Getting Ready - Wedding Series {Part 1}

Well hey guys!
It feels like it has been FOREVER since I last blogged. Probably because it has been...
I have thought often about coming on here to post wedding pictures, tell random stories about the wedding, and thoughts about married life, but life is literally CRAZY busy around here.
Since getting married we have gone on a honeymoon, made a whirlwind trip to Calgary to visit the Calgary Stampede, went on several camping trips, I've worked with my family during harvest, and silage season has started... so all of this has kept us literally hopping!

But hopefully now with harvest slowing down, I'll have a bit more time to tend to this little blog.

Anyway.
How about a few wedding pictures?

Our wedding date, June 16, 2018.
The venue, the backyard of our soon-to-be home.

Two days before the wedding, Ben, myself, and some family all worked hard to get the yard looking good. We mowed, raked, weeded, and once the day was over... it seemed perfect.

The next day was moving day. Ben and I moved all of our belongings into our house. That evening, we had a HUGE hailstorm rip through our neighbourhood. And when I say huge, I mean broken windows, wrecked siding, and sadly... tree shredding damage.
So, the morning before our wedding saw both Ben's family and mine working to clean up the many, many branches that we strewn all over our newly cleaned yard.

We were both SO thankful not only that the storm came the day before our wedding instead of the day of, but also for the friends and family that worked so hard to get the place wedding ready again.
We spent all of Friday setting up for our dream outdoor wedding. The rehearsal went through without a hitch... though I attended in sweaty clothes and messy hair. :)
By 11:30 that night, we collapsed into bed, I was glad to be so tired, because it didn't take me long to fall asleep.

Then, wedding day.
I began the day with a cup of coffee, and a few moments to just take it all in. I was getting married to my best friend. My life was about to become the one I had always dreamed of.
I presented my almost-husband with the journals I had been writing to him since I was 18. That was such a special moment! I read him the last page, in which I wrote about how all of my dreams were coming true, and that I was marrying the man of my dreams. I ugly cried because it hit me how blessed I was that God had given me such an incredible gift in Ben. I was overwhelmed by the answer to all of those prayers that I prayed over 9 years. So definitely and absolutely worth the wait.
We then spent a couple of hours getting last things set up for the wedding.

The day called for rain in the afternoon... which had me extremely nervous the whole time I was being transformed into a bride.
10:00 a.m. saw my girls and I headed to get ready at a salon.

Credit to these, and any wedding pictures goes to my AMAZING sister Meg. Ever since she has been a photographer I've know that I wanted her to do my pictures. I could pick her pictures out of everyone else, I would think to myself "I LOVE that photo, I bet Meg took it." and sure enough, it was her every time. She captured the wedding in just the way I dreamed... and I can't sing her praises enough!! Thanks Meg!!

Looking at these pictures, I can see the nerves all over my face. I don't know how many times I asked God to please let it not rain. :)

My dress. 

I know I've already used the word "dreams" over and over, but it will just testify to the perfect-ness of this day. 

This was the dress of my dreams.

That was the getting ready portion!

I've still got SO many pictures to share, stay tuned. :)