The Dixons: Wedding Bliss!

It's been a while since I've posted in the old blog! Let's just say it has been crazy busy around here ;) I finally have a little time to stop and breath....right before school starts Monday. Ew! Not really looking forward to it, but I guess it'll be nice to get back into the swing of things. After all it's been part of my life for the past 21 years! On the bright side though only a year and a semester till I am done.....or four semesters, which I don't know about you, sounds a lot better to me than a year and a semester haha. Then I will, hopefully, be graduated with a Bachelor's in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education and on my way to be a teacher! Woohoo!

But let's get to the real reason why I started this post :) My wedding day! August 3rd, 2012. To say it was perfect does not do it justice....it was more than perfect. There were only a few bumps along the way, as far as plans getting put into action, but other than that it went smoothly and I felt this indescribable happiness all day. Me, Shay and my mom arrived at the temple at 10:00. I had so many butterflies in my stomach and was nervous what the day would bring. But through all of that, every time I looked at Shay I felt peace and knew I had nothing to be scared of or to be nervous for. Plus my mom was by my side too. From 10 to 12 was a blur. The wedding ceremony itself was beautiful and I couldn't have been happier to be sealed to Shay for time and all eternity and to have him as my companion for this life and the next. After the ceremony, I changed into my wedding gown before going out to take pictures with the family. The bride's changing room inside the temple is gorgeous and you can't help but feel so beautiful when you are in there. The chandeliers are magnificent and the mirrors are amazing. Everything in that room is perfect and not a thing is out of place. It was really cool to see other brides as well and to share in their happiness. Every single one of us was glowing and happy in our own individual way. After changing, we went out and took pictures with the family. That was so much fun and the photographer did an amazing job. Here are some from the temple for you to take a gander at :) These are just a few. I will for sure post more later.

Shay and I right after we came out of the temple

My side of the family

Brothers, Sisters, and Parents

From L to R: Dad, Step Mom, Me, Shay, and My Mom

Sisters L to R: Anna, Sister-in-Law Emily, Me, Summerly, Phoebe, Amy

Brothers L to R: Brother-in-law Troy, Jimmy, Me, Mike, and Nephew Kevin

Hilarious picture with all the boys L to R: Quin, Jimmy, Zac, Shay, Kevin, Troy, and Mike

I was so excited to get the pictures from my wedding day back. There were over 220 pictures! From the temple and reception combined. I want to print some off and start putting them in a scrapbook, but I just don't know where to begin. After the temple we had our luncheon at Jeremiah's, which was so yummy. There we shared a slide show Shay and I had made and our parents said a few words.....then lastly Shay played sang a song for me while he played the guitar. A moment that I will cherish forever.... :) When the luncheon was over, it was onto the reception. The reception went great. There were a few snags here and there, but surprisingly I just took a deep breath and said, "Come what may!" Shay was actually the one freaking out haha. The day before the wedding we made a promise to each other that if either of us freaked out or were getting stressed we would calm each other down. This was because we knew this day was once in a lifetime. We wanted it to be a day of happy memories, since it was something we had both been planning and looking forward to for months! As the reception went on more and more people came. It was so good to see everyone and even more exciting when it came time to cut the cake and do the dances. I loved the daddy/daughter dance and the dance with Shay was everything I imagined it would be. I danced to "I hope you dance" by Leanne Womack with my dad and with Shay we danced to "All about us" by He is We. After the dances we did the garter and bouquet toss then ran to Shay's car through a tunnel of sparklers! Not gonna lie, I was real nervous haha. I did NOT want my veil to catch flame and end the night in the ER or something for a fried head haha. Luckily that didn't happen and Shay and I rode away in a decked out car with a lantern on his antenna and cans tagging along on his bumper. I am so grateful for my wedding day and try to remember it often. Not so much just because of what happened but because of the promises I made to Shay and my Heavenly Father. It was and always will be one of the best days of my life!

(Here are just a few from the reception.....there were tons. It will be a long process haha but I will post more when I have time!)