One Year

I can't believe it has already been one year since our wedding. The memories of those two weeks are seared in my memory, and I hope they always will be. I remember the day we left for Jamaica like it was yesterday. We headed down before our guests so we could have a few days to ourselves. I remember the rush of excitement I felt at the airport as I waited with our bags while Markus parked the car. I kept thinking "when I come back to Richmond I will be Mrs. Hakkarainen". I carried my dress on the flight, something I'm sure they see all the time. But the flight attendant still made a fuss over me and I was so excited to tell her we were going to Jamaica to get married. She congratulated me and at the end of the flight made an announcement to everyone who the brides were on the plane. There were 3! So. Much. Excitement.

One year later and I am still excited. Excited that we found each other and were able to make it to that beach with all of our friends and family to witness our vows. Excited because we have had such an amazing first year together. Excited about what the future holds for us. And excited to grow our family and grow old together.

I have so many memories of that day but I think Tisha, our wedding photographer, sums it up best in this video she made for us. We watched it this morning and it put a huge smile on my face. Her photographs will always be there to help fill in the gaps when memory fails. And for that I am forever grateful. Thank you, Tisha!

Happy 1 year anniversary to my husband. You are more than I ever dreamed for. I couldn't have asked for a better family and best friend.

Now, on to the baby making (JUST KIDDING!) :o)

Procrastination is my middle name

I am finally getting around to uploading our wedding photos. Which means I'm that much closer to having pictures on our walls and some sort of album made. Hopefully all before our 1 year anniversary. Did anyone else feel overwhelmed by this process? Our photographer did an AMAZING job capturing all the little moments of our wedding weekend. So amazing that there are over 1,000 photos and 1/2 of them are my favorite. It's so hard to narrow down which ones are frame and album worthy. Our house doesn't have that many walls, I don't want it to look like a shrine to our wedding but I do want to have some photos up. Maybe I can hang them on the walls and throw darts. Whatever I hit stays.

But seriously, I've started narrowing down some of my favorites so I thought I would share them on the blog. Most of my favorites are the day of the wedding while Markus and I were separated. I wasn't around and it's fun to see what everyone else was doing while I was getting ready. It's also nice to see the ceremony from different angles. I was so focused with what was going on with us that I forgot to look around at the details. So here they are in no particular order.

This is my favorite picture of Markus. This is while the girls and I were getting ready at the spa. That smile is genuine, so I know he was having a good time.

This is another taken the day of. It's good to know they were having fun. I was worried Markus was going to be too nervous.

Doesn't everyone look sharp in their suits?

I had to show this one. Calming the nerves before he walks down the aisle.

Meanwhile the girls and I were getting ready.

I love that this photo captures my jewelry, bouquet, and the flowers in my hair. If you look closely you can see Markus' mothers wedding ring on my pinky.

We are leaving for the ceremony. I'm so excited! Always the planner, Erin remembered to grab umbrellas. The sky was just turning dark at this point.

Mom helping Dad before walking me down the aisle.

Doesn't Dad look sharp? I was so excited to see Markus. We hadn't seen each other since the night before.

Meme, Mom, & Grandmama Chenault. Three pretty ladies.

I don't remember what is going on here but I love the colors. And Markus' face.

I was so worried the rain would ruin the photos but look at this amazing sky! And, my beautiful ladies in their pink & green.

Another great background courtesy of the rain (and Tisha's amazing photography)

This was taken while we were waiting to go into the reception. I think Markus is whispering "I need a drink!"

Mr. and Mrs. Hakkarainen! My face is saying "wait, that can't be my last name???"

This picture explains how Lindsay and Carlos are expecting twins in July!

There are so many from the day after session that I love but here are a few of my favorites. I love the contrast between the white dress and the aqua water and honestly these were the most fun to take. Our photographer, Tisha, even got in the pool with us!

The End!