The best day of my life...extended version!

Well I guess I will just start with Friday, the start of the crazy weekend! Well I went to pick up Lindsay Friday morning and we drove to Carrollton to get me a spray tan...so if you think I look tan in my wedding pictures it is all thanks to Indulge Spa! After the spray tan Lindsay and I headed to Chick-Fil-A for some breakfast and well ended up being about an hour stop because we got to talking about everything, had a few tears, laughs, and everything in between it was def. a great sister time! After that we were headed to Matt's mom's house to do some wedding stuff. Well when we got back in the car (where I had left my cell phone) I have like 4 missed calls from Matt. He knew we were headed that way so I thought he just got paranoid that we had gotten in a wreck or something (he is a little bit of a worry wort) so I call back and no answer...no big deal because he was doing yard work at his moms. Well I call back a little later and his mom answers and tells me Matt is in the hospital! Yes 2 days before our wedding and my husband to be is in the hospital! Well I went through some flipping out moments but by the time Lindsay and I made it in to Tyrone Matt was feeling much better and they were headed home. So thank the Lord that they think it was a kidney stone and that he passed it without much pain. With that crisis over with Lindsay and I started tying ribbons on programs and Matt got back to the yard work (an hour after being in the hospital...what a trooper my hubs is!) Later that day we went to eat with my gramps and gran who came in from NC for the wedding. We just love them so much and after all their years of being together they still hold hands and flirt with eachother....I can't wait for Matt and I to be their age and still so in love!

Well Saturday morning came so fast and all the girls met at Phyllis' house to have some drinks before heading to the bridal luncheon. It was so amazing to finally be surrounded by all of my best friends and sisters and this is when it really started to feel real that I was getting married this weekend!The bridal luncheon was so much fun it was at this adorable place in Fayetteville called City Cafe, the food looked like something off the Food Network Channel and the best part was just getting to hang out with all my girls! This is also when I gave the girls their present from me and to my surprise they also had one for me...all the bridesmaids put together a scrapbook each page was of me and a different bridesmaid, it was such a sweet present and made me actually start crying (which if you know me is not a very common thing, although it happens more often these days...darn birth control!) It really is a beautiful present and something that I will cherish forever!

After the luncheon is was off to be pampered! We got our toes and nails done and just got to relax for a bit which was wonderful!

After being pampered we went back to the house to get ready for the rehearsal. Well it was raining all day so we weren't even sure we would be able to have the rehearsal at all! Thank goodness it stopped raining just in time for us to be able to run through the wedding a time or two! Everything went so smoothly...well except for some reason the guys in wedding parties never listen haha but we love them anyways!

From the rehearsal straight to the rehearsal dinner! The food was good the friends and family were so much fun and we had a blast! After eating we watched a slide show that Matt's wonderful mom made. It was so stinking good and I think had almost everyone in the room teary eyed! Then some toasts from the fathers and one from my sister, Lindsay which was so sweet and filled with even more tears!

The girls all went back to Matt's mom's house and all the boys went to Matt's grandparents house to spend the night! We had so much fun and watched Bride Wars and finished the centerpieces and all the last min. details. I had to take a sleeping pill that night to get any sleep because I was so anxious! Lindsay and JP asked if they could pray for me that night and we laid in the bed and my best friend and sister prayed the sweetest things over mine and Matt's marriage...this one just one of the many sweet moments that I had with my closest friends that weekend and is one that I will not forget!

THE BIG DAY!

The day of the wedding all the girls woke up fairly early (I was up at 6am even with a sleeping pill in me) we had an amazing breakfast spread, thanks to Phyllis which I couldn't eat any of, thanks to a nervous stomach! Then Cristal came to do my hair and all 11 of us girls were spraying hair, putting on makeup, brushing teeth, showering, and everything else that it takes to get ready so it was a mad house needless to say.

Ready to go...we where loaded up and headed to Dunaway Gardens, I couldn't believe it was actually here! We got to the sweet little cottage at Dunaway and I put the dress, accesories and all the little details on I think this is when it hit me that I am the bride and about to marry my best friend! We managed to get outside and get some pictures (in the rain) and then back to the cottage to wait for the ceremony to start! I was so calm and excited all day and the rain hadn't phased me....UNTIL the manager from Dunaway said he had checked the weather and it didn't look good so they were moving all the chairs under the tent, so I lost it...just a little bit! I kinda snapped at my mom and told her bluntly that I was NOT getting married in a tent. After the wedding I heard that Matt and all the groomsmen were running around wiping chairs down and moving them and putting plastic on the aisle to do anything so that we could have the wedding outside (what sweet boys) So after snapping I had a few tears over it but then I just had to not think about it! My bridesmaids (during my meltdown) were being so amazing and since I didn't have my "something blue" they found some blue thread and each bridesmaid sewed one stitch to make up a blue "A" in the hem of my wedding dress. So precious! And Matt's present to me arrived just in time...he sent two of his groomsmen (Nate and Chris) to deliever a dozen roses to and they sang "I've got sunshine on a cloudy day, when it's cold outside I've got the month of May" SO stinkin cute! The card on the flowers also said "rain or shine I can't wait for you to be mine" then the tears came again!

It was so sweet and really made me realized that no matter if we are getting married in the pouring rain at the end of the day he was still going to be my husband and that is all that is important! It was almost show time and because the Lord is good, it stopped raining, and we were off!! I got to my dad, and we actually had a bird's eye view of the whole wedding which was amazing because I got to actually see Matt walk in without him really being able to see me. When I saw him it literally took my breath away and I looked at my dad and said "I just love him so much" this did my dad in, he was a goner at that point but got it together before walking down the aisle! Well all the bridesmaids and groomsmen made it down the muddy steps and then it was our turn...I finally made it to my husband and I felt like my heart was about to burst out of my chest! I was so good the whole ceremony and then during my vows I started crying...like the ugly crying like where my voice was high and cracking and I know my face was not looking very cute but some how I managed to stumble through them! Then before I knew it we were being announced as husband and wife!! Yeay I couldn't believe it was over! We took pictures, for what seemed like hours and then finally (after my mom, JP, and Christine wrestled with the bustle forever) we made it to the reception, which was so fun! Everyone was dancing and having a blast and I even got Matt out there once or twice! The whole day was perfect (rain and all) it was everything I ever could have asked for and more! I tried my hardest to soak it all in and remember every detail, and I know that I will never forget the way I felt, how amazing the people around me where, and how much fun I had the entire day!

Special THANKS:

To everyone that was at the wedding-thank you for sharing our special day with us. To all my bridesmaids-thank you for being AMAZING friends and helping me through the weekend and giving me wonderful memories to keep forever! Bo & Lindsay- Thank you for singing in the wedding it was so beautiful! Lindsay & JP- Thank you for reminding me every second "Annie, this is your bridal luncheon...Annie you are getting your hair done for your wedding, Annie you are eating your last breakfast as a single woman" haha To the moms- Thank you for everything you did for the wedding!! Carrie Jo & Mandi- Thank you for wonderful pictures and for keeping me calm! The groomsmen- Thank you for being on TIME and for all the sweet things that I didn't even know till after the wedding that you did!!!

I told you this was the extended version...but thank you for reading every detail of my wedding and I hope if you weren't able to make it maybe this will be a glimpse for you!