Real wedding: Jessica and Hunter

There is no way to relay every detail and personal touch of their day. It was simply a beautiful wedding. I'll try to hit some highlights.

First, can I say that this was an incredibly fun wedding to be a part of. Jessica and Hunter are not only very much in love and excited to be getting married (and living in the same country again), but are also loyal friends. The bridal party was just that--a party!

Jessica made such a beautiful bride! She was one of the stunning and most classic looking looking brides I have ever seen. Throughout her wedding day, Jessica was totally calm. Everything seemed to go smoothly and she did a great job of enjoying the day and staying stress free. She, and her maids, hung out in the church parlor and relaxed as they waited for pictures.

All day she was anxious and excited to see Hunter. They chose to see one another before the ceremony (posts will soon follow with mine and Amore's thoughts on this). They entered the sanctuary with only their mothers looking on from a distance. For Jessica, this was a great decison and helped calm any nerves she may have had.

The ceremony was officiated by her brother-in-law, which made it super personal and touching. Jessica and Hunter chose to write their own vows. Now I admit I'm skeptical of writing one's own vows (Jennifer Aniston vowed to make Brad Pitt's favorite bananna milkshake during their wedding and we all know how that one turned out *cough* Angelina). Jessica and Hunter's vows were serious, personal, and enduring. Their vows were personal, classic, and yet another personal touch to their ceremony.

One of my favorite reception detail was the "boat o' doughnuts." The groom doesn't love cake so they substituted a groom's cake with a sailboat full of his favorite doughnuts. The sailboat symbolized the groom's love of travel. The "boat o' doughnuts" was a huge hit!

The father-daughter dance was emotional for everyone! It was pretty unavoidable when they chose to dance to Heartland's I Loved Her First. As they danced, a slideshow of pictures of Jessica and her father througout the years played. By the end of the song they were no longer dancing and were simply turned to watch the slide show as they cried.

Can I just rave about their wedding photographer, Julie Roberts? She's amazing and wonderful! She made the day go smoothly and her photographs are simply amazing. I would love to be so lucky to have her shoot my wedding some day. Jessica introduced us and I asked her if she would be my friend. I've "blog stalked" her for months and encourage everyone else to become a fan too. You might have to scroll down a few posts, but watching Jessica and Hunter's slide show is worth it. See Jessica and Hunter's wedding photographs and check out her blog at Julie Roberts Photography.

P.S. I caught the bouquet :-)

--Love