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...