Polaroids by Rad & In Love Photography

I’ve struggled to find words to describe the day. It was, surreal, incredible, filled with so much love and happiness. Nothing could have prepared us for it. It flew by, like everyone said it would, and yet I’ve never felt more present in my life. The details of the day firmly etched into my memory, I can close my eyes and picture so much of the day so vividly.

All the planning, and details, all of it was important, but at the end of the night, what I’ll remember most is how it all felt. I’ll remember feeling such an incredible amount of joy, I couldn’t stop smiling-elation doesn’t begin to describe it. I felt so entirely enveloped by love; I want to just swim in that space forever. I’ll remember my best friends surrounding smiles, their kind words, and feeling so lucky to have them in my life. I’ll remember my parents, and how happy they seemed. All the hugs, I will certainly remember those. I’ll remember my little sister (and maid of honor’s) incredible speech that rendered me laugh-crying for several minutes, and how amazing it is to have her as my sister. I’ll remember the times Alex and I shared throughout the day when we had brief moments alone.

But my favorite part of the entire night was hands down our vows. When people talk about being with their significant other, and the world melting away? I’ve never experienced that before. But standing up there with Alex, everything did fade away around us. It was just him and I, and it’s such a vivid memory, something I know I’ll keep with me forever-I have never felt more love in my life than I did at that moment. I could have never anticipated how I felt, but it was so much more than I could have ever hoped.

The whole night was just magic. I have never smiled so much. Yes, of course, some things didn’t go exactly to plan-but I didn’t care, I couldn’t, I felt so happy, so elated very little could have brought me down off that cloud. We had hoped it would be a joyous day, filled with love, friends, good food, good drinks and just overall a great party. It was. But it was so much more. And I wouldn’t change a thing. And at the end of the day, I got to marry Alex, a fact that makes me deliriously happy. Not much has changed, really on the other side. But there was a transcendent quality of the day, after, just the slightest shift. I can’t quite describe it, but perhaps it’s the affirming celebration of our choice to spend our lives together, to choose each other everyday, offered up in front of all our loved ones that somehow strengthened our relationship, gave it a new form. And now, with our newly minted baby family, we have the whole future ahead of us, and I can’t wait for the adventures it’ll bring.