September 25, 1998 was my wedding day! WOW! I cannot believe that 10 years have come and gone. We were SO young when we married, Justin 25 and myself only 20 years old. If one of my girls came to me at 20 years old and said they were getting married I would probably have a heart attack! :) I consider myself very lucky marrying at such a young age and still being madly in love and happily married 10 years later. Let's face it, it doesn't happen to often anymore.
Going back and looking at these pictures brightened so many memories I have of that wonderful day. Although it has been 10 years I still feel as if it were yesterday! I remember so many of the fine details from this wonderful experience.....here are just a few of my favorites!* The night before the big day, we celebrated with family and the wedding party at a beautiful rehearsal dinner at the Calhoun Beach Club, the same place the wedding would be held the next day. I remember everything that I did that day, thinking to myself "this is the last time I do this as a single lady".....silly isn't it? After the dinner Justin, myself and the wedding party spent the night at a hotel near by.....I am not sure I slept more then a couple of hours that night
* I remember going to get our hair done the day of the wedding and being so incredibly nervous!! Everyone kept reminding me to eat so that I wouldn't pass out at the alter.....I just couldn't do it! My nerves really got the best of me that morning. Upon arriving back to the hotel after our hair appts. I realized that I had not showered before we had left! I was mortified! There was NO WAY I was going to put on that beautiful dress and spend my wedding day knowing that I hadn't showered! The picture is not appropriate to put on my blog, but there is one of me in the bath tub with my hair done, veil on and one of my best friends, Danielle "helping" me out!
* Another favorite moment of that day was probably one of the most emotional moments of my life. One dream I had always had was walking down a winding staircase at my wedding. That dream was made possible due to the venue we had chosen for our ceremony. I will never forget the overwhelming feelings that came about when I was standing at the top of the staircase waiting for "my cue". There at the bottom of the stairs was my dad waiting for his little girl and a little further down at the aisle was the man who would continue where my father left off with his daughter, my soon to be husband. I remember getting tears in my eyes as I saw my father and Justin both staring at me and at that moment knowing that I was one of the luckiest ladies alive to have such amazing men in my life.
*The ceremony and dinner were amazing! My little brother Jeffrey sang beautifully at our wedding and the vows Justin and I wrote for each other were amazing. I honestly don't think there was to many dry eyes in the building. Although we were both very young, it was obvious the true love that was held between us. During the dinner, we had great speeches, lots of kisses and fantastic food! It was perfect! * The reception started off with our first dance. It wasn't your typical first dance song. Justin and I chose a song that really touched us both and whether or not it was "politcaly correct" it was how we felt about one another. To this day, we try very hard to relive that moment each anniversary by dancing to "Somebody" by Depeche Mode. After our first dance it was time for the father/daughter dance. The song that I chose for this dance was a little more traditional, Butterfly Kisses. This song was very popular for father/daughter dances, and it still may be, but there was something very special about this dance. I stood on my dads feet and danced like we did when I was little for a part of the song, I sang to him and we both cried. It was an incredible feeling to have that sense of daddy's little girl still during that moment especially.
* A moment that will never be forgotten was when Justin and his mother had their dance together. It was truly something beautiful to watch a grown man and his mother floating around the dance floor. Although there wasn't many words spoken during their dance, there didn't have to be. The bond between mother and son was obvious, there was so much love there. Justin's mother passed almost 4 years ago. She was a very strong woman in her battle against cancer. Shirley was an amazingly strong woman who exuded so much confidence and beauty that it was truly contagious. I know Justin thinks of their dance often when he thinks of his mother, I am so thankful that they shared that moment for him to remember.
This blog could go on and on with amazing memories that I have from this special day so I have chosen to end it here. Thank you Justin for an amazing 10 years of marriage! You are my rock, you are my soul mate, you are my friend and for this, I am forever grateful for you coming into my life and loving me. I love you baby! God Bless and Warm Regards,
~Jessica
