last wedding post, i promise!!

our reception was FUN (kinda freezing, but fun!).  we wanted it to be a party and not super formal and we are so happy it turned out to be just that!  the barn was a pretty blank slate to work with and left lots of room for scheming and dreaming.  thanks to my amazing parents and friends who put up with my schemes and dreams, there was a wholeee lotta DIY going on in the months leading up to our big day.  i would create extremely detailed mock-ups of ideas for the barn [in hawaii], send them to my parents [in california], and they would get to work and send us pictures of the progress!  they’re pretty dang awesome.  i really wish i could have been a bigger part of the making/crafting aspect of our wedding (more than just the week before!), but the logistics of us being here and our wedding being there made that kind of impossible.  we are so grateful to my parents, however, who spent countless hours laboring over and perfecting everything.  my mom made all of the marquee lighting, the fringe tassles, the curtains for the barn, and my dad handcrafted those edison bulb chandeliers!

it was fun to add personal touches and things that felt really “us” into our wedding day.  coffee has been a big part of reis and my relationship which is why we had coffee escort cards/favors and a coffee bar.  (p.s. our good friend tiana drew all of those menus!  she is a crazy talented artist!).  between undergrad, his med school, my old job, and studying for my cpa exam, we’ve practically lived in coffee shops for a good portion of the past 5 years.

our wedding day really was magical and amazing and all those cliche words that people use when describing their wedding.  it was everything we imagined and a whole lot more.  we are so SO thankful and appreciative for everyone that made our day a reality.  we are still blown away by everyone who helped make it our dream day and for all of the constant love and support that we receive from our family and our friends.

beyond all of the fun details of the day itself, for us, our wedding day really was about the celebration of God joining us together as one in Him.  marriage is such a sweet gift and i feel blessed that i’m experiencing it with a really amazing guy.  we have had so much fun the past 5+ months as newlyweds and are looking forward to lots of new + exciting adventures in the months (and years) to come!  cheers to forever with my loverman reis!  thanks for marrying me!

oh and if you missed our wedding video, check it out HERE!  ryan mcduff did a pretty amazing job!

*photos by annie mcelwain

*photos by annie mcelwain

our wedding day was surreal.  i remember waking up feeling giddy with excitement that i was GETTING MARRIED!  after 5 years of dating (including 1 year of long distance), a move to hawaii, an engagement, and 9 busy months of trans-pacific planning, i couldn’t wait to finally marry the man that i’m crazy about and who makes me a better person.  he really makes life so much more fun and i’m so, so grateful for him!

everyone says “your wedding day goes by so fast” (and it really does), so i was determined to savor all of the special moments.  getting ready with all of my bridesmaids was one of my favorite parts of the day.  being surrounded by my best friends before one of the biggest moments of my life meant so much to me and i’m so glad i have these photos to always remember that morning.  i’ve mentioned this before, but my mom spent months sewing my dress by hand to fit me to perfection.  she helped put it on me and seeing it all come to fruition from a sketch was amazing and really special (THANKS MOM!).  it was everything i wanted in a dress and i still love everything about it, especially the back with those lace covered buttons!

reis and i chose to do a first look shoot and i’m so glad we did!  i definitely got butterflies before i walked up to him (like the kind i had when we went on our first few dates..those days were so fun!) and we just hugged each other and laughed and smiled.  kinda cheeseball, but after all, it was our wedding day!!

tomorrow and wednesday i have two more posts on our ceremony and reception and then i pinky promise #jaymeeandreis is done.

the weekend of our wedding, my parents rented a house in montecito for our family and my bridesmaids.  it was really fun to have everyone all together and to have a place where out of town guests could hang out (we had an ice cream party here after the rehearsal dinner!).  saturday before the wedding consisted of a morning starbucks run with my dad, a [heart-shaped] pancake breakfast, manicures + pedicures, a bridesmaids’ lunch at paradise cafe, and my bachelorette party (yes, the night before the wedding)!  meanwhile, the groomsmen were on a day-long hunt for shoes to wear the next day at the wedding, ha!  oh boys.  it all worked out because they ended up finding a major steal on vans shoes that not only had enough pairs AND in everyone’s size, but were only $10!

it was pretty awesome to be surrounded by my best friends in one place at one time because 1) they are all from different phases of my life (some family, some high school, some college) and 2) we all live pretty far apart from each other.  it was also fun to see how well everyone got along!  i totally knew they would, but it’s just cool seeing all of your best friends having a great time hanging out together.  bridal parties are usually a mix of friends, so i love when everyone bonds and it’s just one bff-fest all weekend long!  they sure did an over-the-top job of spoiling me that weekend and making me feel super special.  i am indeed blessed to have such amazing friends and i am grateful for each and every one of them!

*photos mostly by janelle, some by me & my sis – thanks again janelle for being my weekend photog!