Newest Raborns on the Block!: Wedding Day

OUR WEDDING DAY

JUNE 4TH 2016

MR. AND MRS. RABORN

Venues:
Hair and Makeup: Grow Salon
Jewelry, shoes, and Wedding dress: David's Bridal
Rings: Kay's Jewelers
Flowers: Melissa Timm Designs
Church: Ebenezer United Methodist
Preacher: Ann Robins
Day-of wedding coordinator: Linda Welch
Photographers: ST photography husband/wife team Shane and Tia
Videographer: Andrew Irwin
Reception: The Reserve at Bluebird Hill
Tables, chairs, and tablecloths: All Occasions Rentals
Food: Bradford catering
Cake: Cheryl McMillan
DJ: Ogle Davis Sound
Other small things: Amazon.com lol

Before I begin, I had to show you this picture I captured when we immediately got in the car to leave for the honeymoon. I just felt on top of the world beaming and glowing knowing that my happily ever after had just begun with the man of my dreams. The world just stopped right there. I was a bride. I was Cody's wife. Nothing will make me forget this moment driving off with my HUSBAND. That is the most amazing feeling in the world and this is just what my face was radiating. I was on cloud 9 and have been ever since. It was easily the happiest I have ever been in my entire life!

Now, where to start?! This day was all so much. and the reason I have waited so long to write about it is trying to find the perfect words to describe this beautiful day. So many emotions, love, and happiness. I didn't know where to begin. So I will start with when I woke up.....

7:00am Sharp my alarm went off. I threw on my button down shirt (so it wouldn't mess up my hair when I had to take it off to put my dress on) some comfy shorts and shoes, brushed my teeth, shook the nervous/excited butterflies from my stomach and gathered my stuff to go to the hair salon. I went downstairs to find my favorite starbucks drink sitting on the dining room table from Cody with the word 'Bride' on the side! He is such a sweetheart! He had gotten up at 6:30am to surprise me! So then we all rushed in the car and Mom, Gigi, Morgan, the photographer, videographer, and I arrived at 8:00am just as the doors were opening to the salon. I immediately was whisked off to get my makeup done in the back room. It looked so beautiful! She did an amazing job! Then my hair was pulled out as it was tightly curled onto rollers. With probably only 2/3 of my hair left, it was curlier than ever! No really, he pulled my hair hard, ouch! My mom and sister both got up-doos and their makeup done and we headed back to my Nana's house to get dressed at 10:30am. Through this entire time, Tia, the photographer, sent her husband, Shane, the other photographer, to take pictures of Cody and his groomsmen when they were getting ready.

Once at Nanas, I quickly made a bowl of oatmeal because I knew it would be really filling for me so I wouldn't pass out throughout the day and it was simple, easy, and yummy! It was then time to put my dress on. The entire time I ate and got my wedding day bags packed, my photographer got a bunch of pictures of just my dress around the house! I love my dress so much so I was excited about that! Once I squeezed into my dress, and put my jewelry on, I was ready! I grabbed my overnight bag and my emergency wedding day kit I created for the 'Just in case's' of the day and jumped in the car. It was hard to sit in my dress. At this point it was 11:30 and was time for the first look! We drove to the church 3 minutes away and there was Cody with his back facing me waiting for me to walk up. It was such a surreal moment and I was so giddy! Everyone around went inside the church and it was just Cody, me, the photographers, and videographer. Such a special special moment. Cody hadn't seen my dress at all at this point! So I came up behind Cody and tapped his shoulder as he turned around. The second he saw me his face lit up and he told me he loved my dress! We locked eyes and pretty much did look away the entire day ha!

Once the rest of the family arrived we took posed family pictures inside the church. I was handed my bouquet and the church pews were lined with beautiful tool and ribbon at the end of each aisle. My cousins were the ushers, Nathan Dyar, Jacob Becker, and Charlie Becker and they did fantastic! They led in a bunch of people very politely. Everyone started arriving at around 1:00pm. One surprising thing though was that people who said they were going to come didn't and some people who said they weren't didn't. So that was weird and we ended up with a good crowd of 100 people. In the church we had a unity candle because we loved what it stood for and before the ceremony started Cody had made an interesting facts slide-show for people to watch while they were waiting. The pianist played very traditional wedding songs throughout the entire ceremony which we loved!

So before the ceremony started we were in the back room with my dad, and bridesmaids hiding until the ceremony started, while Cody, Ann, and his groomsmen were around the side of the sanctuary praying together. The ceremony began at 2:00pm and after the grandparents and parents were led in, the ring bearer, our nephew Kaden, started the progression. He did so well! Next was my cousin, Ada, my flower girl, walking in with our pet stuffed animal horse, Charlie Brown. It was so precious! The preacher and groomsmen came in the side and the bridesmaids started their walk. Then came time for my dad and I to start walking down the aisle to the traditional wedding march! What an honor to have my dad walk me down the aisle towards my future husband! I stopped and hugged my mom and Ann asked my dad to give me away and he sat down.

Cody and I walked up to the stage and went through the beautiful words and vows of the ceremony, and as preacher Ann pronounced us husband and wife, we kissed and ran down the aisle straight into the limousine. The whole ride we couldn't believe we were finally husband and wife! It was so surreal! This was the moment! So far, the only advice I have is to be EXTREMELY specific to what you want because when we got into the limo we expected him to race us to the reception which was 25 minutes away so we could take pictures real quick and he took his sweet time. We arrived there last :(. Aaaaand it immediately started to rain. So I bustled my dress to prepare to start the first dance and such while everyone was eating but then the storm clouds opened up and we saw the window of opportunity and ran outside to take pictures all around the property. Pictures are very important to me! When we got in they officially announced us for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Cody Allen Raborn and we joined the dancing.

Here is a sneak peak of the final product!! The lavender sashes on the chairs were so neat!! On each table next to the flower center pieces we had pictures of Cody and I at each age that the table number was from 1 year old to 15 on table 15.

At our sweethearts table, each of us had bride and groom signs which were so neat!

So back to the first dance, So dad and I went first and we danced to Cinderella. Then came Cody and his mom dancing to My Wish by Rascal Flatts. Cody and I danced to God Gave me You by Blake Shelton. We hadn't practiced for a second but did incredible for the fact that neither of us dance! He spun me and dipped me and everything! We continued dancing with everyone after that and then went out to take pictures with the bridesmaids and groomsmen because it stopped lightening. Once we came back in we cut the cake (it wasn't very romantic like you see in movies, its hard to be romantic when your trying to get cake into each other's mouths) and continued dancing. The songs were not what we asked for which made Cody and I a little peeved but luckily they were at least good songs. Cody and I made our way around the room talking to our guests and it was so nice to see faces which we hadn't seen in so long. The furthest away our guests traveled was from Texas and Alabama! Most were from either Knoxville or Chattanooga.

Next was bouquet and garter toss! I grabbed my smaller toss bouquet and threw it directly to Morgan's friend Madeleine ahah sorry about that by the way! Maybe she's the next person to get married?! Exciting! With the garter toss, I sat down in my chair and Cody reached under my dress to get my garter but to make an awkward situation worse, Cody could't find it! It's like how do you not find it! LOL. So he searched for my garter for a good 2 minutes which felt like forever all while 'Let's get it on' by Marvin Gay was playing in the background! OH MY GOODNESS!! (NOT what we asked to be played). LOL It was so hilarious! I was dying laughing, but Cody didn't think it was that funny! :D. But to help out a little bit once he got it off, I handed Cody his final surprise gift from me, an official Butch Jones signed UT football to put the garter around and throw to the groomsmen! Cody loved it so much!

We didn't get to dance to our last song because it didn't happen, it was 6:30pm and everyone was already to go standing outside ready to go. I quickly ran in to change into my leaving dress and packed my bags into our van and Cody and I ran through the line of people blowing bubbles! It was so beautiful! It was only family left at this point but there's no one we would have rather had been surrounded by leaving to our forever! So much love was happening that day! We got in the car and Tyler gave us our boxed food and cake to-go and we drove off into the heaviest rain we had ever seen. We headed straight to Nashville at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and even had to pull over a few times because we couldn't even see the road. Half way there it stopped raining and we pulled over at a rest stop and ate our food right there together in the car and shared our scrumptious cake. It was surprisingly so romantic. It was just us, husband and wife, in the quiet car taking it all in. We couldn't stop smiling.

Even though it STORMED 90% of the day, we wouldn't have had it any other way. It was so beyond perfect and I wouldn't have changed a single thing. And at then end of the day we were married and that's all that matters. We now have those memories and it was actually fun stomping in the rain in my wedding dress! It cooled me off from the 90 degree day! We also now have good luck and fertility from it! If that truly is the case, then with all it rained, we will have a trillion kids lol! I was the most stress free bride the entire day and didn't stress or get anxious for even a second. I did that the week leading up haha.

A classy 'Just Married' sticker was placed on the back of our van as we pulled away from the reception. We were so proud!

At 9:30pm we arrived at the hotel, we went straight to our room and saw that we had a wonderful balcony view from our room!! This is where you can sit overlooking the restaurant and waterfalls!

We explored the next morning when it was light out. This is the beautiful waterfall!

Inside the waterfall cave.

View from the left of our hotel room.

View from the right of our hotel room. It was breathtaking to leave the door open all night long to listen to the waterfall in the background! Lulls you right to sleep!

The next morning car ride day attire to the beach. The hat made the beach-y look! ;) We left at noon!

Of course had to do a photo shoot of my flowers to pass the time for the 7.5 hour car ride. My bouquet was beyond gorgeous and beyond my expectations!!