To
many of you, it’s just another Tuesday.
And in all honesty, it feels that way to me as well… but then I remind
myself of the fact that I am now a MARRIED woman…. 18 days down, eternity to
go! I’ve had a few people ask me
if it feels any different to be married, and in all honesty, it feels so
natural to be at this point in my life, and even more so that Geoff and I are
here together. My expectations for
marriage were quite straightforward: I wanted a relationship with my husband
that allowed for mutual respect and trust, open and honest communication, and
for there to be an understanding that we would have to WORK at this marriage in
order for it to be successful.
While our relationship has met all of these expectations, I have also
come to appreciate the simple fact that we enjoy each other’s company – we are,
in the most cliché of terms, “best friends” – and I am incredibly grateful and
truly blessed to be married to such a wonderful husband. Yes, we are still getting used to
referring to each other as “husband” and “wife” (and especially for me as “Mrs.
Dyer”) but as I’ve started the tedious process of changing my name so I have
become more and more used to seeing my name as Laura Dyer. One thing I will say
– you really have no idea how much your identity has to “change” when you
decide to change your name…. yes the driver’s license, social security card,
and passport… but it goes further than that – health records, business loyalty
cards, online accounts… I never realized how many places my name has been
recorded and stored… and now I have to change them all, one by one. At least I’ll have this new project to
keep me busy :)
I
wish I had more time before the wedding to sit down and write a bit about the
nervousness/excitement/anxiety I was experiencing, but unfortunately, those
last few weeks were a bit overwhelming.
I was confident with the planning and preparation I had done, but of
course, there are SO many things that cannot be addressed until the last
minute. Thankfully I had the help
of friends and family, and we were able to get it all pulled together just in
time.
As
I reached the last 24 hours of my single life, I allowed myself to acknowledge
my fears as I approached my wedding day – it wasn’t a fear of losing my
identity or of giving up my independence, and it definitely wasn’t a fear that
my cake/flowers/decorations wouldn’t turn out how I had pictured (because I
knew that no matter how they turned out, the end result would be the same)…
rather, it was simply a fear that our guests wouldn’t appreciate the importance
of that day and what it meant to Geoff and I. My biggest issue with living in Utah is the way that many
people have become “desensitized” to the true meaning and importance of weddings. But I don’t want to get started on that
soapbox issue… rather, I want to focus on how special that day was, and share
with you some of my personal thoughts and feelings :)
My
wedding was never meant to be “the biggest, most important day of my life” –
that level of hype would only lead to disappointment. Looking back, it was definitely the most beautiful day I
could have ever imagined for my wedding, but as with all weddings – it ended
before I really had a chance to breathe.
I remember the anticipation of that morning, putting the final details
around the lodge before the florist and caterer arrived… folding programs for
the ceremony… laughing and enjoying time with my best girl friends Brenn and
Meghan… and then the time came for me to sit in the chair for my hair and
makeup. That was when my nerves
really started to rev up… I was doing okay running around, distracting myself
from what was to come… but the moment I sat still, I really had time to process
what I was getting ready for. And
that couple hours before the ceremony began were probably the longest couple
hours of my life. Then it was
time. Time to take that walk down
the aisle… the longest, most anxiety-provoking walk of my life. :) I remember waiting at the top of the
stairs… then meeting my dad to wait for our cue to walk towards my future – and
my future husband. My favorite
memories of that day were the moments when I was standing still (probably
because those are the only moments that weren’t a blur in my mind). Standing on the top of that grassy hill
with Geoff – I never felt such peace, such comfort, such assurance that I was
making the right decision. I was
completely content, and couldn’t help but think how blessed I was to be
marrying a man like Geoff. And
just as quickly as it began, I was kissing my husband and walking back down the
aisle as Mrs. Dyer. Such a joyous
moment – it couldn’t have been any more perfect. Then photos… endless photos… thankfully we had done some of our
individual shots (those of just Geoff and I) earlier in the week, so we weren’t
rushed to get all the photos done that day. Probably one of the best decisions I made, to be
honest. Some people are more
traditional, but my thoughts from the beginning were more focused on being
married and that the wedding was just an event to enjoy with family and
friends, so little details/traditions really didn’t matter to me. But there were a few traditions that I
wanted to experience with Geoff and those who came to share the day with us. After our photos, we came in for our
first dance to the song “Give in to Me” from the movie Country Strong. Geoff and I watched that movie on one
of our first dates, and that song quickly became one of our personal
favorites. That was another of my
favorite memories – dancing with my husband, surrounded by family and friends…
I couldn’t ask for anything more than that. Then it was time for toasts and cake – I’d say the cake was
one of my favorite “pieces” of the night, only because of the topper that Geoff
had chosen :)
So perfect for us – we had to bring in a bit of humor! And I definitely had the last laugh… I
never told Geoff that it was my dream to stuff my wedding cake in my husband’s
face…. Hahahaha he never saw it coming!
It was too easy… I just had to!
Good thing the cake was delicious ;) While the cake was being cut and
served, we finally had time to spend with our guests… but of course, time was
not on our side. Before I knew it,
we were heading upstairs to prepare for our grand exit. One of my only requests from
Geoff was that we ride off on a motorcycle J He made arrangements to borrow his
friend’s bike for our short drive to Snowbird’s Cliff Lodge (just a mile down
the road), and we coordinated our outfits to match: black leather jackets and
jeans. I was smiling ear to ear as
we made our way through the sparklers and sat down on our getaway ride. The perfect ending to a perfect
evening. And it wasn’t over yet –
the next morning, we were up early to prepare for our “Open House” at Sugar
House Park. I may have been a
little resentful of our decision to have a mid-day reception as I was pulling
myself out of bed that morning, but after we had finished decorating and
started welcoming our guests, I was grateful to have a more relaxed atmosphere
to spend time mingling with those friends and family that came out. And I heard from many people that they
really liked our idea – no need to have a formal event, especially if it really
doesn’t match our personalities. So
we were quite pleased with how it all turned out :) And I know our guests enjoyed it as well,
especially Kneader’s French toast and the photo booth! But again, before I knew it, we were
packing up and heading home… and just like that, our wedding was simply a happy
memory. Kinda crazy, thinking
about how much time I had spent planning for it… but thankfully the planning
paid off! I just can’t wait to see
our photos, so I can see the details from Friday night that I didn’t have time
to see for myself. I’ve heard from
many of our guests that it was a beautiful event, so for now I’m taking their
word for it :) But, here are a few of our photos for you to enjoy....
And
with that, I’ll leave you all – it’s quite a long entry, and while I could
write more, I’ll leave some for another day. Without a job (or a wedding to plan) my days are a little
more open and flexible, so I’m sure I’ll be back on here to update you all soon
enough. Especially with some
exciting changes in our family in the next week… Greg reports to the MTC next
week! :) So, until next time… Much love!
