Last week I shared our wedding day highlights leading up to the ceremony & today I’m back to share more! Today’s wedding highlights focus on the ceremony & beyond. All of these moments came together to make the day so memorable and I want to remember these forever and ever. Every time I look at these photos I get *all* the feels. Each photo takes me back to that moment & puts the biggest smile on my face. I’m excited to be able to share them with you!
P.S. I’m sharing all of the vendor & day of details at the very bottom of this post!
WEDDING DAY HIGHLIGHTS PART II
SEEING NICK FOR THE FIRST TIME
Since Nick and I chose to not do a first look I was really anticipating the church doors opening and seeing him for the first time. I just remember waiting behind those doors and taking a few deep breaths right before they opened as I prepared to marry my (almost) husband. My heart was beating so fast in that moment as I waited for “go” time!
As soon as the doors opened my heart burst with love. I locked eyes with Nick and immediately teared up. Nick probably won’t admit it, but he definitely cried (and still had tears in his eyes when I got to the end of the aisle!) Nothing could have prepared me for the emotion and love I felt as I walked down the aisle to him. It was the absolute best feeling. When we got our photos back and I saw the one of him seeing me for the first time I couldn’t help but cry…. *all the heart eyes & tears!*
SEEING OUR RECEPTION SPACE FOR THE FIRST TIME
After our ceremony, we headed back to our reception venue. I decided before we took any photos that I wanted to see our reception space (before it was filled with 120 guests!) I am so glad we decided to do this because it was such a sweet moment. We had worked so hard for months planning how the space would look, so seeing it for the first time was really special! Our wedding planner, Carly, executed everything flawlessly and it was exactly how we had envisioned it and more. We took a few moments to take it all in, we popped champagne & then we were off to take photos and celebrate with everyone! Even though it was short, it was such a special moment with my husband and some of our vendors. 
OUR FIRST DANCE
We had the hardest time finding a first dance song we liked. We didn’t want anything too slow, too fast, or cliche…. with all of those requirements it really crossed off a lot of songs! We finally landed on “That’s How Strong My Love Is” by Otis Redding and it was the perfect choice for us. We took dance lessons about a month before our wedding and we ended up having more fun than we thought we would. We learned a lot & practiced a few nights a week in our living room. P.S. brides, that’s also a great way to break in your wedding heels!
I think the funniest part is that we had everything planned down to the second but once we got on the dance floor and did the first 45 seconds, my dress lining sort of got stuck on the heel of my shoe (and I couldn’t gracefully get it off!) so we ended up just going with the flow… which is why we’re laughing hysterically in half of the photos! It didn’t matter & no one knew except for us, so we just laughed it off! 
CUTTING OUR CAKE
We had our cake & cupcakes made by a family friend who has been making delicious cakes for us for as long as I can remember! She is incredibly talented and her cakes are always SO good. We used real flowers from our florist to top the cake & I loved the way it came together. Our cake and cupcakes were on vintage cake stands from my grandmother, which was a detail that was really special to me. During our cake cutting, our band played “Crash Into Me” by Dave Matthews Band, a song that we have always really loved. 
I think I had mentioned in a previous Wedding Wednesday post that I was nervous about cutting the cake. I feel like that’s something that you’re not prepared for & aren’t 100% sure what to do once all eyes are on you. Our planner, Carly, gave us a short run down of what to do and I’ll just say it, I totally blew it haha! I was so nervous that we (mostly me) ended up cutting a t-i-n-y piece for our cake cutting. We couldn’t stop laughing & neither could our family/friends around us.
P.S. I had to include a funny pic that our photographer sent to us where we are cracking up after cutting it!
All of these photos are so so special to us! I cannot wait to share the entire day with you, starting next week! All wedding details from today’s post can be found below! Thanks for stopping by! xx
WEDDING DRESS: WATTERS AZALEA DRESS | EARRINGS: GRANDMOTHER’S | SHOES: STUART WEITZMAN | BRIDESMAID DRESSES: WTOO BY WATTERS | CHURCH: CHRIST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH | VENUE: PROXIMITY HOTEL | PHOTOGRAPHY: ALEXA’S PHOTOGRAPHY | EVENT PLANNING: CARLY MARIE EVENTS | FLORAL: ABBA DESIGN | VIDEOGRAPHY: WHITEWASH FILMS | HAIR & MAKEUP: CARLA WHITE BEAUTY | CAKE: CUPCAKE ARTISTRY | MR. & MRS. CAKE TOPPER: ETSY | |
Omg the second photo of Nick’s face when you walked down the aisle. I WANTED TO CRY. This is the most precious image of all times. Thanks for sharing such a special moment with us. xo elle
Is it not the sweetest?!? I couldn’t control my tears when I saw it!
OMG. I cannot get over how beautiful these are. That dress is one of the most stunning I’ve ever seen! Such a gorgeous bride!! xoxo
Shelby
Aww thank you Shelby for the sweet compliment! XO
Congrats! Your wedding looks beautiful and I love the back of your dress!!
XOXO
Cathy
The back of the dress, the cake topper, the bridesmaids dress color — your wedding photos are just stunning.
Aww thank you for the sweet comments! I really appreciate it! 🙂
Just popping in to say thanks for sharing your perfectly planned wedding, that I will completely copy when it’s my time 😉
xoxo
haha you’re the best, Brianna! Consider it done! You can even borrow some of the decor 😉
These photos brought tears to my eyes, ALL OVER AGAIN! You were the prettiest bride and your day was breathtaking! You need to frame every single one of these shots <3
Ugh you and me both! ALL THE TEARS!!! I’m having to force myself to not frame everything haha!
The back of your dress is absolutely stunning!
Your wedding was so gorgeous! Looking back at photos is always the best! and your dress – OMG! I love it!!
Thanks so much Maggie! I think we have looked at our photos 45763 times already haha!
So pretty! It looks like you had an amazing day! Congrats!
Aahhh I can’t even begin to describe how excited this post got me! We just picked our date and booked the venue this week so I’ve been on cloud nine just beginning this process. Your wedding reception and everything was beautiful! So much inspiration here!
Ahhh congrats to you!! Wedding planning is so much fun (albeit, a bit stressful sometimes!) but it’s such a fun season of life. Excited for you! I have plenty of wedding related posts if you want to take a look 🙂
Congrats again! xo
Ooooh I love seeing wedding photos! Your dress and cake are delightful. Great first dance song choice!
You were such a beautiful bride!!💛💛💛💛
These photos make me feel like I was there!! They’re so beautiful!! Love the pics from your first dance!
-Morgan
How 2 Wear It [] http://how2wearit.com
This is so beautiful! CONGRATS! I love your dress so much.
Such beautiful pictures!! I always love to see the look on the groom’s face when he sees the bride! Priceless!
I’ve followed your blog for quite a few years now and always knew you’d someday make a gorgeous and extremely classy looking bride! I love everything about your wedding and the title of the song you picked goes with the look on your faces, esp his when he looks at you! So so happy for you, thanks for sharing this special moment with us x
So sweet. Love your song choices. And I remember feeling like I didn’t know what to do during the cake part too. Thanks for sharing. Congratulations.
your dress is stunning! I love your up-do with that dress too! so chic!
love,
Britt+Whit
Truly cannot get over how beautiful your wedding was Emily! Your hair was true perfection!
xo Laura Leigh
http://www.louellareese.com
What a beautiful wedding! You were a stunning bride. Love the back on the dress and your hair was perfection.
Loving these highlights!!! Also, the back of your dress is to die for!!!
Your wedding was absolutely beautiful and you looked SO stunning! I am so happy for you. You can see the love and happiness in your eyes!
xx
Lauren
Aw, Nick’s face is pure happiness!! Everything looks so beautiful- love your dress and cake topper!
xo, Kristina
These photos are gorgeous! Love the first look shots!
xo Jessica
http://www.whatsfordinneresq.com
Such a stunning bride and a gorgeous wedding! Loved this post.