for the way you write. You have a gift for living life to the fullest, every minute, even during the hard times. Congratulations on your wedding. I've loved hearing every detail and every word. It's brought back great memories of my own wedding.

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  14. Hi Charity -

    I have a question for you if you don't mind. As a non LDS person, I'm intrigued by the sealing. If I am correct, doesn't that mean that you are married not only on earth for your life time but that your marriage will continue in heaven when you die?

    OK, if so - what happens, God forbid, if either of you passes away fairly young. Would that mean that the other one couldn't remarry? And if they can remarry, is it only for the rest of your earthly life - because since you were sealed to the first one - when you get to heaven you'll still be married to him, right? What happens when the second one dies? Is he not married to anyone?

    Thanks!

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  15. Charity, I'm a regular stalker of your blog and NEVER comment (on anything in the interwebs) but I am compelled to come out of hiding and say how happy I am for you and Ian and how much I enjoy your beaming, effervescent and lovely way of capturing the highs and lows of your joyful mortality. You are a DELIGHT and I wish we were neighbors (I would be the ersatz granny to your future cherubic offspring).

    Keep on drippin' on!

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  16. i recognize one of those pictures :). love you!

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  17. I love your blog and your excitement for life. I love the passion you have and I am SOOOO very happy for you and "the boy."
    I am so happy to get to read about your special wedding and the wonderful experiences you had. Thank you so much for sharing such a personal part of your life with us.

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  18. Thank you for addressing your" critics" so appropriately. Perfect Overkill. : )

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  19. Charity, oh how I love you and loved being a part of your amazing wedding! Your beautiful notes at the wedding dinner were so amazingly thoughtful and you were so thankful to everyone throughout. You made it a pleasure to help. And it was so exciting to see all your wedding dreams come to a glorious fruition!

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  20. This is a series of moments none of us will ever forget! How perfect that it is memorialized in this spectacular post. It is such a grand reminder that "The Lord is in the details" and that He will bless this marriage forever! What a grand ending to a thrilling roller coaster ride!

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  21. WHY oh WHY did you wear mustard colored shoes? WHY?

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    1. Maybe if you didn't post as anonymous she could have called you directly and asked your expert opinion before making any decisions!

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  22. because I love mustard yellow and those shoes...? and because I didn't know it would cause a blog reader to have a meltdown? :)

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    1. I thought your mustard yellow shoes looked lovely. Yellow is a great colour & my favourite.

      I loved your comment about the meltdown, it really did make me laugh - brill.:)

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  23. I have loved reading about your day! Its wonderful to see the tender way both of you look at each other . Congratulations.

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  24. I love your shoes Mrs Charity Wright! Ian's socks were a perfect complement. They added just a bit of whimsy that is so you!

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  25. Where do I begin? My Mom and I threw my sister a bridal shower at this place and we were so happy with the food, ambiance, staff, and every other little thing.

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  26. Why call it a wedding dress if you don't even get married in it? Seems a bit ridiculous.

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  27. Thanks for sharing the details of your magical wedding. Loved the way you shared your feelings through this article. Also your Wedding location in Chicago was just outstanding. You I regularly read your blog and appreciate your excitement for life.

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  28. Thanks for sharing the magical and amazing moments of your wedding day.

    I really love to read your post, and the way you write is fantastic.

    Keep writing:)

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