Drew and I are celebrating one year of marriage today I really can’t believe one year has gone by! Where the heck has time gone?? It’s been the best year of life and I feel so honored to call Drew my husband and intimately walk through life with him. He’s my best friend, biggest cheerleader, helps slow me down, forgives me when I’m mean, cheers me up, and pushes me to Jesus. I am SO excited and thankful that we get to keep making memories & grow together for many, many years to come.

Here’s a few things we’ve experienced over the past year:

• We escaped to the mountains for our honeymoon
• Loss of Mon’s Great Grandma Gorman (age 99- 1 month from 100)
• 2 family vacations to Maine & Georgia 
• First flight together
• Starting a photography business together
• Making new friends & keeping in touch with old friends
• Marriage conference in Cincinnati
• All of our first holidays as a married couple
• Hosting family & friends for meals, sleepovers, game nights & holiday celebrations in our first apartment
• Mon popping her first car tire
• 1 year of grad school completed (great job Drew!) 1 year to go
• Loss of Drew’s family dog Maggie (13 years old)
• Celebrating both of us turning 23 (6 months apart)
• Camping trips in the fall & spring! Just the two of us and with friends

 

Here’s a few things we’ve learned over the past year:

• Marriage is the best & hardest thing either of us has ever experienced
• God is so good to us
• Monica likes to buy a lot of flowers
• We need to have boundaries with technology so we can connect better
• Drew is a really really good cook
• We’re really selfish. And we need Jesus to love each other well.
• How to manage money together Dave Ramsey style
• Drew drinks an absurd amount of carbonated water (PTL for soda stream!)
• You should never try to hang a picture frame collage together when you’re tired and hungry
• Drew likes to sprawl when he comes home. He leaves his shoes by the door, his jacket on the couch, his bag in the middle of the floor, his pants next to the dirty laundry hamper. At first, this drove me crazy. And sometimes it still does. But, I’ve learned that I can either choose to be upset about it OR be grateful that those things are all around because that means he’s there 🙂
• Drew only calls Mon “Monica” when he’s upset. Otherwise, it’s “Mon”

 

In the spirit of reflecting on all that God has done, here’s a peek into our favorite day with our favorite people! 

our wedding day

HUGE thanks to our sweet friend Nora for making this video for us and to Holly Lynn Photography (Nora snagged a few as well!) for all these images! Shoutout to all our vendors listed below.

Doing a first look with my dad & older brothers, Aaron & Dan, was one of my favorite parts of the day. It was so special and nice to see them for a few minutes alone to soak in everything that was happening. If you’re on the fence about this…I HIGHLY recommend!!

A photo of my sweet momma in her wedding dress! She celebrated with us from heaven that day 🙂

I know I’m biased but COME ON!! These are the most beautiful ladies!!

Drew and I opted out of a first look, and we prayed together before hand back-to-back instead. Drew was sobbing, so I did all the praying haha. Really fun anticipation!

Showin’ off their engraved knives. If you’re looking for a great groomsmen gift, these knives are the way to go!

our ceremony

Drew’s dad married us which was SO special!! Love him to pieces & his+Diane’s marriage is such a Godly example to us! 

Our brothers performed Grow Old With Me by Tom Odell. Dan (my older brother) sang while JT (Drew’s younger brother) played the piano. I teared up A LOT during this!

Our oldest friends, Sam and Lexi, read the tributes Drew and I wrote for our parents. I loved watching our parents faces during this! Drew told some pretty funny stories- hence my reaction above haha

Both of our extended families above & our immediate families below 🙂

our reception

My dad did a toast & prayer before we scarfed down City BBQ!

Shoutout to our brother, Justin, who made this Go Pro video!

HUGE THANK YOU to our parents, friends, family & amazing vendors! We loved sharing this special day with all of you!!

Venu: The Honeysuckle Ranch The venue we originally booked actually fell through 3 months out (so stressful yikes!) so we scrambled to get another venue for the size of our wedding in that short of a time and The Honeysuckle Ranch made it happen! They were SO sweet, extremely helpful and accommodating and took really good care of us. They’re tucked away in the woods & have a beautiful property. They even got us a wedding gift which was so sweet!

Catering: City BBQ. If you’re into BBQ, they are hands down the BEST option! Amazing food and excellent service!

Invitation Suite: Erica Griffith 

Arch, decorative ceremony tables, wood slices for centerpieces, cake stand, & wood doors: Uncle Bob. Check out his BEAUTFUL work at  A Touch of Walnut! He rents out wedding items and takes custom orders!

Florals: The Flower Man We got a large discount for assembling the flowers ourselves! It was really fun to do with my bridesmaids (although we were pooped after!) soo we celebrated/treated ourselves with Ladies Night at the Melting Pot

Wedding Gown: from Lillians Bridal They have GREAT selection and they make it a really fun, luxurious “dress up” experience! I also go my veil and alterations from here.

Bridesmaid Dresses /Bridesmaids Gifts: Made By Mary Designs/ Groomsmen+dad’s+brother’s Gifts: Kershaw Knives

Thanks for following along with our favorite day! 

XOXO

Mon