Allie + Sebastian Get Married (Part One)

Gosh, it feels good to be back! Where do I even begin? Recapping the past two weeks (aka the best two freaking weeks of my life! aka heaven on Earth) feels like such a monumental, gigantic task. The overflowing emotions, heart-warming words, moments shared... there's so much to tell you!

In the days leading up to the wedding, the word that kept coming back to me was "surreal". I've said it here countless times, and even while boarding the plane, I still couldn't believe it.

The night before our flight, we met up with everyone who'd be joining us on this adventure. We ate, laughed, drank, and the anticipation grew for what was to become the. best. vacation. ever. I couldn't help but look around the room and think, "They're all here... for us?" It filled my heart in ways I can hardly begin to explain. Time had both slowed down and sped up. I couldn't believe we were just days away already, but couldn't wait for everything to unfold. Until, at last, we were in paradise.

Walking onto our resort, I immediately felt calm wash over me. (Palm trees tend to do that sort of thing to a person!) No matter what happened, nothing could bring me down from my state of bliss. And things happened. Walking through airport security, and accidentally passing through the metal detector with my phone in my pocket (my optional digital hiatus was now forced... okay, Universe! I accept your signs!). On the first full day of the trip, Sebastian stepped on coral, and had to visit the doctor to get it removed from his foot, and I lost my beloved sunglasses to the ocean. By lost, I mean, a MASSIVE wave came out of nowhere, smashed into me, sent me flying, and rolling across the shore sending me into a fit of laughter I hadn't even noticed my sunglasses disappeared from my face. Obviously, it was one of my more graceful moments. You gotta give something to get something, I guess? (Mother Nature - 1, Allie - 0)

The day before the wedding, as the boys golfed, Sebastian burned his feet so bad it set the bar for burns. "...hey, do I look red to you?" "Oh yea, you should probably put more sunscreen on." "But... is it like, Sebastian foot burn bad?" "Oh god, no! Not even close." Leaving him the night before the wedding was slightly heart-wrenching, as I watched the burn go from bad to worse (red to purple, the shakes started settling in, and blisters began to form... that bad), and I sat with him as he drenched himself in aloe.

He looked at me, with worry across his face, and said "I don't want to ruin our day because of this." And I knew, deep in my heart, that nothing could. Everything that happened to that point, were just pieces of one magnificent love story.

Wondering how you'll feel the morning of your wedding is a thought that inevitably pops into your head during the planning process. Would I be able to sleep? Will I be a big ol' ball of nerves? Would I be overcome with emotion, burst into tears, and down a whole bottle of champagne? Any scenario you can think of danced through my head during the months leading up to that moment.

On Wednesday April 24th, I woke up to the sun beating through my window, palm trees filled my eyes, and I felt... calm. Totally and completely at peace. Everything led us to that point, and here we were, this was it! Everything was out of my hands and whatever was going to happen, was going to happen. And, if I'm being completely honest, it still didn't feel real.

I kept repeating "I'm getting married today" in my head, and could hardly believe my own words. I was living in a dream, except pinching myself wouldn't wake me. I soaked in those precious, quiet moments, wanting to remember every single feeling and detail. As we dined on room service, I turned to my maid of honour, exclaiming, "I have a feeling this morning is going to slowly creep by."

It didn't. It was as if time exclaimed OKAY! LET'S DO THIS! And sped up in record time, because in a flash, there we were, 30 minutes to go until the ceremony. The butterflies started fluttering around. There I was, standing in the bedroom wearing my white dress with flowers in my hair, my Dad waiting to see me in my dress for the first time in the other room. As I looked out from the door and saw his expression, that was it. Emotions started to flood in, and there were no words that could express how we both felt. Tears came, sweet words of encouragement were shared, and our happiness levels were through the roof. That moment is one I will hold close to my heart now and forever.

With me were my two incredible bridesmaids, my Mom, and my Dad, and as time ticked away, we all looked at each other. Smiles, tears, laughter, butterflies. The whole lot. We were getting so close! With just minutes to spare, we left the room, sang songs in the hallways, and danced towards the beach. Knowing that Sebastian was waiting for me to walk down the aisle had me topped up with anticipation and excitement like I've never experienced. It was the beginning of the smile that would never fade. The beginning of our happily ever after.

There you have it! Part one of our wedding. Today was all about giving you a feel for the big day, the days leading up to the wedding, and the moments before the ceremony. In future posts, I'll dive deeper into the ceremony, the reception, the details, the honeymoon! There's so much more to share.

I'd LOVE to hear what you think so far, so be sure to leave a comment below! (And be on the look-out for tomorrow's post where I'll tell you all about the ceremony... which may or may not include a sneak peek at our wedding video!;)

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