The Wedding.

Jake and I were sealed in the Raleigh, NC temple on July 29th, 2010 at 6:00pm.  It was perfect.  Jake and I had traveled to Greenville on Wednesday night to eat dinner with my family.  We went to my favorite restaurant (Texas Roadhouse) and it was wonderful to have the entire family there together.  Courtney had just flown in from Utah, and Brooke had just finished up her semester at BYU-I just in time for the wedding.  Jake left that night to go back to Raleigh and spend one last night with his family who was driving in to Granny and Gramps' house.  I was so excited for the next day, I hardly slept that night.

Thursday morning, I awoke early and began the getting pretty process.  I showered, put on make-up, and painted my toe nails the perfect fuchsia pink to match my bridesmaids' dresses.  My mom curled my hair into lovely ringlets.  We hit the road and arrived in Knightdale where Jake's parents had planned an amazing luncheon for all the family and friends who were attending the temple ceremony.  Sister Wilford catered the luncheon and the food was amazing.  The decorations were so beautiful and it almost felt like a wedding reception in itself!  We were excited to mingle and introduce everyone to each other.

Soon, it was time to head out to the temple.  Thanks to Courtney's careful planning, mom was able to whip out a curling iron and fix my rapidly frizzing hair into luxurious curls once again and then we were off.  It was so peaceful to sit in the temple with Jake before we were married.  I felt as if I were glowing.  We were sealed by the temple president (my parents' former stake president), and it was beautiful.  I was on cloud nine with all of our family and loved ones there with us.

Following the sealing, I had to wait for Jake to get his tuxedo on.  I sat in a chair with my poofy princess dress, and couldn't stop smiling as the handsomest man in the world came around the corner and asked me to help him put on his bow tie.  We proceeded outside to melt as the photographer took what felt like hundreds of photographs of us in the 100 degree humidity.

Everything was beautiful.  Our colors were pink and green and the temple makes the perfect backdrop for gorgeous pictures.  I can't wait to get the professional ones back from the photographer!

After the photographs, we headed to the car and went on an adventurous ride to downtown Raleigh where we attempted to find the entrance to the Marriott.  There was a booming party right outside the hotel, and the street had been closed off.  We finally managed to find it with the help of the hotel receptionist.  July 29th was most certainly my all-time favorite day.  July 30th--the reception day--is #2 on my list.  More to come.