After we got engaged, it was time to plan our civil ceremony, or our "Engagement Party" as we liked to refer to it. We had to get legally married to begin the immigration process, which we wanted to start ASAP. It was really important to us (or rather me) that we had a big and beautiful Catholic wedding, and it was just not possible to plan the type of wedding that I (we) wanted in a short amount of time. So we decided to have a civil ceremony first, and than the wedding of my dreams at a later date. Also, we wanted to make sure that our first days and weeks as newlyweds were spent together, which would not have been possible if we didn't have a civil marriage first. So we got to planning!
We did the ceremony in my mom's living room. It was simple and lovely. I wore a cream shift dress with gold detailing and gold heels that were way too high. Matthew wore a suit that I purchased for him as an engagement present, and a gold tie to match my outfit! The whole colour scheme of the even was shades of creams, golds, and browns.
Warren Reynolds, our officiant, was amazing. He had a wonderful presence, and the ceremony he performed was just beautiful. Before the ceremony, I kept saying that this one was like the marriage equivalent of doing my taxes. But during it, I couldn't keep the tears at bay! I can't remember quite what he said, but I know it was very touching.
We decided that we wanted to have our immediate family present, because even though we did not consider this to be "the real thing", we thought that it was a significant and important step, and our family would like to witness it. It was important to me that this day be special, but I did not want it to overshadow the actual wedding day. Matthew's family travelled from Vermont for the weekend, and we hired an officiant to come to my mother's house and perform the ceremony.
We did the ceremony in my mom's living room. It was simple and lovely. I wore a cream shift dress with gold detailing and gold heels that were way too high. Matthew wore a suit that I purchased for him as an engagement present, and a gold tie to match my outfit! The whole colour scheme of the even was shades of creams, golds, and browns.
Warren Reynolds, our officiant, was amazing. He had a wonderful presence, and the ceremony he performed was just beautiful. Before the ceremony, I kept saying that this one was like the marriage equivalent of doing my taxes. But during it, I couldn't keep the tears at bay! I can't remember quite what he said, but I know it was very touching.
This is our wedding party. My sister and brother, and Matthew's sister and brother. The girls even accidently coordinated in chocolate brown dresses! I made my bouquet out of three orange calla lilies, and wrapped the stems in a gold ribbon.
After the ceremony, we had toasts. Matthew is not a man of many words, but his toast was perfect: "To the first of the many beautiful steps that we are about to take together".
We sat down to a beautiful dinner together; My mom really outdid herself! This was also a great time for our families to get to know one another better.
And what would a non-wedding be without cake! I think our mutual love for anything sweet is clear in our expressions.
All in all, our "Engagement Party" was fabulous. A word to all of you fortunate enough to be having a small wedding, but worried that you won't get that big bridal feeling: as long as you are surrounded by the ones you love, it will be the most beautiful day of your life.
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