BUT THEN.... the wedding pictures arrived. SQUEAL! OMG! SO CUTE! Look at us! Look how pretty! I am so happy to be married! Did I just say I was married? I can't believe it! It's too good to be true!!!!
The first of many amazing kissing photos, and the very first picture of us kissing as newlyweds. I was actually beginning to despair of us ever having a picture of us kissing that I actually liked, a thought which presently seems laughable.
Behold the making of history. This is likely the only photoshoot in existence where you will see my mother raising her fist. Obedience to the photographer's requests? Peer pressure? Enthusiasm that no one had died from last night's dinner? (Note: Yes, my mother is a wonderful cook, and yes, her fears that someone will die someday from her cooking are completely unjustified and paranoid) Anyway, I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't seen it.
My beautiful bridesmaids: Matthew's sisters Crissy, Becky, and Katie, and my sisters Sarah, Hannah, and Mary Alma. Becky made all of our beautiful corsages and boutonnieres, not to mention that gorgeous bouquet I'm showing off.
Matthew and his groomsmen - his brother Andy, my brother Daniel, his brother-in-law Heath, and his cousin Ben. They (at least, Heath, Daniel, and Andy - Ben's appearance was a last-minute surprise) were supposed to all be wearing their tuxes, but due to a misunderstanding, Andy, Heath, and Matthew's dad left their tuxes at home, and Daniel graciously lent his to Matthew's dad). I didn't really mind - to me, it just made Matthew stand out a bit more and look a bit more sharp and snappy.
Ahhhh, the most difficult shot of them all! Poor Heath, the only wedded one in the bunch, ended up having to bear a rather slippery and unfairly weighted portion of ...why, the dress, of course..., which resulted in an unfortunately positioned hand on the bride's bosom. Fortunately, the problem was quickly identified and somewhat rectified, though the picture is still among my most awkward moments on record.
My grandparents were able to fly out all the way from Tennessee and be with me on the most special day of my life. I loved seeing them and was so grateful for their love and support.
Matthew and his grandmother, Pauline, a truly wonderful woman who has nothing but kind and gracious in welcoming me to the Covington family.
Is that another incredibly awesome kissing photo? Why yes, it is.
These last shots are some of my very favorite ones of Matthew and me. We were very lucky to have great weather and a wonderful photographer, Nikole Freestone (my sister-in-law's cousin), who I'm half-convinced used some kind of mind-reading powers to discern exactly what pictures I wanted.
At the moment, I thought this would be the most cliche picture in the world. But I wanted it anyway! Good thing too, because it turns out it's actually the most ROMANTIC picture in the world.
Or.... is it this one? Mmmmmmmm.
