Five Years Ago Tomorrow...

Tomorrow is Saturday (FYI) and therefore it is the home of the Saturday Six, so I'm popping in a day early with a very important blog post.

My dear people, tomorrow will mark five years since I became Rebekah Shaffer. (Insert about a million hearts right here.)

I am not even sure how to condense into one post all that I'm feeling as we head into tomorrow and that five year milestone. I've been ridiculously emotionally sentimental about the whole thing since about JUNE, so that basically means I've been a mess for the past six months. (This actually probably won't surprise any of you.)

I thought I would spend today looking back at our wedding day. Can you handle a trip down memory lane with me?

I tell people that I loved our wedding day and that it was perfect in every way. We had very little time to make decisions about our wedding day, but I felt like every choice we made ended up being perfect for us. I hear a lot of brides say they don't remember much of their wedding day; it was all a blur. Not for me. I remember every second, even without the aid of pictures. It was not stressful, it was beautiful, and it was sacred in lovely ways. So I'll show you some of those moments today.

We bucked tradition and decided to see each other before the wedding. We both needed that. We needed time alone together to read Scripture, pray, and be still before the Lord. We sat in the sand, beheld a stunning Florida sunrise, ate cookies, drank coffee, read our Bibles, wrote letters to each other, exchanged wedding gifts, and washed each others' feet. Perfection. 

Hair time! We parted ways after our sunrise meeting and I went to my hair appointment in the sole salon I could find open on Sunday in Siesta Key. They kept me filled up with coffee, and my matron of honor (Lynnette), my bridesmaid (Sara), and my sister (Lori) accompanied me to watch the transformation begin. These moments were beautiful. I was not the least bit stressed. I just enjoyed coffee and conversation, and I answered a million texts that came in from well-wishers.

Then it was gettin' ready time! My entourage joined me in the room Ryan and I would share during our honeymoon, and Ryan and his entourage got ready in one of our wedding party couples' rooms. They took good care of us! I had plenty of time, wasn't rushed, and felt great.

My first glimpse of myself was truly the first moment I felt like a real bride. I never had "that feeling" at the bridal salon when I picked out my dress or even after I had it altered and tried it on for keeps. But I'm glad. I wanted that moment on THIS day.

Ten million points to my niece/assistant photographer for capturing that.

We had our first look in the gazebo on the property of the resort where we stayed. We have a zillion pictures from multiple angles (we had a full paparazzi and I was never happier) but this moment is sealed in my mind even without pictures. Perfection again.

The next couple of hours were a whirlwind of taking pictures around the resort, greeting our families, and meeting our guests who began to arrive from all over the place!

And then it was time!

Our ceremony was unusual in a million ways, but it was perfectly us, and I wouldn't change a thing about it. It was sacred and lovely, and I still remember most of it by heart. The vows, the ring exchange, the charge to us as a couple, the charge to our guests, the letters we read to one another, the music that didn't play because the sound system failed... (There always has to be one hiccup, right?)

And just like that, we were married!

We had an amazing sunset photo shoot that was so Hollywood-esque. I'll never have anything like it again, so I savored it.

And then we capped off the day with our lovely little reception. It was simple, but I enjoyed every second.

A day I will always treasure. I am so grateful for Ryan, for his love which has only grown since this day, and for this life we share. We will spend tomorrow reliving the memories of our wedding day (as we always do on our anniversaries) but I spend every day grateful to be Ryan's bride.

I love you, Ryan!


Rebekah + Ryan from Visual Effects by Seth on Vimeo.