In honor of their one month anniversary of being married, I figured I would finally upload the post from Billy and Hillary's wedding. What a perfect day it was. The beautiful Shenandoah Valley was being a little stubborn with the rain, but once the rain passed, it was a picture-perfect wedding day. Billy and I met back in 2009 when he pulled up to Ikenberry in his red truck full of freshman year dorm essentials. I was busy unpacking the car, like a little servant while Billy organized his room! Needless to say, I would have never thought that five years later I would be a guest at his wedding. Not to mention a married woman to his freshman year roommate! Yes- D.J. and Billy were freshman roommates at JMU. I would say it's pretty rare that you stay in touch with your Freshman Orientation Guide this long, but the three of us had a different relationship. I am so thankful to have met Billy that day five years ago.
Billy and Hillary were married at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Harrisonburg, VA on June 21, 2014 at 4:23 p.m. They both very Christian people so it was important to them to have a ceremony that made everyone feel their love for Jesus Christ. The ceremony was about and hour long with special personal touches throughout. They had a full bridal party of 16 ladies and gentleman and a flower girl and ring bearer. It was precious- the little boy carried the rings down in a baseball glove, how fitting right?! The bridesmaids were in a sheer one-shoulder light pink dress which fit the theme perfectly. They had a candle lighting ceremony as well and engaged the congregation with two hymns. Isn't she a stunning bride?!
After the ceremony was over, the guests were directed outside the church to see the couple off to the reception. It was such a cool experience to see them exit the church as a married couple.
We then headed to the reception which was held at a local barn about 10 minutes away. I was little surprised when we pulled up and saw donkeys, camels, and horses! However, they made the location work so nicely. When you stepped inside the barn, it looked like something straight off Pinterest. Everything from the string lights to the ladders and the barn windows made the venue look absolutely beautiful.
The head table was decorated with pictures from their engagement photo shoot framed in old window panes. I thought this was one of the coolest decorations of the entire wedding. I was so in love.
They did everything on their own and the decorations were stunning. The centerpieces were very simple but had enough to carry the theme of "whimsically pink" (which I just made up) throughout the entire barn.
It was great to see so many friends from baseball that I haven't seen in while. Unfortunately, D.J. was not able to attend the wedding, but it was still great to see the guys.
The night was full of love and I am so thankful to have been a part of the wedding celebrations. One of my favorite memories from their wedding will always be the best men and maid/matron of honor speeches. They were all so heartfelt, funny, and made you feel the love that Billy and Hillary have for each other. One of the groomsmen read a poem that Billy wrote in the third grade titled "Love" and it was all about baseball. It went a little something like this..
Love is sliding into home plate
Love is hearing my mom cheer for me in the stands
Love is getting grass stains on my pants
Love is baseball.
The groomsman followed up the poem by saying something along the lines of "We all know baseball is one of Billy's most loved things, but Hillary, you will always be his number one from now on." It was so precious. Maybe because I have a special place in my heart for a baseball poem.
I really enjoyed how the couple really made the wedding about them. They did things how they wanted to and were not afraid to be different. Hillary changed out of her wedding dress into a cute little white dress for the final dance. They danced to Today was a fairy tale by Taylor Swift that was played and sung by two of their friends. It was a perfect way to end the night. The couple drove away in an old punch-buggie with a grand sparkler exit!
Happy 1 month anniversary you two!
Love you and thank you for posting this. We loved it and so did our families!!
ReplyDeleteThey definitely deserve applause for the nice selection of bread and the service which was good from start to finish. The mass produced filet was too good.
ReplyDeleteWedding location in Chicago