A Glorious Wedding

Just over three weeks ago I was wed to my beloved Julie Ann. I finally have a few minutes to sit and blog about it all. I decided against a detailed synopsis of what happened, since most of the people who read this blog were present anyway, but I am going to provide, in bulleted fashion, a list of highlights of the day.

• Things started off pretty stormy. Our morning brunch was forcibly relocated from the awning in the front yard to inside the house. Luckily Mom's living room/kitchen is perfectly suited to host a party of exactly such a number of guests. We were glad to have a little something before the afternoon wedding to get the Party started and get loved ones gathered near.

Seethong and Mai Chou Yang came all the way from Appleton, WI to visit and to attend the wedding. It was my first time meeting Emerson Cojtus, their 3-month old baby. OMGsocute.

Kami had just finished doing Julie's hair, which was gorgeous! It looked even better later on when the flowers and ribbon were added. Those girls were up and working on it at 7 am.
What a couple of troopers!

Here you see a photo of what the storm did to the awning and the table setup we hadall ready to go. Things were looking pretty grim for the reception later that evening...

• I forgot this when Julie, I and our escorts headed to the temple. Yes, I raced back to find it, and yes, I panicked when I couldn't, and yes, I said a little prayer, and yes, I found it just in time. (Much thanks to Amber's skills for providing it. It was a perfect companion piece to the strand of pearls and the pearl earrings I gave Julie for her birthday.)
  

• We had a really lovely sealing in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple. The officiating sealer was Alvin G. Schow, evidently randomly assigned to us. I don't remember everything he said, but he talked about the importance of covenants and how we will report to Heavenly Father in a little PPI (his euphemism for Judgment Day). All I know is that I was so happy to have this beautiful girl sitting next to me and so many of our loved ones gathered around. And yes, I was a little misty when he declared us husband and wife. I'm not ashamed of my emotionality.
  
• And then she appeared in her full wedding attire and my jaw almost quite literally hit the ground, I had never seen anyone look so beautiful.

• Less than 30 minutes after emerging triumphantly as husband and wife, thanks to the expert organizational and photographical skills of Matt and Travis from Tandem Photographers, we had all of our group shots with everyone and were on our way to taking the traditional couple photos around the temple. They turned out just beautiful! (This is just a random sampling, I have posted hundreds of wedding photos on facebook in the last few days for those who are interested.) As you will notice, the weather cleared up perfectly, leading to a nice, cool afternoon and a blue sky dotted with white, fluffy clouds. I almost stressed in the morning, but all was well by the time we headed to the temple.

(Emily, we missed you so, but we're so glad you're doing so great. Hang in there!)

Yes, we kind of just wanted to mix it up for those last two pictures. Random, I know, but it was fun. We love you, Laceland!Mah boyz.

And now, presenting highlights from the official wedding photos:

Special thanks again to Tandem Photographers for the professional and friendly experience.

• The reception was a huge success, by all accounts:

~ The tent resumed its former, upright position, and the weather remained gorgeous and even kind of cool all the night long.

~ The cake was beautiful, and turned out exactly as Julie hoped it would. (And wow, it tasted really good. Thanks, Dawna, and hurrah, the colors were just right too.)


~ The guests were smiling and abundant, and we were happy to share the evening with so many loved ones.

I like to call the above two the "Sisters Do As Sisters Should" photos.And this one is the "Brothers Do as Brothers Should."

And this one is the "Former Elders in the WMM Do As Former Elders in the WMM Should."

~ The music and slideshow were a big hit, though it took some doing to get it started. Special thanks to Dan Findley for his moral support.

~ Then of course we had to take some awkward pictures. If there's one thing we love better than awkward wedding photos that somehow look just like bad prom pictures, it's wedding photos that are intentionally awkward. But I think we love the first ones better, though it was fun to take some really bad ones. Special thanks to Lili for posing us just right.

~ Then we just couldn't take it anymore and busted up laughing.

~ Then of course we had to take some LOST Club pictures...

~ And a few Disneyland reunion pictures...

~ And then it was finally time to head out! And a special thanks to the Disneyland Club for decorating the car so tastefully and celebratorily. (Best made-up word ever.)

We drove away and all I could think about is how lucky I am to have this newlywed bride sitting next to me, and that we would never again be parted, in this life or the next. I was so over being single, and I know this is the girl who was meant to break my nearly three-decade streak of bachelorhood. Maybe it won't always be a picnic (as some people feel the need to inform newlyweds for some inexplicable reason), but even during struggles and trials I know I can still be happy because I have my beautiful and patient companion by my side, and we were sealed for time and all eternity by the power of God. Ah, yeah.

Honeymoon post coming soon! Stay tuned...