In honor of my and my husband’s three year anniversary today, I thought I would share a little bit of our wedding story and show some pictures from our special day! When Jacob and I got engaged in July of 2013, we quickly decided we wanted something outdoors (but covered) and immediately started thinking of a date. I love Fall and he loves Summer, but there was no way we were going to have an outdoor wedding in a Texas Summer….so Fall won. We set a date of October 25, 2014. We knew that we wanted a simple, rustic, country themed wedding with class and elegance. To me, your wedding should really portray your personalities as a couple. So it was pretty easy for us to envision something comfortable, but nice, good food, good music, and lots of beer and margaritas. That sums us up in nutshell.
One of my friends showed me Gruene Estate and we fell in love. As soon as we saw it in person, we knew it was the place for us. From the open air chapel and stained glass window columns, to the distressed farm tables and candlelit lanterns, it was pure, rustic elegance. It was the perfect setting for us to say “I do” and start our married life together surrounded by our closest family and friends. And the best part….we were able to stay there with our bridal party for the whole entire weekend, which was SO much fun. It was the best weekend of our lives and I wish we could step into a time machine and do it all over again!
We didn’t want the typical guest sign-in book, so instead we asked one of our good friends to make this Texas out of real wood for everyone to sign! He did an amazing job. It’s now hanging up in our home, so it’s something we look at on a daily basis.
I knew I wanted a really cute drink menu that was easy to see, so I bought a piece of chalkboard from Lowe’s (I think it was $10) and my mom decorated the sides. Isn’t it the cutest?! She’s so creative. I looked up some ideas on Pinterest for the wording and style and created one of my own! It took me about 2 hours to write and draw everything out, but it came out exactly the way I wanted it!
Since our wedding was not a traditional wedding, we decided that we wanted to do a “first look” and see each other before the ceremony. This was probably one of the best decisions we made. We knew that seeing each other for the first time right before we became husband and wife was going to be a very special moment, and we wanted to have that time to ourselves, just me and him. Hugging each other and expressing our love for one another in that moment was a memory we will never forget. It also took a ton of the nerves away and made us feel more relaxed right before walking down the isle. And it made for some pretty good pictures!
My mom walked me down the isle. She has been the rock in my life…the person who has always kept me focused and never let me stray from what was important. I would not be me without her.
This open air chapel was part of what solidified our decision to get married at Gruene Estate. We had never seen anything like it. It was a very intimate space, and the stained glass windows and chandeliers were so romantic.
These have been the best three years. I’ve learned so much about myself and relationships in general. Marriage is a beautiful thing when you’re with the right person. It should strengthen you, teach you, challenge you, and push you to be the best version of yourself. True love is not all sunshine and roses. There are ups. There are downs. Not one of us is perfect. But what I’ve discovered is that if you learn from those not-so-great moments, you will find that they don’t come around as often. I think one of the most important things I’ve admitted to myself in the last 6 months is that I am not always right. Say whaaaaaaat?! Haha. I’ve had to alter my thinking, put my pride aside, and realize that there’s another person on the other end who has his own thoughts, feelings, and emotions. It’s not just me. I’ve had to learn to be selfless, admit when I’m wrong, and pick my battles. And let me tell you, it’s changed my marriage and I couldn’t be happier. I am insanely lucky to have someone like Jacob – he is my biggest cheerleader, my calm when I stress over nothing, and my voice of reason when I think everything is going wrong and want to scream.
Happy Anniversary to my beautiful husband! You are one of a kind. I cannot put into words the respect, love, and admiration I have for you. You drive me insane like no one else, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!
