May 9th, 2008: Two lives change forever as they enter into the bonds of matrimony

Now for the actual wedding day! I was surprisingly calm that morning...I woke up, ate, and then Mellisa started working on my hair while everyone got ready around us. I just sat there listening to everybody and trying to stay awake cuz I was really tired! Mellisa did a fabulous job on my hair though! I loved it! Maria, Mom, and I left before everyone since we had to be at the temple earlier than everyone else so we left and got there around 9:30. I got changed and met up with Mark and we got to spend some time alone together in the Celestial Room, which was so nice! It helped me calm down any jitters/butterflies that I had. Then we went to a room where our Sealer spoke to us and then we went to the Sealing Room to get married! Of course I realized like right before we walked in the door that I had forgotten Mark's ring in the dressing room so I had to give Maria my key and we had to wait for her to run down and get it, which was fun cuz we just sat in there with all our other family members and chatted for a second before the ceremony started. When I told Maria I needed her to run down and get it she just looked at me with her classic Maria look, shook her head, like..."typical Tara"...(which is totally true) and went and got it like the amazing, awesome bridesmaid she was!

Like I said in the previous post there weren't too many people in there with us, maybe 15 or so, just family and Maria :). The ceremony was short and sweet and pretty much amazing, although I really couldn't tell you what the Sealer said at all...me and my memory! I really feel like an old lady sometimes cuz I can't remember anything! Anywho, when the ceremony was done Maria, Mom, and I went down to the dresser room again where I changed into my actual wedding dress and laced it up and put my veil on, which took a bit of time...but Maria was a pro by then so it looked great. (Maria and Whit did a pre-wedding trial lace up with my dress the night before we went to Nauvoo so they wouldn't have to figure it out the day of...it looked awesome though!!!). Then I went out into the foyer and met up with Mark and we went outside to greet our family for the first time as husband and wife! So weird I tell you...

I was so ultra happy though after we walked out of the Temple (well, inside too :) I even didn't mind all the picture taking that took place for the next long while...and if you know me you know that I really, really, don't like to have my picture taken. I'm sure I'd be more willing if I looked as beautiful as I did that day everytime I got my picture taken! It helps when someone's done your hair and make up for you so it looks fabulous and when you're wearing a beautiful dress. When Sarah and I were trying on dresses she kept saying she wishes she could wear a wedding dress everyday! Which I'm sure would get old and wouldn't feel as special after awhile but it's still fun!


Anywho (sorry I use that word a lot but I get sidetracked and then have to get back on track and that's my favorite transition word... :)-we did take lots of pictures. We had our main photographer (who we had lots of fun with, he was pretty cool) and then all my sisters had cameras and my roomies and there was just tons of pictures...but I love pictures and wanted LOTS so we took lots! We started with family pictures cuz my family had to leave right after to head back home, so that was fun getting everybody together and looking at the same camera at the same time and everything...VERY hard to do with over 20 people! That didn't take too long though and then we got to do individual pics of just me and Mark and we definitely had fun with that! I wanted cool pictures, not just the traditional serious ones and we did just that! I think it shows our personalities though...kinda...well the ones with my bridesmaids sure did :) THOSE were great!

The best part was all the awesome red accents I had with everything. I had the red lace up on the back of my dress, red flip flops, and then the red umbrellas which were especially amazing! The umbrella's were a result of Maria's fabulous genius, she saw them at Target and we HAD to get them! And I must say it was brilliant...simply brilliant. Really made the pictures. My aunt was walking around the historic area of Nauvoo and started to talk to some lady, a temple worker, I think, and told her that she was down there for her niece's wedding (there were actually four weddings that day) and the lady was like, "was your niece the one with the red hair and red flip flops?" And my aunt was like, "yeah, she is" and the lady was like, "oh my goodness! I thought she was so cute and I loved the flip flops!" So apparently I was a big hit with the temple workers :) But I couldn't help it, I looked amazing!

I really was very, very happy though with my pictures and have been having a fun time scrapbooking it all...I ran out of page inserts in my album though and have to buy more to fit them all :) I'm actually doing a real 12x12 album instead of an 8 1/2 x 11...really breaking out of my shell this time! I don't know if I'll go back or not...the bigger pages are so much more fun!