Hickman House

When it came to planning our reception we wanted only one thing- GOOD food. I wasn't fussy about the venue, the center pieces, or anything of that sort. I mean obviously I wanted it to look nice, but we really wanted our guest to enjoy a good meal. We went back and forth with the menu a couple of times, changed it a few more, but I think in the end it was perfect. We picked roasted carved beef, served with au jus and horseradish sauce, BBQ Chicken, collard greens, mac and cheese, a mashed potato bar, and rolls. Sam and I both enjoyed it so much. We mad ourselves sit for a minute and take in our special day. I am so glad we did. I am hoping our guests enjoyed their dinner as much as we did. It was even more delicious knowing that some of our favorite people help prepare our wedding meal for us. (We're looking at you Mom and Jon!)



Back to the reception- When we first arrived the bridal party and ourselves came in to Crazy Train by Ozzy. We tried to incorporate some Braves elements into our day, and if you're a real braves fan you know that Crazy Train was Chippers walk out song. So it was perfect- and we had fun with it.



After dinner then came the Daddy/Daughter dance and the Mother/Son dance. My dad and I decided to dance to Daughters by John Mayer. We both really loved the song even before I got engaged- we are also not very sappy people so it was the perfect amount of sap for us. Sam and his mom decided to dance to the Bee Gees Wedding Day. Those were really special moments that Sam or I will never forget. Then it was on to our toasts. Both of Sam's brothers, my cousin Danette, and friend Blair made our toasts. They were all so special to us. We laughed with them, and even shed a few tears. It was so sweet.

After the special dances and toasts it was time to cut the cake. Our amazing cake was made by my Aunt Lorie (and her hubby, Uncle Jay!) who is the glue behind Cottage Café and Crumb de la Crumb in Nashville. Seriously, check them out. Our cake design was far better than anything I could have imagined. We picked the flavors Red Velvet and Tennessee Whiskey for our cake. I didn't have an actual piece of my wedding cake until last week- but it was heavenly.


After cake is was time to party. We had the pleasure of having our family play some music for us. As most of you know, Sams brother, my dad, my brother, and a few of our close friends are in a band called Jaded Mayberry. Well they played, and we had a few guest appearances by my mom, Turner and my uncle Ricky. It was so much fun! We had a blast.

Well people, we have officially been married for two months today! Woohoo! I figured today would be the perfect day to kick back up our wedding recaps!

So here's where we left off:

After I had my first look with my dad- we quickly made our way to the back of the church so no one would see us. We waited for about 45 minutes, even though it felt like hours. While we were waiting I had some time to reflect, and have a few moments of panic (HA!) the girls were so calm, which made everything so helpful. Before I knew it my dad had made his way back to the back and told me it was almost time. The nerves and excitement was crazy. It was finally here! We all lined up and I could hear the music that I had picked out begin to start.

Right before the ceremony started, Draw Near by Bethel was played by our dear friend Turner Coleman. The words of this song are so beautiful, I could listen to it on repeat. He played this song so wonderfully. The grandparents and parents were seated to Only Hope by Mandy Moore (also sung by Switchfoot). My aunt Mandy sang it which made it so much more special. Only Hope was from A Walk to Remember- which is one of my favorite movies. When Sam and I first started dating I made him watch the whole thing with me, and despite what he tells people he really liked it. I knew that it had to be sung at our wedding.

Then it was time for the wedding party. I decided that I wanted everyone to come out to one song, I just wanted to come out to the build. 'cause I'm dramatic like that. I chose Closer by Bethel. My other aunt Lorie sang this one for us, which was fabulous. The first time I ever heard this song I was getting ready for class. It came on and I immediately began to cry. I am not sure if it was the words, or the anointing that it had over it, but I was in the floor sobbing. It was so powerful. I just remember thanking my Lord for all of the things he has blessed us with, and asking him to prepare my heart for what to come. I knew as soon as I heard it that I would be coming down the aisle to that with my earthly father. So special.


After what seemed like the longest walk ever, I had reached my groom. The first thing Sam mouthed to me once I could see him was "You came?!?" What a goofball. Then my daddy lifted my veil, kissed my cheek and handed me to Sam. I was so excited at this point. We wanted a short and sweet ceremony so I knew that I was almost Sams wife. My grandfather officiated the wedding, which helped me relax a little. Sam and I recited the vows that we wrote for each other (his being written on his reporters notebook...haha!) Such sweet and special words I will treasure forever. After our vows we did communion with each sets of our parents as Sam's oldest brother sang My Beloved by Tenth Avenue North. I love this song and I knew it was perfect for communion! Having Will singing was also so special. We really felt so loved by all our family and friends that day. We exchanged our rings and he kissed the bride! We did it! We were officially man and wife- and it was fabulous! We danced our way back down the aisle to Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen. Sam fell in love with this song at his brother, Brett's wedding and has been somewhat obsessed with it since. We knew it was perfect. We spent so much time picking music, and making everything about our ceremony reflect our relationship with each other, and our relationship with our savior.

I couldn't decide if I wanted to blog about our wedding or not, being that 95% of the people that read this ole' blog was there- however since I try to blog about every other big life event, I figured this one should probably make the cut. Our wedding day was perfect to us. It was everything we could have ever dreamed of. I woke up that morning at 6:30, probably from the excitement. My mom had put together some food for the girls for throughout the day, but I still needed to pick some stuff up to have where we were getting ready. So I gathered all my things, finished packing for the honeymoon, and loaded up the car. I'd like to think I was pretty calm that day, but I'm sure I wasn't as calm as I thought I was. I arrived at the house and my bridesmaids started arriving. Its hard to express in words the emotions you feel that day unless you've experienced it. Months and months of planning and it is finally here. I wanted everything to go so perfectly, just like I had planned, but in that same moment there was a peace that if nothing went right it was okay too. That morning I got to have a few moments in the word which really brought comfort over me. I also had such a great group of girls around me all day. I wanted that morning to be peaceful, relaxing and as stress free as a wedding day morning could be. I just wanted to be with my girls all morning and not have to worry about a thing. I can't speak for the girls, but I enjoyed it. At one point we even had a dance party in the midst of getting ready. It was great fun.




After the girls got ready my mom helped me get in my dress and then we decided to have some prayer time. I will have to say that I will never forget those moments. Each one of my bridesmaids said a little something as they continued praying over Sam and I and our marriage. At one point we were all in tears at the same time. The most special memories to me. After we had our moment of prayer I got to read the letter that my sweet husband sent over to me. We decided not to see each other before the wedding, so this gave us a little time to hear from each other and calm our nerves before the ceremony.






Before I knew it, it was 4:30 and it was time to make our way over to the church. We decided to have our ceremony in the church that my mother, both of her sisters, and the rest of the family all got married in. It is also my home church, and the church my grandparents pastor together, so it was very special to me. The girls and I got ready at the cutest little house right in front of the church, which made the travel easy!


As I was walking up, I met my dad in front of the doors. I decided to do a first look with my dad since he had not seen me in my dress. This was also a special moment. I have always been a daddy's girl so this was something that I will never forget.



I am so grateful for these beautiful pictures. I will cherish them for years to come. Stay tuned for part 2!

Before we begin- I decided this 'ole blog needed a little cleaning up. New look- new name. It is still a work in progress but so far, I am diggin' it.

Today I wanted to recap the bridesmaids luncheon. I knew early in the planning process that I wanted to make sure that there was time to spend relaxing with the girls. I wanted to be able to pass out gifts, and let them take their time opening them. I wanted something special to do for them- after all the wonderful things they did for me during the year. I decided to host a bridesmaid luncheon for them at Clarks Seafood and Chop House in Little River. It was nice and calm that morning- we got to eat on the back deck and watch the sun rise over the water. I got to share a little bit about the women that helped throughout the process and then I passed out gifts. I gifted each girl with a monogrammed red zip up jacket to wear while we were getting ready, a red and white monogrammed tote bag, a personalized hanger for their dress, and some really pretty teardrop earrings to wear on the wedding day. I think they all enjoyed their gifts. I gifted the flower girls with monogrammed diaper covers (for the two babies) candy cane striped head bands for the wedding, and sweaters to wear over their dresses. Sam gifted his groomsmen and ushers with candy cane striped ties. See the pattern here? Ha! I really hoped the girls enjoyed their time at the luncheon- it will always be the perfect start of a weekend I will never forget!