The Wedding Day...

Our big day was great. We had a wonderful time with our family and friends. It was an amazing day (an amazing weekend all together), and made so special by being surrounded by everyone we love. We really wanted a weekend where we could visit with our guests, and I hope they walked away saying we did. With just over 100 people in attendance, Mr. Gnomemade and I did our best to chat with everyone that day, and throughout the weekend. We really were humbled by how far our friends and family were willing to travel to be with us - from New York, Rhode Island, Boston, Orlando, etc.

The morning of the wedding was spent prepping. The girls met in the bridal suite and had their hair and make-up done. The boys went out to lunch and then spent about 20 minutes putting on their suits. Mr. Gnomemade and I met up in the bridal suite just ourselves, and then we headed out for some photos. (We wanted to get our photos done beforehand so we could enjoy our entire reception and mingle with our guests). Our photographer was wonderful and willing to trek around campus with us - we're still waiting on those photos to arrive, so what you'll see here is those from our family and friends. And Mr. Gnomemade, as he carried a camera with him - the only groom I've ever seen do so.

Our day was hot...99 degrees out! We visited a couple spots on our campus where we met and were being married before meeting up with our families at the chapel. We did our formals together, and then it was time to say "I do." After the ceremony (which we don't have any really good candids of), all our guests assembled in the courtyard of the building where we were married for a group shot.

My maid and matron of honor and I after the ceremony.

Lots of hugging, and a couple more formals later, we were on our way to the reception. Our reception was held at a town hall type building. It had large picture windows and beautiful natural lighting which made it a wonderful location. Our caterer was great, the DJ phenomenal (we're pretty certain people liked her better than us!) and a good time was had by all.

Mr. Gnomemade and I really wanted a fun, relaxed wedding where our guests wouldn't stand on ceremony and really enjoy themselves and I like to think that's what they got. We were blown away by the number of people who could attend, but once there the dance floor was packed, people milled about socializing and everyone enjoyed the food. We were thrilled.

Mr. and Mrs. Gnomemade at the reception

Well, the reception went by like a whirlwind, but we did manage to make it to every table in the place - so we were happy. We were determined to give our guests individualized attention - I mean, how often do you get everyone you love in one room? There were toasts, pie (yes, pie - I don't do cake), lots of dancing, some games and well, a lot of heat (poor little AC just couldn't keep up with us!).

After the reception, the parents got together back at the hotel along with some of our guests, while we went out with our college/high school/work friends to a local tavern - which gave us a great chance to visit.

The next morning, it was up bright and early to greet our guests and bid them goodbye at a brunch. Then Mr. Gnomemade and I packed up and headed off to our car to drive back home, where we were greeted with this...

Thanks to my sister (who served as my maid of honor) and my close friend (my matron of honor) and their signfiicant others, our car got the royal treatment. The balloons and streamers were removed before hitting the highway, but we still got lots of honks (until it rained) for the messages written all over our windows!

So, there you have it - our wedding in a nutshell. I'll be back again soon to post some of the more personal touches we had at the wedding!

Mr. and Mrs. Gnomemade

Well...we did it! On June 5th we tied the knot in Williamsburg, VA. It was a great day filled with family and friends. The most memorable, or perhaps notable, part of the wedding - other than marrying my best friend? Well, it was hot. No, not just hot...it was HOT! Hot as in, on our wedding day we broke the record high temp by six degrees! Six degrees! The record high had been 93 degrees, and we hit 99 degrees. Thankfully, our chapel and our reception site were air conditioned, but even the A/C had a hard time keeping up.

I've shown a couple of friends photos from the wedding and they've kindly said we were "beaming" or "glowing." But really, we were melting. We took our photos outside before the ceremony, so we were hot! We were married on the college campus where we met, and it's gorgeous, so we couldn't resist.

All in all, we had a wonderful weekend celebrating. We had just over 100 guests, and we planned weekend long activities with the goal of being able to spend time with all of them.

The festivities started out really on Wednesday, when my matron of honor arrived, along with one set of wedding guests. We dined that night at one of our favorite Italian restaurants in town. It was a small crowd, but the food, as always was tasty and it was nice to spend some time with my parents and matron of honor.


On Thursday, the future Mr. Gnomemade arrrived - he flew into town after working through Wednesday. We ran some errands and then the real fun began. Our families began to arrive and we had a great dinner at Pierce's BBQ. And then it was off to Bruster's for some tasty ice cream.

On Friday, the girls got their nails done and then Mr. Gnomemade and I took my aunt and uncle on a tour of the college campus. After braving the heat, we got changed and headed off for the rehearsal. Three run-throughs later, our officiant gave us the "all clear" and then it was off to the rehearsal dinner with our family and wedding party.

Our rehearsal dinner was held in a Colonial Tavern in Colonial Williamsburg. The food was fantastic, the atmosphere was wonderful and we were treated to strolling misnstrels and colonial traditions.

After that, we immediately met up with more friends and family in Merchant's Square where Mr. Gnomemade and I gave a ghost tour around the colonial village.

It was a busy week, and that was only the beginning. The next day, we got married! Now, I've already rambled on a bit, so I'll save all that info for a little bit later.