We're Moving!

To a new blog that it... bradlyandjordan.blogspot.com

Thanks to everyone that reads, I hope you'll enjoy a blog about the adventures of our first year of marriage!

All I wanted to do was EAT!

My one and only goal/requirement for our wedding day was to eat. I didn't care who had to wait to talk to me or how long I had to wait for my food, I really wanted to eat! I have heard so many bridal stories of the bride and groom not being able to eat all day long. Not me! Me and Brad are two foodies who fell in love, so we were determined to eat at our own wedding. After the ceremony, I quickly changed into a blue cocktail dress for three reasons: to cool off, to avoid the potential spilling on my wedding dress, and so I could eat in comfort. I take my eating very seriously, so I really wanted to be comfortable. Once I changed into my fun cocktail dress, me and Brad were introduced for the first time as "Mr. & Mrs. Brad Harris"! Oh, it was such a thrill. I never thought about the weight of those words, but as I have time to reflect upon them, they mean more to me than I could ever explain. I don't think I could ever explain it. But I am SO excited to be Mrs. Harris. The luncheon started and we feasted on a harvest salad with pecans, apples, feta, and just plain yummy deliciousness. Next was the main course, the buttermilk chicken was ok. Mine was overcooked, but I thought it was pretty good. The chicken was over garlic potatoes, which were yummy, and had a side of honey carrots. I LOVED the carrots! So good! And the rolls were really great too! And for dessert was a lace cookie cup with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge on top. Ok, these things were AMAZING!!! I mean, amazing! My brother in-law, Jared, described them as "heavenly". Anyone who was there would probably tell you the same thing, as I did not see any left over lace cookie cups on the tables. (I'm pretty sure parents topped off their kid's lace cookie cups as well)

After me and Brad had finished devouring the table, we walked around to talk to people to see how they were doing. I really enjoyed being able to talk to everyone that came to our ceremony. The feeling of love and support in the air was overwhelming. If I had thought about it too hard, I probably would have broken out into tears. This is again, one of those feelings that you can't really describe. But just know that we felt extremely loved by everyone there and we are so grateful to have such wonderful friends and family.

Once all the food was eaten, it was time to take pictures! That's every one's favorite, right? I changed back into my dress, touched up the make-up and rallied the troops to come and take some pictures. Rallying the troops was, uh, fun. I thought everyone liked to take pictures, but I guess I was wrong! But I totally understand, it was a little warm outside and everyone had just stuffed their face with food, so taking pictures was not exactly on every one's "need to do" list. But after some yelling and a slightly "bridezillaish" moment, we got some great shots. My mother was a trooper and held my flowers dress, and bustled the dress within seconds. She was literally my right hand throughout the day. It was wonderful. Thanks Mom!

By the time we were done with pictures, guests were starting to arrive for the reception. Man, time was flying by at lightening speed! I would like to say that I remember every detail of the night and everything I said, but I would be lying. It kind of went by in a blur. But the overall feeling of the reception was of love and support. A lot of people from my home stake that live in Utah now showed up, which was amazing! It was so wonderful to see old friends. My parents were in heaven seeing all of their friends that they haven't seen for a while.

We cut the cake about 45 minutes in the reception so everyone could get some cake. Brad and I had a standing agreement that we wouldn't shove cake into each other's faces because we didn't want to have sticky faces, and Brad told me that if I ran, he would throw cake at me. He would do it, so I didn't dare break the agreement. We cut the cake and fed it to each other. I put a little dab of frosting on Brad's nose, but don't worry, I cleaned it up. And the cake was SO GOOD! We had some fun-fetti and some lemon-poppy raspberry. I nearly died it was so good! The Old Meeting House also sent some of the chocolate fountain treats with us, and they were also very delicious! We didn't throw a bouquet or the guarder because there weren't hardly any single people there. I was a little disappointed, but not that much. Before I knew it, it was time to go.

I changed my clothes and me and Brad had a quiet moment to ourselves before we headed outside to unwrap our car. In all fairness, we got off really easy compared to some other people we know. The car was decorated all cute and we headed off to our hotel for the night! As we drove to the hotel, I honestly couldn't believe that we had just gotten married and just experienced everything we had been planning for the last 6 months. We could not have been happier with the day we had, the people we got to see and talk to, and the love and support from all those we love. Thank you to everyone for reading the blog and to those of you who came. It meant the world to us!

Here is a 'sneak peek' of some of our pictures!

(Oh, I almost forgot to tell you how my "DIY: Why the heck did we decide to do this project?" turned out. Um, really well. They looked great on the tables and most of our guests liked the chocolates. I heard that my aunts were scavenging tables to find left over ones, so I guess they were a hit!)

Warning: Incredibly long wedding day post to follow

Well folks, we did it! Can you believe it? I can hardly believe it myself. Everything went amazingly well. Brad and I feel so blessed. We could not have asked for a more perfect day. It was everything we could have wanted and SO much more. The week leading up to the wedding was surprisingly uneventful and very relaxing. That's right, I said it, it was relaxing! We weren't running around crazy. I think I even took a nap on one of the days. Because my mother is so wonderful, I didn't have to worry about one detail of the day. She worried about all of it for me. Thanks Mom!!! You are the best!

On Wednesday (the day before the wedding), we had a rehearsal dinner. My main reason for wanting a rehearsal dinner was so all of the families could get together and chat BEFORE they saw each other at the wedding. We had the rehearsal dinner at my Grandma's condo. It was a barbecue. Complete with burgers, hot dogs, and the best thing ever...beer brats! Oh, they were SOOOO good. I wanted to eat more than the one that I had, but I didn't seem like a piggy bride, so I just loaded up on desserts instead! I could go on and on about the food. Lets suffice it to say, it was amazing. Really. I kind of want some right now. Yum. Okay, back to the rehearsal dinner. The weather was actually really nice. It lightly sprinkled a few times, but it actually worked out well because people were not dying of heat stroke. There was also a pool there, so my cousins were completely entertained the entire time. We were so lucky that lots of people from both sides of our family and a few of our close friends came. The biggest surprise of the night for me was my Dad showed up earlier than I thought he was going to. My Mom kept telling me he was coming in at 10:30 that night...so I believed her. Who wouldn't believe their mother? So when he showed up, I cried. A lot. When I'm truly surprised, I cry. Ask Brad the story of when he proposed. I cried. Sobbed. It took a good few minutes to gain composure. Not my proudest moment. But I was SO HAPPY my Dad was there. The rehearsal dinner was complete. I think my Dad described it perfectly when he said, "This rehearsal dinner is just a slice of heaven." It was so true. I hope heaven is like a big barbecue with everyone I love the most in the world. We got to talk to everyone and let them know that we were so thrilled they came to see us get married, and we were even more excited for Thursday!

I think I got about 5 consecutive hours of sleep. Not bad. I woke up and read my book for a bit and then fell back asleep so I got about 6.5 hours of total sleep. Again, not bad. I was only getting married that afternoon. What did I have to worry about? So I got up and ate a waffle breakfast with my mom, dad, and grandma. It was great. I was totally relaxed. I didn't have a worry in the world. I knew that that day was going to be the most special day of my life. I was so excited. After breakfast, I sent my parents off to the rehearsal. We had to have our rehearsal for our ceremony that morning because the venue told us we had to. Well, I wanted to see Brad for the first time at the wedding...not at the rehearsal. So I just didn't go. I didn't need to know what order to go in. I was going last. Easy. So, I sent my parents and told them to fill me in on the details later. While they went to the rehearsal, I showered and went to go and get my hair done. Went back to my grandma's. Ate a lunch, and then started to put my make up on. At this point, the nerves started to kick in. And they kicked in hard! The butterflies were really flying at that point. I was also SO tired of talking about the wedding, I just wanted to be at the wedding experiencing it!

It wasn't long after I put my face on, that we left for the Old Meeting House (OMH). Now the cold sweats were going. I can't really remember the car ride all that much. I just wanted to be there. We finally got to the OMH, and I sent my dad up to make sure Brad was in the groom's room with the door closed. As much as I wanted to see him. Kiss him. Hug him. I wanted the surprise factor more. I walked around and saw all of the details. Said hi to the families. And then they put me in the bride's room. And once I was in there, I wasn't allowed to leave. I wish I were kidding, but no. I was quarantined in this beautifully decorated torture room. I wanted to be out and about and talking to our guests. But no, I was in the bride's room/torture room. Our photographer took lots of pictures and it was fun to get ready. My grandmothers, aunts, an uncle, cousins, and friends came into the room before to give me their well wishes. Everyone was so nice to tell me that I looked pretty. I loved that. As the time was getting closer, I was getting a bit more nervous and I asked my mother to go and find my dear friend Lorraine. She had just experienced what I was about to do 6 days before ago. I knew she would understand what was going through my head. When her and her husband Dan came in, it was a huge relief! She gave me some really great insight. I told her that I just wanted to see Brad. I had only texted him once throughout the day, and was dying to just see him. She said, "You know Jord, when you do see him, it will change your life." Boy, was she right! That simple statement really calmed my nerves and I was so excited for my life to change in just a few minutes.

The last thing to do before walking down the aisle was have my Dad come in to see me. He hadn't seen any of my bridals. He wanted to surprised. I knew that I would cry when he saw me, so I wanted to getting the crying out of the way. My Mom went and got my Dad, and he came in and just smiled. I started to cry. It was a lot of emotion coming up at that moment. This moment happened to be one of my favorite moments of the day because it was just me, my Mom, sister, and Dad. Our little family. Spains for a few last moments. It was so precious. I will never forget that moment and the looks on each one of their faces. So I cried only a few tears. But once I got those tears out of my system, I was good to go! And luckily for me, it was time to go.

My Dad walked me down the aisle to Canon in D being played on the piano. I didn't really hear the music being played. There were two steps I had to step down to start walking down the aisle. The first thought that went through my head was, "Where's Brad?" I found his eyes as soon as I could, and had a hard time taking my eyes off of him. He looked SOOO GOOD!!!! I mean, stunning. He really took my breath away. There are not enough words to describe how I felt in that exact moment, but I was so thrilled, excited, and happy. I was so happy that I didn't cry. It was one of the many miracles that day. But as I walked to him, I couldn't help but just feel so loved by everyone in the room. Once I got to him, I took his hands and didn't let go. I was so happy to see him. Our wonderful Bishop performed a beautiful ceremony that ending with the most simple ceremony of him marrying us. I think that if it were appropriate, I would have jumped up and down, and almost did! Happy. Happy is the best word to describe what I was feeling. When the bishop pronounced us husband and wife, we walked up the aisle, and then I gave my new husband the biggest hug and kiss I have ever given him! Oh, I was so excited!

To give your eyes a little bit of a rest, I'll blog about the luncheon and reception in later blog posts. Thanks to everyone that reads! This blog has been a lot of fun for me!

Grateful

As I sit here in our house on a super quiet Sunday, thinking about all that needs to be done before Thursday, and Thursday itself; the emotions, the food, the dress, the pictures, everything, the one underlying emotion that I feel is gratitude. Me and Brad are so incredibly grateful to our loving parents, especially our mothers, who have sacrificed so much of their own time and energy to help us plan our wedding. Our wedding would not be half as successful if they had not helped us with the planning. And to our fathers, who work so hard to provide for their families. We love you. We are so grateful to our loving grandparents. We are grateful for the ones who are traveling to be with us for the wedding and the one that just lives down the street. We also remember the loving grandparents we lost last year, and know that they are with us in spirit. We are so grateful to our siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins for their love and support. I have the world's most wonderful aunts and uncles and I love them so much! I especially feel so grateful to my family for welcoming Brad into our crazy family and making him feel like one of our own. We are so grateful to our wonderful friends who have loved us and supported us throughout our whole relationship. We would not be the same without you and we cannot wait to continue our friendship with you in the years to come. We are grateful for our wonderful bishop who will marry us. He has helped us in my more ways than we can count, and we number him among our closest friends.

But most of all, we are grateful that we have found each other and want to spend the rest of the eternities together. I am hoping Thursday will not be as emotional (crying emotional) as it is for me right now writing this blog post, but I know it is going to be a beautiful day with the celebration really centering on the joining of two lives. We cannot wait to start our life together!

We hope to see you all at the reception. It is going to be one fun party! Love you all!

Christmas in July

I am sorry that I have not posted recently. This monster, called "Wedding", has quickly taken over my life. I wish it was not the case, but at the same time, I would not have it any other way :) Where should I start...the gifts have started to arrive! Every day when we come home there is either a card, a box, or both waiting for us. We were opening the presents at first, because who can resist presents? But my tender, sweet, and loving mother told me and Brad to "Cease and desist" (actual words. And if you say it with a German-ish accent, you can achieve the full effect of this statement). She wants to watch us open presents the day after our wedding. So...we have stopped. Mainly because my mother has been nothing short of amazing through this whole wedding planning nonsense, that I will do whatever she asks, because without her, this wedding would not be nearly as beautiful as it's going to be. I'll update you on the gift list later, but what we have received so far is AMAZING!!! We are so grateful to our loving family and friends for their generosity towards us as we are about to start our life together.
In other news, the one story that I was most looking forward to telling you is not going to happen. Remember the creeper photographer? Ok, I was half-way dreading taking pictures with this guy, and half-way looking forward to it; just for the sake of the story. Unfortunately, my dress had quite a few complications and was not going to be ready in time, so we decided to cancel my bridals with the creeper and reschedule for some other time. Well, we never really got around to it (rescheduling with the creeper, that is) and decided to reschedule with our photographer, Ashley. I was able to take some bridals on Monday up in Logan with Ashley, my mom, and Brad's mom. It was an adventure, to say the least. I hiked up a mountain...in my dress! Can you believe it? I couldn't! Oh, it was crazy. All of the bugs thought I was a very large flower and were immediately attracted to me. The bees were trying to pollinate me, but I shooed them away. It was also in the middle of the day, so the sun was piping hot and we had to use a reflector...which made for some squinty-faced pictures. All in all, we got some really incredible pictures. I couldn't be more pleased and I am so excited to have Ashley take more pictures of us on our wedding day!
Speaking of wedding day...um, yes, it is in exactly one week from today!!!! I cannot believe that it is almost here! I am more excited than anything else. I am not worried about things coming together, and if I haven't thought of it already, then it obviously wasn't that important to me in the first place. I feel like the details will just work themselves out. I'm really focusing on enjoying the day and every moment of it. I want to be present and really absorb all of the wonderful moments I am going to have next Thursday. My mother knows exactly what I want and I know she'll make it happen. Honestly, just as long as I end up with a husband (named Brad Harris) at the end of the day, I will be one happy girl!

I finally have my dress!!!! After what seemed like endless fittings and temper tantrums (me, my mom and the seamstress), my dress is finally in my possession!!!! Last night, me and my mom were at the dress shop till about 9:30 getting things fitted, fixed, trying on and fixing some more things, and at the end of it all, we got to take my dress. These fittings have become such a thorn in my side, that I really dreaded them. I kind of forgot the real reason I was going to get the dress fitted in the first place. It's amazing how you can get so wrapped up in wedding details that you forget the big overall picture of things. Last night, the big overall picture hit me like a ton of bricks. It finally sunk in that this IS the dress that I will walk towards Brad in. And this is the dress that I will be married in. And this dress classifies me as "bride". And this is the dress I will show my daughters when they are old enough to appreciate it. I am so unbelievably grateful that so much time and effort went into getting this dress perfect for our wedding. And I'm even more excited to officially wear it in two weeks!

It's Crunch Time

Just to give a quick update, we are in crunch time mode. Brad and I are constantly talking about the wedding, I am constantly thinking about the wedding and I'm trying my hardest to not get too stressed because my hair falls out when I'm super stressed. (You wish you were me right now, don't you?)

Other than that, plans are coming together amazingly. I'm just hoping that on August 5th, a perfect store will come and all of the details will fall into place.

Gotta run! Hope I get to see you all soon :)