PaC Man & Wife: Here Comes My Girl

I always knew what song I wanted to walk down the aisle to. Even before I knew who Mr. PaC was, I sure about the song. I fell in love with it as a little girl watching ECPOT's movie Impressions de France. Beyond the enchanting melody, it resonated with me because of our French roots. My processional song? Camille Saint-Saëns' "Aquarium" from The Carnival of the Animals. (You may recognize it from our video.)

Everyone lends a hand to pick up my skirt.

As my dad and I approached the edge of the garden, the DJ transitioned from the main processional song, "Maybe I'm Amazed," into the bride's processional song. What a magical moment! All of those years of hoping to hear that song and here we were.

Cool, calm, and collected. Not one ounce of nervousness!

Daddy PaC and I discussing the lovely French classical music I selected for our processional.

Mr. PaC waits for his bride to appear.

Oh, the things a father must be thinking moments before he walks his daughter down the aisle. 

(We lucked out that he felt well enough to walk with me!)

Locking eyes across the garden.

Spectacular.

Daddy PaC trying not to let his emotions get the best of him. 

He's proud of me, but I'm proud of him too. 

Here I come!

Relaxed, confident, and ready to do this!

Getting closer!

Mr. PaC, recalling my dad's remark that I was "his problem now," makes a memorable face and gesture.

A handshake and unspoken agreement.

With one last kiss, Daddy PaC gives his oldest daughter away.

My husband-to-be takes my hand and leads me up the stairs.

Up next, the full ceremony with lots of laughter!

(all photos by Heather Fowler Photography, unless otherwise noted)

Catch up on our PaC recaps!

Days Before

• In the days leading up to the wedding, I wanted to be sedated.
• I walked the line between calm and stressed for the better part of our rehearsal day.
• "Don't panic" and its friends were what Mr. PaC kept telling me on the way to our rehearsal dinner.

Wedding Morning

• Best wedding morning advice: wake up slow and tackle the day at your own pace.
• Once at our venue, our DIY projects were assembled with our own two hands.
• The girls get ready with champagne and chocolate-covered potato chips.
• The guys are ready... and waiting.
• She's mine! All mine! (The dress that is.)
• Brown-eyed girl (and guy) portraits.
• Something old and new, borrowed and blue.

Portraits

• My sneaky groom has a secret heart when it comes to surprises.
• A first look for the two of us plus more couples portraits in the garden.
• With brother and sister standing by, we took our bridal party and family portraits.

Ceremony

• After fretting about rain, the sun came out just as our guests arrived for the ceremony.
• Maybe I was just a little amazed at how beautifully our ceremony had started.

PaC Man & Wife: Maybe I'm Amazed

My grandparents, our parents, and the bridal party, including Mr. PaC, processed down the flagstone paver aisle to an acoustic version of "Maybe I'm Amazed" by The Vitamin String Quartet. We instinctively chose instrumental pieces for their emotional oomph without the distraction of vocals. The processional music was to be subtle. If guests could identify the song and knew the lyrics, all the better. I did not want Sir Paul getting shouty during our processional, even if he is my favorite Beatle.

So press play and be prepared to cry. As the violin crescendos around the 9 second mark, my heart swells and I tear up. Still. 

My beloved grandparents begin the processional.

Mr. PaC's dad and step-mom.

Mr. PaC's brother/best man escorts their mom.

My mom escorted by groomsman J.

Mr. PaC! Mr. PaC! Mr. PaC!

Bridesmaid R, our good friend (and wedding pro).

My sister, who appears to be only slightly nervous.

A spectacular shot that shows just how impressively gorgeous the grounds were.

Next up, my dad and I share a walk down the aisle.

(all photos by Heather Fowler Photography, unless otherwise noted)

Catch up on our PaC recaps!

Days Before

• In the days leading up to the wedding, I wanted to be sedated.
• I walked the line between calm and stressed for the better part of our rehearsal day.
• "Don't panic" and its friends were what Mr. PaC kept telling me on the way to our rehearsal dinner.

Wedding Morning

• Best wedding morning advice: wake up slow and tackle the day at your own pace.
• Once at our venue, our DIY projects were assembled with our own two hands.
• The girls get ready with champagne and chocolate-covered potato chips.
• The guys are ready... and waiting.
• She's mine! All mine! (The dress that is.)
• Brown-eyed girl (and guy) portraits.
• Something old and new, borrowed and blue.

Portraits

• My sneaky groom has a secret heart when it comes to surprises.
• A first look for the two of us plus more couples portraits in the garden.
• With brother and sister standing by, we took our bridal party and family portraits.

Ceremony

• After fretting about rain, the sun came out just as our guests arrived for the ceremony.

PaC Man & Wife: Here Comes the Sun

I'd spent the morning relaxed and not mindful of much else outside my little sphere. Any problems could be taken care of by my people without disrupting my zen. However, there is one thing you cannot control. Say it with me brides: The Weather!

The view from the venue's rear terrace of the grounds and early afternoon sky.

Our afternoon portrait session was the first time I'd been outside in six hours. Looking skyward, I noted

an overcast haze, but more importantly, some iffy clouds in the distance. A stray raindrop or two landed on my exposed shoulders as we walked the grounds. It never occurred to me that we would be married under anything less than sunny skies. I spent the next fifteen minutes fretting until Linda appeared to announce she had been monitoring the radar and the rain was very scattered and light and appeared to be moving quickly through the area. We were lucky as it did pass without delivering more rain. For the brides who had a rainy forecast or even dealt with rain on your wedding day, you have my heartfelt sympathy. Those fifteen minutes of worry were enough for me!

While I was pre-occupied with the forecast, our DJ and officiant had arrived and begun set-up. We only had time to meet and greet the officiant before the photographers whisked us away. No time for a quick run through of the ceremony. We had more photos to take. Looking back, I am grateful our photographer tracked our progress relative to the time and spoke up if we needed to move a little faster. She kept us on schedule which meant I didn't have to.

Our venue a mere hour before the ceremony

One detail remained before Mr. PaC and I could part before the ceremony: signing the marriage certificate. It was a serious order of business and therefore required my most serious face. Our siblings witnessed our signatures and the certificate was held by the officiant for safe keeping. It was time for me to make myself scarce before the guests started to arrive!

Back in the bridal suite, I retouched my lipstick and found myself with little else to do. Idle time and a bride are not friends. Although I hadn't been anxious at all, this would be the perfect time for them to appear. Fortunately any nerves were held at bay for I did not feel light-headed, pukey, or ready to bolt.

I peered out the sun porch window. The guests were arriving.

I felt a sense of excitement and happiness to see something that I'd been planning for so long coming together just as planned. The pre-ceremony music drifted up to the second floor window. One of my favorites, "Sea of Love" by Cat Power, was playing so I rushed to the window with all the excitement of a kid at Christmas.


The moms were puzzled why it excited me so much. I emphatically explained it was Cat Power! Duh. Which was met with blank looks and good-natured teasing as only a mother can give.

Hand on hips and lips drawn together in mock-offense to being teased.

The moms were summoned for their walk down the aisle.

Two kisses for good luck!

And I was alone. I returned to my leafy vantage point in the sun porch to secretly watch the wedding activity. Linda appeared in the doorway and indicated it was time. After a quick once-over, I grabbed my bouquet and began the surreal walk of a lifetime.

On my way!

My chariot, a golf cart driven by the general manager, awaited. Gathering my dress, I hopped on and held tight as we bumped along the lawn, hidden from view by the garden's brick wall.

An interesting job perk: making conversation with brides as you deliver them to the ceremony site.

(He later remarked he'd never encountered such a calm bride.)

In a sweet combination of music and hushed conversations, a palpable excitement lifted over the garden wall and found me. Our guests were assembled. The bridal party was tucked away in the shadows of the tea room. Everyone waited.

It's almost time! 

Don't go anywhere - the ceremony starts next!

(all photos by Heather Fowler Photography, unless otherwise noted)

Catch up on our PaC recaps!

Days Before

• In the days leading up to the wedding, I wanted to be sedated.
• I walked the line between calm and stressed for the better part of our rehearsal day.
• "Don't panic" and its friends were what Mr. PaC kept telling me on the way to our rehearsal dinner.

Wedding Morning

• Best wedding morning advice: wake up slow and tackle the day at your own pace.
• Once at our venue, our DIY projects were assembled with our own two hands.
• The girls get ready with champagne and chocolate-covered potato chips.
• The guys are ready... and waiting.
• She's mine! All mine! (The dress that is.)
• Brown-eyed girl (and guy) portraits.
• Something old and new, borrowed and blue.

Portraits

• My sneaky groom has a secret heart when it comes to surprises.
• A first look for the two of us plus more couples portraits in the garden.
• With brother and sister standing by, we took our bridal party and family portraits.

PaC Man & Wife: With My Brother Standing By

I know what a paaaaain it is to scroll through photos of strangers. But between the stunning grounds and the frame-worthy shots, I feel it is my duty as a blogging bee to show you at least some formal photos. It'll be like a band-aid, promise. Real quick-like.

But first, since these photos follow the timeline of the day, you'll see the candids from the girls' photoshoot. It took place hours after the guys' photoshoot so we sandwiched it between the bride and groom portraits and the wedding party/family shots. So this first series is a catch-up from where we left off with the guys!

Frame me!

I was overly concerned with dirtying my dress before its debut so you'll see shots of my sister holding the train or me hiking it up (see previous post) or draped over my arm. Having never worn anything with a train, let alone a white dress, I was unsure how much dirt and grass stains it would pick up. Better safe than sorry. Our photographers managed to make these practical shots look artfully planned. Oh, you ladies are good!

This sassy sideways glance was reserved for Mr. PaC, who was shouting humorous photo suggestions as he filmed us from the terrace.

 The increasingly-popular fake laughing shot. Note: I do not look this elegant/refined when I laugh.

You might notice the wind catching my sash. And while you're looking, maybe you'll pick up on the hazy, grey horizon behind us. Something was abrewin' and the thought of a rained-out ceremony began to cross my mind. 

Even with the spotty cloud cover, the sun had us squinting. I was happy to move under the shade trees in the boxwood garden.

 Love this photo effect.

Spinning around in circles. Me in a heavy white dress, my sister in grass-aerating heels. As my sister said, "Because we do this all the time!" (Check out her awesome calf muscles!)

Formal portraits with the ladies.

Add in the siblings and then a pair of close friends... and you have our wedding party!

 Coming and going (below).

Black and white makes everything look better.

 

After our bridal party shots, our photographers rounded up our families for what turned out to be quick and painless family portraits.

My parents plus sister.

Just my parents. You can see the family resemblance in both of my parents!

I love this one of just me and my parents.

Awww, they look like a couple of kids in love... after 30+ years of marriage.

This is one of the most important posed photographs, simply because my grandparents are in it. Between Mr. PaC and I, they are our only set of grandparents. I am so blessed that they were healthy and able to attend our wedding. Sadly, my grandfather has passed away since then, but knowing he witnessed our wedding makes my heart swell with love and fond remembrance.

With my family's portraits taken care of, it was Mr. PaC's family's turn.

His brother and parents join us.

Our photographer abruptly stopped mid-shoot. Someone was photobombing us!

The same person who snuck this shot of us in between poses...

Curious, we craned our necks to see who it was...

... Grandma! (I don't think she even knows what a "photobomb" is!) She dutifully ducked out of the photo as we chuckled and resumed the family portraits.

 Mr. PaC with his mom and dad.

The moms laughing (at us) again, just like they did during our rehearsal.

Ever wonder what it feels like just moments before the ceremony? Then you won't want to miss the very next recap!

(all photos by Heather Fowler Photography, unless otherwise noted)

Catch up on our PaC recaps!

Days Before

• In the days leading up to the wedding, I wanted to be sedated.
• I walked the line between calm and stressed for the better part of our rehearsal day.
• "Don't panic" and its friends were what Mr. PaC kept telling me on the way to our rehearsal dinner.

Wedding Morning

• Best wedding morning advice: wake up slow and tackle the day at your own pace.
• Once at our venue, our DIY projects were assembled with our own two hands.
• The girls get ready with champagne and chocolate-covered potato chips.
• The guys are ready... and waiting.
• She's mine! All mine! (The dress that is.)
• Brown-eyed girl (and guy) portraits.
• Something old and new, borrowed and blue.

Portraits

• My sneaky groom has a secret heart when it comes to surprises.
• A first look for the two of us plus more couples portraits in the garden.