Do you hear me,
I’m talking to you
Across the water across the deep blue ocean
Under the open sky, oh my, baby I’m trying

Photo by Cliff Brunk Photography

Boy I hear you in my dreams
I feel your whisper across the sea
I keep you with me in my heart
You make it easier when life gets hard

Photo by Cliff Brunk Photography

I’m lucky I’m in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again
Ooohh ooooh oooh oooh ooh ooh ooh ooh

Photo by Cliff Brunk Photography

They don’t know how long it takes
Waiting for a love like this
Every time we say goodbye
I wish we had one more kiss
I’ll wait for you I promise you, I will

Photo by A. Barsan

I’m lucky I’m in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again

Photo by A. Barsan

Lucky we’re in love every way
Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed
Lucky to be coming home someday

Photo by A. Barsan

And so I’m sailing through the sea
To an island where we’ll meet
You’ll hear the music fill the air
I’ll put a flower in your hair

Photo by A. Barsan

Though the breezes through trees
Move so pretty you’re all I see
As the world keeps spinning round
You hold me right here right now

Photo by A. Barsan

I’m lucky I’m in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again

Photo by A. Barsan

I’m lucky we’re in love every way
Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed
Lucky to be coming home someday

Photo by J. Yiu

Photo by Ax2D Photography

Photo by Ax2D Photography

Then it was our turn.  We gave each other a hand-squeeze and headed through the double doors.

We were immediately overcome by all the love in the room – everyone standing, clapping and cheering, congratulating us on our marriage.

Photo by Ax2D Photography.

Glasses were being clinked, so we obliged with a kiss.

And then Mr. Jellyfish helped me to my seat.

Photo by Ax2D Photography.

Soon after we were seated, Papa Jelly welcomed our guests with a short but heartfelt toast.

He thanked Mr. Jelly’s parents for raising such a wonderful man.

He also wished Mama Jelly a happy 34th anniversary – it just so happened that we got married on the same date as my parents!

Then we toasted to many years of happiness.

The salad course was then served, and Mr. Jelly and I took the opportunity to scratch our lottery ticket favors.

Mr. Jelly won a free ticket – score!

You may notice that we’re sitting at a sweetheart table.  After months of going back and forth about it, we decided that the sweetheart table was the best option for us.  Our bridal party was too big to have us all sit together, and sitting with our families would have been too complicated.  We loved having a sweetheart table because it felt more intimate and we were able to 1) eat and 2) talk to each other.  It also gave our guests an opportunity to come talk to us if they wanted to, which many of them did.  If you’re considering a sweetheart table, I highly recommend it!

After the salad course had been served, Mr. Jelly’s first Best Man came up and gave his speech.

Jokes about Mr. Jelly’s hairline were made.

Then it was my Maid of Honor’s turn to speak. She opened up by saying that she didn’t know why it was so difficult for her to write her speech, as she writes political speeches for a living…

“Maybe it’s because, this time,” she said, “I am being sincere.”

My cousin gave a great speech, and it was especially meaningful that she was my Maid of Honor because she was visiting the US when Mr. Jelly came and took me on our first date.  Even though she lives in Romania, she was be there – and she’s always been there when I needed her.

After my cousin’s touching speech, Mr. Jelly’s second Best Man, Ken, gave his speech.

Again, jokes about Mr. Jelly’s hairline were made.

Ken’s speech was really creative because he incorporated our “through the years” table numbers into it.  He’d reference specific tables by talking about Mr. Jelly or me at that age, and he really got the tables into it.  Well played sir, well played.

Mama and Papa Jelly listening to the speeches.

At the end of the toasts, Mr. Jelly and I got up to thank our guests for coming.  This is where my one regret of the night happened – I chickened out and didn’t say anything.  Not knowing what to say, I let Mr. Jelly do all the talking, but in retrospect, I wish I would have thanked our parents for putting on such an amazing wedding and our guests for making it out.  I had thanked them at the rehearsal dinner the night before, but I really wish I’d done it at the wedding as well.

*Photos in this post are courtesy of Cliff Brunk Photography, except where otherwise noted.

The tables all set up with Casa Real’s standard chocolate brown linens and a mix of high and low centerpieces.  You can see our candy buffet in the background.  (Cliff Brunk Photography)

Our florist, Nona Tai of Floral Design Studio, completely surpassed my expectations.  I was a little worried about how she’d be able to pull off my vague descriptions of “autumny flowers with grapes”, but she did a beautiful job – right down to the grapes in the vases of our tall centerpieces!  (Cliff Brunk Photography)

Low centerpiece.  You can also see a close-up of the “through the years” table numbers we worked so hard on! (Cliff Brunk Photography)

At the very last minute, we decided to do signature cocktails.  “Tuscan Sunset” was our play on the classic Tequila Sunrise, and “Stinson’s Delight” was named after our pup and was the big hit of the night – it seemed like everyone was ordering it!  (Guest photo)

Once cocktail hour was over, guests sat down at their tables to find a menu and lotto scratcher favor at their place setting.

Read about our adventures in lottery-scratcher favor making here [http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/10/07/how-to-make-lottery-scratcher-favors/].  (Cliff Brunk Photography)

Off to the side of the room was our candy buffet.  We went with our favorite candies instead of trying to do a color-coordinated look, and I think it came out great nonetheless!

Top row: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Reese’s Pieces, Haribo Gold Bears, Skittles, Red Vines, Skittles, Dum Dums, Sour Strawberry Belts.  Bottom Row: Hershey’s Kisses, Peanut M&Ms, Jelly Bellies, Starbursts, Reese’s Pieces and Chocolate Covered Almonds from Costco (my favorite!!).  We bought most of our candy from Costco, Wal-Mart and Target.   (Cliff Brunk Photography)

(Cliff Brunk Photography)

(Cliff Brunk Photography)

I love how our photographer incorporated the candy into our ring shots!  (Cliff Brunk Photography)

Guests also got a sneak peek at our wedding cake, which was to the left of the candy buffet.  The cake absolutely took my breath away when I first saw it! Our amazing baker Debbie Caracciolo-Smith of Not Just Cheesecakes modeled the cake after my dress, and she really nailed it:

(Cliff Brunk Photography)

(Cliff Brunk Photography)

You may recall that Mr. Jelly picked our cake topper before we were even engaged, when he saw it in a magazine I was reading and told me to save it “for future reference.”  I ended up painting the bride’s hair dark brown with a small brush a la Mrs. Turtle. (Cliff Brunk Photography)

Up next, we get the party started!

We also rehashed parts of the ceremony, and Mr. Jelly told me about his stressful pre-ceremony scramble: he thought we didn’t have a projector for our slideshow and almost paid $300 to rent a last-minute projector before our DOC caught on and told him we already had one.  Phew!

While we toasted inside the reception room, the cocktail hour started and guests feasted on delicious appetizers like heirloom tomato and gruyere sandwiches.

Photo courtesy of Ax2D Photography.

Although we’d hoped to be able to take advantage of our cocktail hour by doing a first look before the ceremony, we ended up spending most of the cocktail hour taking pictures anyway.  But it was worth it – we got some gorgeous images.  First, we did family portraits.  I won’t bore you with too many of those, but here’s my favorite shot of my family:

And my favorite shot of Mr. Jelly’s (huge) family:

After we wrapped up family portraits, our photographer took us into the vineyards behind Casa Real for some more bride and groom portraits.  These ended up being my favorite shots of the day.

This was the image we used on our 2010 holiday card.

Before we knew it, our cocktail hour was drawing to a close and we had to make our way back because the reception was about to start.  I went back to the bridal room to freshen up and get a few photos with our pup.

Excited to finally be in my arms, he went straight for the sneak-lick attack!

Then, Mama Jelly and my MOH helped get me bustled up and ready to go for our reception.

Up next, I’ll share the details of our reception!

*Photos in this post are courtesy of Cliff Brunk Photography, except where otherwise noted.

“Please join me in welcoming…Mr. and Mrs. Garrett and Monica Jellyfish!”

I love my MOH’s giddy expression in this picture.

Our DJ then cued the song we had chosen to walk back up the aisle to.  The lyrics of this song resonated with me even when we first started seriously dating…”Wouldn’t it be nice if we were older, and we wouldn’t have to wait so long…you know it’s going to me it that much better, when we can say goodnight and stay together…we could be married, and then we’d be happy, wouldn’t it be nice?”  LOVE.  Such a happy song, and it was so perfect for the way we felt at that moment.

We made our way back up the aisle, towards the saber arch.

I don’t know how much of you know about saber arches, but here’s how they typically work.  When the bride and groom make it almost to the end of the arch, the saber dudes (technical term) stop them and request a kiss.  Not ones to mess with tradition, our saber dudes asked us to kiss.

So we obliged.

But it wasn’t over just yet…see Mr. Jelly’s brother’s face in the picture below?  He’s got something up his sleeve…

I love how he’s actually licking his lips in anticipation.

Ah yes, the traditional “welcome to the military” swat to the bride’s backside.  Wouldn’t be a military saber arch without it.

We don’t have any shots of the actual swat in action, but I think our expressions say it all.

One of my absolute favorite images of the day.  Guest photo by A. Barsan.

Mr. and Mrs., at last.  Photo courtesy of Ax2D Photography.

Then our bridal party made its way back up the aisle…

Guest photo by A. Barsan.

The way our nephew’s looking up at his daddy is just so sweet.  Photo courtesy of Ax2D Photography.

Followed by our parents, without whom the wedding would not have been possible.

My parents.  Photo courtesy of Ax2D Photography.

Mr. Jelly’s parents.  Photo courtesy of Ax2D Photography.

Up next, it’s cocktail hour!

*Photos in this post are courtesy of Cliff Brunk Photography, except where otherwise noted.

“The exchange of vows is your offering of support and commitment to each other. They serve as guiding principles in your marriage, both spiritually and emotionally, and offer you a foundation for your future that is sacred and solid. Remember that the giving of your word carries with it both a great responsibility and great promise of the love that can unfold for you throughout your future together.”

[Fun fact: Mr. Jelly wrote our vows.  We originally planned on writing our own vows independelty and then surprising each other with them during the ceremony.  As time went on, however, we decided we wanted to write our vows together.  Mr. Jelly finished his draft before I even started mine, and once I read it I felt like I couldn't think of anything better - he captured it so perfectly.  So, we ended up using the vows he wrote - I only added in one line.  Can you guess which line it was?]

I, Garrett, choose you Monica to be my wife, my best friend and partner, my lover and biggest supporter, my shoulder to cry on and person to rejoice with. You are my closest friend, the person I rely on, my daily inspiration, and the love of my life. I promise to love you the way you are; to accept the things you believe in; to always try and understand you; and do everything I can to make you happy, successful, and comfortable, so that you can live a fulfilled life – as an individual and as my partner. I promise to be faithful to you and honest with you, to believe in you and believe in us, to give you my love and trust, my acceptance and respect, and to share with you my laughter, smiles, and hugs. These things I promise to you everyday – when you need them and when you don’t – before you have to ask, from this day onward.

I, Monica, choose you Garrett to be my husband, my best friend and partner, my lover and biggest supporter, my shoulder to cry on and person to rejoice with. You are my closest friend, the person I rely on, my daily inspiration, and the love of my life. I promise to love you the way you are; to accept the things you believe in; to always try and understand you; and do everything I can to make you happy, successful, and comfortable, so that you can live a fulfilled life – as an individual and as my partner. I promise to be faithful to you and honest with you, to believe in you and believe in us, to give you my love and trust, my acceptance and respect, and to share with you my laughter, smiles, and hugs. These things I promise to you everyday – when you need them and when you don’t – before you have to ask, from this day onward.

Did I mention it was hot that day?  We were both sweating bullets, and I wiped Mr. Jelly’s brow at one point during the ceremony.  I’m impressed that our photographer captured such a fleeting moment.

When we were finished saying our vows, Lili asked the Best Man to step forward with the rings.  While he hammed it up pretending that he had forgotten them, I got a kick out of seeing our ringbearer shoot up out of his chair, thinking that he needed to come forward with the (artificial) rings on his pillow.

(Guest photo courtesy of A. Barsan)

(Photo courtesy of Ax2D Photography)

Lili then began the exchange of the rings: “As a promise that you will work together to fulfill these vows, you will now give and receive the rings of union. As tokens of your marriage, these rings are a symbol of your eternal bond. Wear them proudly as they represent your marriage. As the ring is a perfect circle without end, it is the wish and hope of all that your marriage will be as perfect and never ending. Let these rings symbolize the devotion and commitment each hold for the other. Look to these rings each day as inspiration for your common purpose.”

“Exchanging rings denotes your commitment to loving. By placing the ring half way on the other’s finger, Monica and Garrett indicate their intention and commitment to each other. By sliding the ring the rest of the way on their own finger, they demonstrate their acceptance. This is done to symbolize that no one can wed you but yourself; that it’s something can only be done in your own heart.”

“Monica, I give you this ring as a symbol of our vows, and with all that I am and all that I have I love you.”

“Garrett, I give you this ring as a symbol of our vows, and with all that I am and all that I have I love you.”

We loved the symbolism of sliding the ring on our own finger to show acceptance.

“Will you please join me in our closing blessing: May you, Monica and Garrett be given the vision with which to clearly behold one another, listen to one another, honor one another, and give each other the freedom to grow. May you be together blessed with a perpetual openness to delight, and learn, together. May you have true friends to stand by you in joy and sorrow. May the support of all who are gathered here assist you in staying strong, flexible and true to the best in yourselves and each other.

We looked out at our family and friends, and took it all in one last time.  (Guest photo courtesy of J. Yiu)

“Your friends and family, all of us here, rejoice in your happiness and we pray that this day marks only one of many more blessings you will share in the days and years ahead. By the love that has brought you together, and the vows you have exchanged and by the integrity of your commitment, and in the presence of God and these witnesses here, through the power vested in me, it is my pleasure and honor to pronounce you husband and wife.”

“Garrett, you may kiss your bride.”

*Photos in this post are courtesy of Cliff Brunk Photography, except where otherwise noted.

Lili started the ceremony by thanking our guests for coming from near and far to participate in our special day, and taking a few moments to honor those who could not be there with us.

“We come together not to mark the start of a relationship, but to recognize a bond that already exists. This marriage is one expression of the many varieties of love.

It is our responsibility as a community of Love to support Garrett and Monica as they set forth in this their vow of unity. While Love is a quality of heart and an attitude of the emotions, marriage is a life’s work.  Therefore, this is an occasion of both joy and responsibility that we who partake in it stand forward as witnesses to the labor of love that Monica and Garrett are undertaking.   We celebrate their love, and bless their decision to journey forward in their lives as partners in marriage.”

After a moment of reflection, Lili invited our friend C to present the first reading, “i carry your heart with me” by e.e. cummings.

After the first reading, Lili took a moment to honor our parents:  “Just as we give thanks that you brought them into this life and taught them to love, we ask that you be blessed by their joining today. The ideals, the understanding, and the mutual respect, which these two bring to their marriage have roots in the love, friendship, and guidance, with which you, their family have provided them.  They thank you for your continued confidence in them and your encouragement and support.”

Lili then turned to each set of parents and asked for their blessings, which they joyfully gave.

Next, my longtime friend R came forward to present the second reading, “The Art of Marriage” by Wilferd Arlan Peterson.

A good marriage must be created.
In the art of marriage the little things are the big things… It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say “I love you” at least once each day. It is never going to sleep angry.
It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.
It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family. It is speaking words of appreciation and
demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget. It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.
It is finding room for the things of the spirit.
It is a common search for the good and the beautiful. It is not only marrying the right partner…
It is being the right partner.

After the second reading, Lili gave the marriage address, which included some personal remarks about us and our relationship.  Then, she asked for the affirmation of the community:

“As family and friends, you form a community of support that surrounds Monica and Garrett. Each of you, by your presence here today is being called upon to uphold them in honoring their love for one other Always stand beside them, never between them. Offer them your love and your support, not your judgment. Encourage them when encouragement is needed And listen to them when they ask for advice. In these ways, you can honor this marriage into which they have come to be joined today. Do you offer your love and support to strengthen their marriage and bless this family created by their union? Please answer by saying : WE DO.”

The affirmation was followed by our third and final reading, “Union” by Robert Flughum.  Out of our three readings, this was the one that resonated with me the most.  Our good friend D performed the reading, and he did an amazing job:

You have known each other from the first glance of acquaintance to this point of commitment. At some point, you decided to marry. From that moment of yes, to this moment of yes, indeed, you have been making commitments in an informal way. All of those conversations that were held in a car, or over a meal, or during long walks – all those conversations that began with, “When we’re married”, and continued with “I will” and “you will” and “we will” – all those late night talks that included “someday” and “somehow” and “maybe” – and all those promises that are unspoken matters of the heart. All these common things, and more, are the real process of a wedding.

The symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying to one another, “You know all those things that we’ve promised, and hoped, and dreamed – well, I meant it all, every word.”

Look at one another and remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many things to one another – acquaintance, friend, companion, lover, dancing partner, even teacher, for you have learned much from one another these past few years. Shortly you shall say a few words that will take you across a threshold of life, and things between you will never quite be the same.

For after today you shall say to the world –
This is my husband. This is my wife.

*All photos in this post are courtesy of Cliff Brunk Photography.

After the bridal party finished walking out, the Casa Real staff closed the large wooden doors while the processional music faded out and the song I would be walking down the aisle to came on: Comptine D’Un Autre Ete L’Apres Midi by Yann Tiersen.

About this song: it’s from my favorite movie ever, Amelie. I have loved this song for many years but when I was first thinking about walking down the aisle to it, I was afraid it would be too sad or melancholy sounding and that our guests wouldn’t like it. Then when I played it for our DJ, he gave me a great piece of advice: if you love it and it’s meaningful to you, who cares what other people might think? They probably won’t even notice the song – they’ll be focused on you. Our DJ gave me the encouragement I needed to go with this song and I am so glad I did. It was truly the perfect song for me to walk down the aisle to, and I invite you to play it while you read the rest of the post.

(Ax2D Photography)

Out the wooden doors we came, Bill Clinton stance [http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/11/16/winery-wedding-rehearsal/] and all…

(Because of the way we set up our ceremony, my walk down the aisle wasn’t a straight shot to the groom – it was more like a horseshoe-shaped path where I had to turn a couple of corners before facing him. So I still hadn’t seen my groom at this point.)

(Ax2D Photography)

We rounded the corner…

(Ax2D Photography)

And then I was facing my groom. Everything else seemed to fade in the background, and I felt overcome by the happiness of that moment.

A smile spread across my face as my throat tightened up with emotion.  It was all happening.  My groom was waiting for me at the end of the aisle.  This was the culmination of seven years of love and laughter, of trials and tears, of learning from each other and growing up together.  And all of our family and friends were there for us, to partake in our commitment and to share in our celebration.  The feeling was indescribable.

(I love how you can see the smallest glint of a tear in Mr. Jelly’s left eye in this picture. Even though we did a first look, it didn’t diminish the emotion associated with the walk down the aisle at all.)

“Who offers this woman in marriage?”

“She gives of herself, and we give her our blessings.”

There we were: standing in front of all of our closest family and friends, and yet, at that moment, it felt like it was only the two of us.

*All photos in this post courtesy of Cliff Brunk Photography unless otherwise noted.

…and then Mama Jelly helped me put on my veil. My veil was my “something old,” and had a very special story behind it, which you can read about here [http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/04/08/something-old-something-new%E2%80%A6/].  As luck would have it, the veil matched my dress perfectly.

Now that my veil was on, I finally felt like a bride.

Papa Jelly thought so, too.

Soon, our Day of Coordinator came into the bridal room to tell us that the ceremony was about to begin.  [Side note: if you're considering getting a DOC, seriously just do it!  It was so nice not to have to worry about logistical details, especially with a bridal party as big as ours.]  As our DOC lined up the bridal party, we heard the sweet sounds of Vitamin String Quartet’s “All I Want is You” tribute to U2 starting to play outside.  The processional was beginning.

Mr. Jelly walked out first, with both of his parents:

I love that Mr. Jelly walked out with both of his parents.  And isn’t his mom’s gown just beautiful?

Then came Mama Jelly, escorted by my big brother:

Mama Jelly looked far and wide until she found this gorgeous MOB dress. I think she looked just stunning.

The song slowly faded out and Vitamin String Quartet’s version of Bittersweet Symphony came on.  Our bridal party then walked out in pairs:

Next came the ringbearers and flower girl pup:

Stinson looked positively regal, and took his job quite seriously.

Ringbearer #1 did a great job walking down the aisle.  Isn’t he a cutie?

Since Ringbearer #2 would only walk down the aisle alongside the flower pup, our friend Sara got the double duty of escorting both of them.  She handled it remarkably well!

The processional was drawing to a close, and it was almost time for me and Papa Jelly to walk down the aisle.

Sneaking a peek during the ceremony.

*All photos in this post are courtesy of Cliff Brunk Photography.