Team McLeod : Time Stops

Collin was waiting with Fred at the front and all the guests were seated and waiting. As a guest, this part seems to take forever. A lot of anticipation builds just waiting for the bride to make her entrance. I don't know how long those couple minutes were for Collin but on my end they flew by. Even running a few minutes behind for the start of the day we made up for it somehow and started the ceremony exactly on time; to the minute.
I couldn't hear it from where I was but the background music had been seamlessly replaced by the ceremony songs that started to play. My dad escorted my mom down to her front row seat before returning to walk me down the aisle.


Another tune for your listening pleasure: Time Stops by Explosions in the Sky. This is "our band" - the soundtrack to our lives together. Countless hours have been spent listening to their songs and talking, or sleeping, or driving or anything else. Collin even played me this song on guitar by moonlight on our trip to the Treehouse Hostel in Georgia. I knew from then on that when we were married I wanted to hear this song; I wanted those emotions that so fully encompass our whole journey together to be brought to the front of my mind. I wanted time to stop for us as we became husband and wife.


The wedding party was lined up and ready to go themselves. I'm glad we did a full walk-through at the rehearsal because it saved our butts at the ceremony when we had to kind of wing it with the timing. The music was at just the right volume for our guests but sadly not us.
Rachel and Gabe, our honor attendants, made their way down first.

Then Meggan and Sam.
Followed by Kathryn and Asa.

Anna and Kevin...
Then Kara and Forrest....
Ashley and Sagar...

with Janie and Thomas in last. We put some thought about the order and pairing of our attendants. Questions like, who was together (like Asa and Kat) and who would hit it off well? Who matched in height? What is their relationship to us? In the end we kept it simple (kind of) with the best man and maid of honor first followed by our siblings, then the rest of our friends in a height-friendly order with Janie and Thomas at the end (seeing as they were "junior" attendants).
I wish Gabe was saying something sweet or touching to Collin here, even something like, "look at that hot bride you've got there", but knowing him it's probably more along the lines of, "Can't back out now buddy!".
My dad was waiting with me while the processional started and it was hard for me not to get teary right then. He told me how much he loves me, how he is so proud of me and that I looked more beautiful than he's ever seen me. It was the usual dad stuff that I'm sure many brides hear on their walk down the aisle, but on that day the words were for me. I wish I could remember our whole conversation but like much of this day I just can't. What I will always remember is the feeling of his big strong arm around mine, the creases around his eyes from a beaming smile as he lead me across the lawn to my husband.
I am so proud to be his daughter.

Collin and the groomsmen looked on.


"Who gives this bride in marriage?"
"Her mother and I do."
And then there we were, under the live oak surrounded by love, ready to take our vows and become husband and wife.