This is one of those posts that I am writing for myself, to remember long down the road.

My favorite, unexpected moments from my wedding.

Want to know something weird? I was actually looking forward to seeing what would go “wrong” on the day-of. You see, where most brides would dread the cringe-worthy, strange, or unexpected, I am different in that I LOVE a good story to laugh about with friends for years to come. That being said, we really had a pretty smooth day. So instead of sharing the “bad memorable” with you, I’ll share the “fun and unexpected” memorable.

• We were married in February, so cold and dreary weather was basically just the name of the game that month. I was fine with whatever, as long as I was marrying Creighton, but wouldn’t you know…the day of our wedding was sunny and in the 70s. Glory Hallelujah! I actually stayed the night before the wedding at my in-laws house (a whopping 100 feet from the Country Club where my bridal party got ready and we had our reception), so I decided to walk down to the venue all by my lonesome and enjoy a few moments of calm before the storm. As I walked, I felt so overwhelmingly thankful—for the Lord’s providence in getting us to that day, for the loving friends and families who were celebrating with us, and for having a springy day in winter, our very unexpected gift.
  
  (And in case you were wondering, yes I did walk down to the club in my getting-ready pajamas with my dress in tow. No shame.)

• I wouldn’t call myself a “crier,” but I’m also not-not a “crier,” if you know what I mean. In other words, I can bring the waterworks if the moment is right. And let’s just say that the moment must’ve been RIGHT as I walked down the aisle—the only time I cried all day. Truth be told, I was a tad embarrassed later about my red nose and whimpering lower lip, but I later found out that my mom and sisters did the same. Guess it’s just a Williamson thing, which made the spectacle a lot more endearing in hindsight.

• One of my favorite moments of the ceremony was the gospel choir that sang a beautiful song at the beginning of the service and “Oh Happy Day” during the recessional. Walking out of the door to such beautiful voices singing the most triumphant song was one of the coolest moments of my life. My only qualm was that I wanted to listen longer as the rest of the wedding party departed…so I did what any good bride would: I creaked open the church’s side door and listened/watched until the very end. Oh happy day, indeed.
  
  I am sad to say that we have no pictures of the choir (how did that happen?!), so the following picture will have to suffice. Just imagine that happy couple pictured below being serenaded “Sister Act 2 style” as they left the church.

• My brother-in-law Hunter is a former professional musician, so imagine our delight when he hopped on stage and played along with the band a rendition of “Purple Rain” by Prince—one of his very favorites. We were all in awe and it made for such a special surprise!

• One of the first wedding decisions I made was to offer peach fried pies to our guests in lieu of wedding cake as a way to honor my late Grandma Williamson (read the card below for a little more info about her + her famous fried pies). She raised five wonderful boys, all of whom were able to attend the wedding—such a treat since many of them live far away. I know this picture of my grandma’s boys in front of the pies would’ve made her smile, and thus this moment will forever be a favorite part of my wedding.

• And finally: I couldn’t forget our “surprise” musical talent as we made our grand exit from the wedding reception. Oh, this one is fun.
  
  One of Creighton’s ushers, a nice young gentleman named Taylor, happens to be an incredibly talented musician/singer. Well, after a cocktail (or six), Taylor took advantage of a piano conveniently located right next to the exit doors. He played/sang “Don’t Stop Believing” as we exited our reception beneath the glow of sparklers and smiling faces. Isn’t it funny how some background music can make an already good moment downright magical. Three cheers for Taylor’s somewhat drunken (but also awesome) contribution to the ending of our day.
  

KAT
Currently listening to “Come and Get Your Love” by Redbone (fun fact: if Creighton and I could redo our first dance, we’d do it to this song!)