The Wedding Party

May 16th was one of the most perfect days in all of history.  Even though I am positive every bride says that about their own wedding day.  But it was truly a day I never wanted to end.    

When Andrew and I began planning our wedding reception we had a few requests.  Our first decision was that we were not having a reception... we were having a party.  And a party to us meant absolutely no line.  There was nothing that sounded worse to me than standing in a line for hours.  We wanted to celebrate.  Celebrate by spending time with the people we loved most and eating lots of really good food.  

We also requested that our party was an outdoor party.  Luckily, the Menlove's have the most stunning backyard.  And luckily, thanks to my mother's continual prayers, the weather was nothing but perfect.  Overcast.  Not too hot, not too cold.  And our final request was fire.  Our wedding had to involve fire because not only did our relationship begin with fire dancing but it was the way Andrew had proposed to me.  

Andrew and I have been blessed with the most amazing group of friends.  We are so grateful each and everyone of these great people spent the whole day partying with us.

And we are even more blessed with the most amazing families.

Missing our Katie.  Luckily her cardboard twin could attend and was the most popular guest there.

Andrew had one request.  Okay I lied... he had a few.  He wanted a medieval themed wedding complete with chickens, pigs, knights, horses, and a bounce house.  And as you can see that request didn't quite make the cut.  However, his other request was rootbeer floats.  Rootbeer was Andrew's first love and it began when he was a very small child so rootbeer floats was a must.  And what goes better with rootbeer floats than burgers?  Luckily my dad is best friends with the owner of Hire's Big H and so we ended up with the most amazing food I think there ever was at a wedding. 

All our darling grandparents

Probably the most darling and my very favorite guest to attend our wedding.

Andrew and I both share a hatred for too much frosting and so a naked cake was the most perfect solution.  Not only did it turn out stunning, it was delicious, and it matched that whole stripe thing we had going on.

So grateful that Tracy captured these moments.  The true Beth and Andrew captured below.

The battle for the bouquet.  The struggle is real.

My very favorite picture.  He is the most handsome groom I have ever seen.

I don't think I've ever cried harder.  And luckily there are zero pictures of me not sobbing during the daddy-daughter dance.  So grateful for my darling dad who gave me the party of my dreams.

Andrew has a knack for surprising me which is generally pretty hard to do considering I am the nosiest person on the planet.  But I about died of surprise watching these fireworks go off after our last dance.  Thanks to our groomsmen-fire-technicians for helping make that happen. 

And an even greater thanks to my very best friend who planned, prayed, crafted, baked, and made sure every little detail was absolutely perfect.

We ended the night with one last surprise for our guests.  After a few failed attempts the night before we came up with the perfect mixture of gasoline and oils to create the most grand exit there ever was.  Because lets be real an exit isn't grand if there isn't fire lining your path.  

    

One final thanks to my Uncle Mark for letting us drive his baby.

Our photographer Tracy Hill.

Our florist Christianne Cox.

Our band Stone Mountain.

Penelope for creating my dress.

And Chase Busath for the film that we cannot wait to see!