Our church wedding

Shane and I, like many military couples, got legally married but waited to have the church wedding until later. We moved to Turkey just after getting married, so for practical reasons we decided to have a small beach ceremony instead of a big family wedding. It was intimate, romantic, and wonderful.... but I still felt like I wanted to have a "real wedding". It's so important for a girl. It's that one time in your life when you get to dress up in a sparkly white gown and feel like a princess all day. As my dad was walking me down the aisle, I said to him "I've waited 30 years for this." I had thought about all the details - the dress, the colors, the cake, the music, the decorations, the pictures. But most of all, I wanted to be able to share the joy of our marriage with all of our loved ones.

And so, 16 months after we got married, we got married again. :) It was an incredibly beautiful and happy day. We had a traditional church wedding at the Langley Chapel in Newport News, Virginia. Our pastor from Turkey presided over the wedding (as luck would have it, he had been re-assigned to a base in Maryland!) - it was such an honor to have him there. My father wore his mess dress (it still fits!) and looked very sharp. My mother looked beautiful in her mocha-colored dress. My sister was my matron of honor, and my four best friends were there as bridesmaids. My brothers looked very dapper in their khaki suits - I still can't believe how grown up they both are (they're taller than both me & my sister!). My niece was the most adorable flower girl you've ever seen. And my husband. Well he looked like a movie star. Tall, devilishly handsome, and had the biggest smile on his face and tears in his eyes when my father "gave me away" to him.

The day was perfect. The weather was beautiful - it was a cool autumn day, with just the right amount of sunshine. The chapel was glorious. Everything went smoothly, and I smiled & laughed so much my cheeks ached. I got teary-eyed dancing with Shane, and almost cried when my sister read her toast. We danced, ate, and had a wonderful time with old and new friends. Thank you to everyone who came to support us. It is a memory I will cherish for the rest of my life.