(Not sure how else to give credit so: All photos with a "*" were taken by Brett Crawford Photography http://brettcrawfordphoto.com/ )
Our Wedding Weekend:
The weekend kicked off with David's family arriving early. It was so wonderful seeing the brothers reunited again, as they hadn't seen each other since Christmas - a record length for the best friend/brother duo.
Here are the guys trying on our photo booth props and being silly. (Can you see me trying to photo bomb in the back?)
Friday night we had a large crowd at our house for the rehearsal dinner. All of our out of town guests were invited. We had guests from Colorado, California, Georgia, South Carolina, Missouri, Arkansa, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York - so amazing!. A huge highlight was seeing two of my friends that I had studied in Africa with - hadn't seen them since we parted ways in Rwanda! We decorated the barn for extra seating and it was fun to invite our loved ones into our home.
Friday I was incredibly sick with a bad cold and had lost most of my voice. I was really worried that I would be miserable the next day - as the doctor had said there was nothing they could do to speed up my recovery. For someone who avoids medicine at all cost, I was begging for some kind of miracle shot or something to make me better. I left the party early to soak in a nice bath and have a Nyquil induced sleep. It was comforting to doze off to the sounds of my beloved family and friends having a nice evening right outside my window, and even more amazing knowing that the very next day I would be marrying my best friend.
September 1st 2012
Praise God! The morning of our wedding dawned bright and beautiful, and though I was still feverish, I felt ten times better than I had the night before! No better day than your wedding day to wake up feeling good! It rained lightly for a half hour in the morning - another good sign I hear. :)
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The girls all got ready at my house. Two good friends from college also came to help everyone fix their hair, and to bring the million and one items we forgot and frantically called about on the way to the church.
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I was oddly very calm all morning. No nerves or jitters, just ready to get married! The only thing that rocked my tranquility was that we realized we had forgotten to pick up the flowers five minutes before the shop closed! Thankfully some of the girls ran out to get them and the flowers arrived safely and were beautiful.
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We took a few pictures of us girls at my house and then changed back out of our dresses so that they wouldn't wrinkle on the 45min drive to my church.
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Wedding colors were dark blue and gold to match David's Army dress uniform. I love the way the colors looked together.
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"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord"
Before the Ceremony
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Here are the guys helping each other put on their boutineers.
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Putting on my wedding dress for the second time that day.
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Love this shot of my sister helping me with my shoes.
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Pre-ceremony prayer.
3:30 PM Ceremony - David and Kendall get Married!
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Precious shots of Dave seeing me walk down the aisle <3
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Gahh! He is so handsome!! Thank goodness for photos because I didn't have my glasses on and was therefore blind to this moment until I got up to the front.
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There is no better feeling than floating down the aisle towards the love of your life.
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I held it together for most of the service, but lost it when I started reading my vows to Dave. Our siblings made the wedding ceremony truly special for us. Both brothers read scripture, and my sister sung "When God Made You" by Newsong.
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Our first steps as Mr. and Mrs. Berry!
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Hugging my HUSBAND
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Woohoo! Married!
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Our families:
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My brother lent us his car for the day. Thanks Gus!
Everyone thought that we were on our way to the reception by car, but instead we had Jason drop us off as the nearby airfield where we got a helicopter ride in to the reception! Dave is a helicopter pilot, so it was his dream to have that somehow incorporated into our wedding - we were so happy that a week before the wedding it became a possibility! This was one of the most exciting parts of our day, as I had never been in a helicopter before, and it was a lot of fun to surprise our friends and family.
One of my favorite pictures...I'm so excited!!
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My father marched us up to the crowd while playing his bagpipes! It felt like a royal entrance - helicopter, bagpipes, and the most handsome prince!
Thanks Dad!
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Our reception was at the Maynard Rod and Gun Club. When we first rented the space I had no idea how we were going to decorate it to make it both pretty and wedding-y, as well as country and rustic. Thank goodness for our new friend Monika who took our vision and made it happen! The reception was so beautiful and had the quirky, country, and comfortable feel I was hoping it would have. Here are a few pictures:
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The caribou head actually looked cute!
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Burlap ribbon around a jar of fresh cut flowers
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We embossed the table settings (one of my new favorite craft ideas!)
Guest put their thumb print on our "Berry bush" - get it? :) I can't wait to frame this and hang it in our home!
Up in front of the dance floor was our sweetheart table. I just loved the warm colors and lights behind us.
Here is our cake - the topper next to us was on David's grandparents cake 60 years ago, and was passed on to us as a gift. So special!
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Here we are laughing at my sister's wedding toast and having a wonderful time!
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In hind sight, we could have been a lot more messy when feeding each other cake...I think in the moment we didn't want to mess up each others faces or outfits right before the first dance.
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"Don´t know how I lived without you
'Cuz every time that I get around you
I see the best of me inside your eyes
You make me smile
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild" Smile by Uncle Kracker
'Cuz every time that I get around you
I see the best of me inside your eyes
You make me smile
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild" Smile by Uncle Kracker
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Dad and I danced to "I Loved her First" by Heartland
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I wish I could go back with a ton of energy and dance for another 3 hours! It was a blast! Two of our friends helped us out by MCing and DJing the evening. Thanks Brandon and Tim!
Having a shorter dress for the reception was a lifesaver - I was incredibly hot and my huge princess wedding dress was cutting off my ability to breathe. I felt so much better after I changed and could move and breathe easily again!
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My brother caught the garter and our family friend, Megan, caught the flowers. So cute :)
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So happy, and content, and sleepy.
Thank you to all of our family and friends who came to celebrate our wedding day with us. Dave and I were truly overwhelmed by the love and support we felt as we began our lifetime together. We can't thank you guys enough for your help, love and prayers.
So far, I can hardly believe how incredible it is to be married. Every day I get to wake up next to a kind, loving and selfless man who is truly my best friend. It's amazing that my love for Dave grows stronger every day - I didn't know that could actually happen, but it does! I can't thank God enough for my husband, he is truly the biggest gift I have ever been entrusted with.
If you are interested in watching it, here is the link to our wedding video, made by my dear friend, Mary Kate:
Or here is the extended version:
* Photos with a "*" were taken by Brett Crawford http://brettcrawfordphoto.com/
