The whole day was magical.  The light was filtering through the clouds better than I could have ever even imagined.  Amanda was glowing surrounded by all her beautiful bridesmaids.  Nathan was so anxious to get to have Amanda finally standing with him.
The fairtale began with Amanda and her adorable flowergirls riding in on a horse drawn carriage.  Like something out of Cinderella.
Then Amanda got out.  The joy in the air was undeniable.  These two were getting married after many years of dating and courtship…and the timing was PERFECT.
There were not many dry eyes in the park that day.  Everyone was so overjoyed for Amanda and Nathan to tie the knot.

The evening continued on with some AMAZING dancing by both young and old.  The party went late into the night with some of their closest friends…they just could not stop dancing…it was AWESOME!  The traditions came out, including The Front Porch Song sung by all the “men”, the shirts coming off by all the “men” as well…lots of laughter, smiles.  The whole day was perfect.

Some of Amanda & Nathan’s memories from the day:

Q. What was your favorite part about the wedding?
A. Ceremony: Just relishing the moment of hearing Loren tell our story and having such a rich story with Nathan that we just looked at each other in deep understanding of the meaning of this day.
Reception: As one of our favorite songs played, we rounded the corner right after the bridal party to a beautiful room full of our most loved friends and family, through a line of them clapping and cheering for us. We felt such love and celebration for our marriage. Very memorable!
Nathan: Seeing Amanda on the carriage for the first time from across the park. Coming into the reception was pretty great as well.

Q. What was one quirky of crazy thing that happened on your wedding day?
A. During 1 of the dance offs some very unexpected people ended up doing “the worm”. Some of the little kids were keeping the party going and entertaining us all. It was just crazy because our friends love to dance and it was just an opportunity for us to have fun. I laughed so hard that night.
Nathan: I was standing up to get a drink right as the booty music started. It was perfect timing, so I just started dancing and got the party kicked off. Everyone thought that was planned, but it was just random timing.

Q. What was the most special moment on your wedding day?
A. Amanda: The most special moment was when I took my dad’s arm to walk down the aisle and looked up at Nathan. I had to hold back tears when I looked at him because of the way he was looking at me.. like Christ sees me. The emotions of the years we have had together so far and all the years to come just hit me and I just wanted to soak in that moment. I will never forget it.
Nathan: It was the first time I saw Amanda from across the park in the carriage. She looked amazing and I felt very far out of my league.

Q. Did you do anything yourself?
A. We did most of the decorations ourselves. It was alot of work but well worth it.
I loved looking around at my wedding at all the details and seeing all the thought come together. It made it more special and personalized for us.
Wedding: We made the aisle arrangements (minus the flowers), chandelier, programs,and dog banner
Reception: Manzanita branches and mossy letters for the check in table. Chalkboards for the menu, a little questionairre, mossy decorations. We put together large crepe myrtle trees for all entrances of the reception facility. My mom had great ideas.
I glittered and made the bride/groom signs and “Just Married” sign.
Candy bar: Amanda Kimball worked wonders. I gave her the candy and she did the rest. Very talented!
Photo booth: A couple of friends and I cut out our own homeade photo booth props, which I loved! They were so cute and well worth the work.

Q. What was the one thing you were most excited about your registry? Did you get it and did it live up to the hype?
A. I really wanted my Pottery Barn dishes and items that last a lifetime. The thing I liked most about the registry was having an excuse to get my favorite people together for the wedding showers. 🙂

Q. Where will you be as a couple in five years? Hopes, dreams, kids, etc.?
A. Definitely have kids, but other than that who knows? We are open to so many different things. I guess we will be wherever God takes us from here. It’s kind of exciting to see what happens.

Q. What do you look forward to the most about being married?
A. Nathan and Amanda: Just living together and enjoying the little things in life. Having new adventures together.  I know I can look forward to Nathan making me laugh hysterically everyday.

In the words of the bride: -vendor love-

Venue: Garten Verein, Galveston, TX
Wedding dress: Lazaro
Brides shoes: Badgley Mischka
Hair/Make-up: Lauren Noblin artistry
Flowers: Lary’s florist in Friendswood
Grooms suit: Alfani
Bridesmaids: BCBG
Catering: Abe’s Cajun Grill
DJ: LG Entertainment