Today We Hike as Two; Tomorrow We Hike as One (Wedding Weekend)

It was a pleasant warm Wednesday in the middle of May.  When the clock struck noon, I changed my email Away Message at work and giddily said my goodbyes to work friends, as they ushered me out the door with cheers & some much needed "Good luck!".  As I sat in the salon that afternoon getting my hair dyed, I fidgeted helplessly, as finally I received what I'd been begging for since November -- for May 20th to be within reach. Now it was closer than I could bring my mind to realize, and there was so much left to do. Waiting for my hair dye to process in the salon, I scrolled through the checklist I'd been building since November to figure out what empty boxes needed check marks. Pick up the cake and cupcakes and wine, finish the wedding programs, assemble the lavender packets for guests to toss, pay the officiant, wrap up our vows, cook beans & coleslaw.... with so much to do, when would we have time to actually enjoy the wedding? 

When the sun rose the next day, we loaded the Camry to the max and waited for my family to make a pit stop at our house to gather what wouldn't fit in our car. In a single file line, we rode together through the mountains and up to Vogel State Park, where Gadget asked me to marry him in November, and where we would say our vows on Saturday afternoon. As my parents & sisters helped us do one last check at our house before leaving, I felt relieved that I was not alone in planning & coordinating our wedding -- here was my family, helping me get it all together when I could not think straight. From that moment until we checked out of Vogel on Sunday, our combined family was our saving grace. 

The moment we arrived at Vogel, we parked at the Visitors Center to check in to our cabins & took a few minutes to stretch our legs & walk around the park after the long car ride. It all hit me as we stood together observing the creek than runs through Vogel: this is it.... here we are. This is really happening. We're getting married.  With my mind's eye, I had to take mental photos of as many moments as possible throughout the weekend, to try and cherish every last one. As each of our family members arrived & checked into their cabins on Thursday, it began to feel exactly as I'd envisioned -- a big family reunion/party/vacation. We were all staying within walking distance to each other, and enjoyed impromptu visits & run-ins with family as we unpacked & got settled in. 

Before the wedding chaos began, Gadget & I decided to have just one day of rest & relaxation on Thursday to enjoy the time with family in our paradise. We took our families to Brasstown Bald (the highest point in GA) & rode the shuttle to the top of the mountain, and Gadget & I quietly reveled in our parents' and nephew's awe as they peered out across the mountain vistas for the first time. Walking down the steep summit trail with our families (the same trail we have hiked countless times) was a long-awaited, precious event to us. I literally have dreamed many times about leading my family up to the mountains, where they have seldom traveled, so this was a dream come true. From the elders to the child in the bunch, everyone enjoyed Brasstown Bald with childlike wonder. Since Brasstown Bald was a bigger hit than we anticipated, we decided to introduce family to another favorite hike nearby, Helton Creek Falls. Everyone rocked the steep, slippery trail and no one complained or got injured even once! Despite the slick & rocky/rooty trail, its short length makes it doable for almost anyone. 

Our 10 year old nephew & ring bearer fearlessly climbs up the waterfall. Gadget & I have wanted to take him hiking for the longest time! 

Nephew thoroughly enjoyed wading in the water, though he begged us to let him go for a swim. 

Gadget helps his nephew find rocks to skip. 

My dad, littlest sister, and mom getting cooled off by the falls' refreshing mist. 

My middle sister is a rock collector. She was really in for a treat! 

Gadget's nephew asked for my pretty sisters' help gathering rocks. Slick move, nephew!

Our beautiful niece took her job as flower princess extra seriously, and wrapped all of our wedding guests around her little finger in the process.

After a day of peaceful exploration in the wilderness with family, it was time to get back to wedding business. On Friday, we held our rehearsal under the Vogel pavillion where the wedding would be held, and enjoyed a delicious meal of lasagna, garlic bread & salad prepared by Gadget's mother in the Mountain Air Theatre. For dessert, we had a famous Aunt Shirley cake that looked like a campfire burning (is my aunt talented or what?). As the adults gathered in the theatre, all of the children ran around & played tirelessly in the picnic area. Since Vogel is in a remote area, there's barely enough cell signal to make a phone call, much less be glued to a cell phone the way kids (and adults too) stumble through life these days -- which forced us all to spend time actually bonding with each other, and Gadget & I wouldn't have had it any other way. Though the rehearsal was stressful to get through, considering I was my own wedding coordinator & planner, life was simply perfect at dinner as our families came together as one, just one night before our big day arrived. 

The almost-weds & our beautiful rehearsal cake crafted by my Aunt Shirley. Can you guess what candies were used?

After dating for two years, Gadget & I left our hometown in 2010 to move to Athens for college. Shopping at yard sales for housewares, I found this crazy wild looking coffee mug that says "I <3 My Husband". I shamelessly bought it, knowing there were talks of neither engagement nor marriage at that time; and knowing that there was much to learn about each other when we would share a home together. But yet, I just knew it would work out and we would last. For eight years, I drank from this mug, waiting for the day its message would be true. 

Saturday morning, Gadget & I woke up in our cabin around 6:00am (after staying up until midnight working on our vows in separate rooms of the cabin), and it felt like all Christmas mornings crammed into one. I quickly scrambled up a breakfast of eggs, bacon & coffee while Gadget picked up the key to the pavilion so decorations could began, and when he returned, we sat on the front porch to enjoy a large quantity of caffeine & get our wedding game faces on. Some couples choose to not see each other on their wedding day as an old tradition, and while we considered it, we agreed that we are neither superstitious nor capable of going through the motions of our wedding day without having one another for support. After coffee, Gadget went to help our family set up decorations at the pavilion & left me at the cabin to get prettied up. 

After coffee began a bit of chaos. Queue: 

1. Hair & makeup stylist is over an hour late. 

2. Decoration set-up is coming along nicely, but time is beginning to crunch, and my mom, cheif wedding decorator, is beginning to feel the pressure. Hair & makeup lady is still running late. Seems like a good time to pour the first glass of peach wine for the day. 

3. The 50 + mason jars that my mother handpainted in the months leading up to May have all been blown to the concrete floor of the pavilion... and they have all broken. Better save a glass of that peach wine for mama; she's gonna need it! 

4. Ah, hair & makeup is here (she had to do hair & make-up for a 10 year old in a play earlier in the morning which ran long, thus now a delay in my wedding)! Hairstylist crams my veil, my "something new" made from scratch by my precious Nana, into my hair and *SNAP* the comb breaks! Moms, who's got the wine? Where's my glass?

5. Finally, it's time for the bride & groom's mothers to have their makeup done (one hour before ceremony start time). At this point, I am so thankful that I decided against bridesmaids. Also, more peach wine for me & the moms. 

6. Gadget's mom runs down to the pavilion to check on decorations while my mother is getting dolled up. 30 minutes until show time. She runs up to my cabin, nearly out of breath, and says, "The officiant is leaving if you're not there by 2:00pm". I momentarily fume, because the officiant and I agreed prior that the actual ceremony start time would not be until 2:15. Damnit, can someone bring the bride more wine?! 

The next 30 minutes, I'm not really sure what happened. What's certain is I feared that I would not get married that day after all. I had visions of explaining to everyone why we weren't getting married today.... even though everyone in our support system had driven 3+ hours to get there, and many even took off work & booked cabins to help us set up; even though I'd spent the last 6 months planning out this very day. Maybe I stood over my stylist's shoulder with a watch in my hand, barking out each time a new minute passed. Maybe I had a stress-induced heart attack and they recesitated me right before I stepped out of my Daddy's Tacoma and into the pavilion to greet my new husband. All I know is that once my Daddy was walking me through the pavilion and down the aisle to my Gadget, I was calm as a cucumber & there was nothing else in the world that mattered. 

The calm before the storm. At this point of the morning, Gadget was gone to the mens' cabin to get dressed, the entirety of our families were decorating for the wedding, and I was showered & waiting all alone in our cabin for my stylist 

My paper peony bouquet made by an artist in the Ukraine

Gadget's vows, final cut

Goose's vows, final cut

Gadget finds the note, watch, and Spaghett patch I left for him, as his mini-me nephew & the other men get dressed for the ceremony.

For anyone wondering, Spaghett is a character on Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job, a weird comedy sketch show which is one of the first things Gadget & I bonded on together. Video for reference.

You might not know it if you meet him on the trail, but Gadget cleans up pretty nicely. 

Gadget waits for a "first look" outside our cabin after I am fully dressed & ready to become his bride. 

I'll never forget what he said to me that moment he turned around. "You are beautiful everyday, but today? Wow."

Reuniting for a few minutes after our morning of chaos was just what our hearts needed. 

Wonder if my hands were cold?

The weather man said it was supposed to rain while we were getting hitched, but the blue skies were sticking around for the future Mr. and Mrs. Gadget. 

A close family friend, who spent much of her life as a florist, dedicated her whole weekend driving up to the mountains to assemble some of the prettiest floral arrangements I've ever seen for the wedding. We opted for neutral baby's breath and peach colored garden roses. 

There was a mountain-running marathon at Vogel the day we got married, so we had to compete with marathon parking, but made room for all of our guests miraculously!  

This sweet little flower princess, our niece Norah, did the best job decorating the aisle with petals. 

The moment I peaked around the corner and saw all of our guests waiting for my arrival, with the first man of my life at my side, and my sweetest Dog of Honor Lily sniffing at my heels.  

As soon as I saw him waiting for me at the other end, time stopped and it was just him & me. 

When Gadget sees me walking down the aisle to him. 

Reading my vows that weren't quite wrinkled out the night before. Though I couldn't find all the puzzle pieces until now, everything is fitting like a dream. 

Gadget had me (and many of our guests) tearing up at his sweet vows. 

We had a tree watering union ceremony, in which we brought a plant along with us (a crepe myrtle), and had our families join us at the stage & add soil from our childhood homes into the plant. After their soil was given as a blessing, Gadget & I watered the plant together as a way to signify our new marriage. 

Our ring bearer was so proud to be in the ceremony, and knew he was sharp in his suit. We trusted him to keep our sweet Lily until it was time for them to walk down the aisle & present the rings together. 

Our beautiful Dog of Honor, Lily. She's been hanging with us since we moved off to college in 2010.

Lavender toss in lieu of rice. It's biodegradable, purple, and calming -- perfect for our occasion. (Side note: I stayed up late the night before the wedding making these chalkboard signs. It took many tries as I wasn't digging my handwriting. Eventually I just gave up on making it look frou-frou). 

"You may kiss your bride!" 

We are pronounced Mr. and Mrs.! 

Lavender toss

Gadget, Lily, and me on our way into the reception as an official family. There were quite a few park-goers who had watched our wedding from their paddle boats in the lake, and they came to us after the ceremony to congratulate us. Gadget got teary-eyed in the ceremony when he noticed all the people who had stopped in the lake to watch us get hitched. Getting married at a state park is the best, all the way around!

Vogel State Park 5.20.17 - Our Best Day Yet

Menu for our picnic-themed outdoor wedding:
BBQ from Jim's Smoking Que (Blairsville, GA)
Cole slaw (Homemade by Gadget's mom)
Baked beans (Homemade by Goose's dad)
At the Mountain Air Theatre a little ways up the hill from the ceremony, we set up a bar where guests could serve themselves an assortment of our favorite sweet, summery, fruity wines from Habersham Winery in Helen, GA. 

The cupcakes that we love as much as each other -- supplied from Viva Argentine in Athens, GA.
Gadget's flavors: Lemon Pistaccio, Cookies & Cream
Goose's flavors: Dulce de Leche, Strawberry
Wedding flavor: Very Berry

Buttercream cake, just in case we ran low on desserts

The song we had planned was a slowed down version of "Take It Easy" by The Eagles, a song that we used to sing in the car together a lot when I was a kid (and it's also a phrase that my dad often says as a farewell). Due to a technology malfunction on my phone, the song file was not working and we had to make an impromptu change to "Let It Be" by The Beatles (not the best last-minute decision on my part, but I was tired, married and didn't care about the small details at that point; I don't think my dad cared too much, either, judging by the sweet grin on his face). 

"Have I Told You Lately" by Rodd Stewart - Gadget's mom is a big fan & got to see Rodd Stewart in concert not long before we got married. 

 

Our song, "Together" by Mac Demarco
It's worth mentioning Mac Demarco was playing in Atlanta on our wedding date, and definitely sung this song. If we weren't dancing to it at Vogel, we would have been in Atlanta. My papa watches proudly in the background.

After we ate & danced, Gadget & I broke away to our cabin for a quick 20 minute rest (& sip of moonshine -- thanks, Grandaddy Mimms) before we started taking our pictures, as the wedding was getting dissassembled by our families. When we met his sister for pictures out at the lake, the clouds had gotten scarily dark. They say rain on your wedding day brings good luck, after all.

Runners finishing up the Cruel Jewel 100 marathon at the Vogel finish line as we concluded the wedding.
We loved cheering them on & congratulating them! These guys had been running up & down mountains for almost 12 hours non-stop! The next morning, we sat on our cabin porch and watched the runners come in who did the longer leg of the marathon, which took TWENTY-FOUR HOURS! Can you imagine how exhausted those runners looked?

Our friend Jason at Sunrise Grocery in Blairsville has given us many 'local' secrets in the years we have stopped by his store for boiled peanuts after a hike. We thought we were lucky when he shared his 'secret' mountain sunset spot with us, but we were just thrilled when he sent us a large print of his photo, "Reflecting at Vogel", as a wedding gift. Everytime we are in Sunrise we spend lots of time eyeing his beautiful portraits of the mountains, so he really treated us big time!

"Reflecting at Vogel" by Jason Clemmons, owner of Sunrise Grocery

In wedding attire & shoes & all, we began walking the 1-mile long Lake Trahlyta trail, which encompasses the lake at Vogel. Ben's sister got some shots that ooze our identity as a couple, as we trek through the wilderness.

Finally some time alone, and we can't stop jabbering. What a day! 

Something borrowed: Pearl necklace, bracelet & earrings from my Nana Pam

Skipping rocks at the lake. 

I am forever impressed with his skill. 

At this point, my feet were literally falling off my legs, after walking around in heels all day (which by the way, ain't my style - I prefer no shoes). My kind sister-in-law took off her comfy Birkenstocks and loaned them to me during my time of need, which I will forever be in debt to her. 

Gadget: "Let me check the weather & see when it's supposed to start raining"
Goose: "Haha ok"

Gadget: "Rain starts in 4 minutes"

His sister has borrowed an expensive, professional camera lens to photograph us, and now it's possible that the lens gets ruined in the rain. In other words, RUN!

As soon as we finished hiking the Lake Trahlyta trail, the bottom fell out of the sky. In fact, had we finished just 5 minutes later, the three of us would have been soaked. Gadget & I went back to our cabin and enjoyed our first night of marriage as the sounds of mountain rain filled the air. Though the day was somewhat stressful, we were happy that it all turned out like it did; and especially happy that the rain held off long enough to keep the ceremony in order, while still showering us with some of that infamous rainy day wedding luck. The next day was rainy & a little stormy, so we all packed up & headed to our various homes scattered throughout the state of Georgia. Gadget & I returned to Athens deeply surrounded by love & happiness, and grateful for the community effort in making our wedding day a success. 

Rainy Sunday drive back to Athens as newlyweds. 

If you were with us on our big day, thank you for showing your love & making our day so very special. It has almost been a year since we said "I do", and still I feel as though I've not said "thank you" enough to those who participated in the wedding. To those who played small roles to those who played big roles, we appreciate your assistance in making our wedding an absolute dream come true. 

To Gadget's Sister Sarah - You captured our big day in a way no other photographer could. You made us comfortable to be ourselves in a photo shoot and allowed our personalities to shine. You followed the day's chaos to memorialize the moments that we missed from being caught up in the ceremony. We have the most lovely set of photos to remember the day by, and I can't even count the times I've looked over the pictures again, and again, and again. 

To Uncle Jeff - Thank you for coordinating the music at the ceremony. Because of you, we knew that we could rest assured that the right songs would play at the right time. You rocked it, DJ Jazzy Jeff!
To My Sisters, Brianna and Mara - Thank you for being my 'shadows' - for running errands when I could not break away, for finishing up the crafts that were pushed to the back burner for months, and for helping set up & take down. One day, your oldest sister is going to return the favor when it is your turn to tie the knot. 

To Ben's Sister Laura:  You stayed with me while I was in the midst of hair & make-up drama, and played the role of messenger of some of the small details that couldn't be communicated over cell phone, given the lack of cell service. I've considered you my sister for a long time, but at our wedding, it became clear that you would be my sister for life. Thank you. 

To our mothers, Felicia & Gayle:  You by far had the biggest jobs in the wedding. I can't even begin to list all of the parts you played, but the heftiest role was decorating. There were so many events that we didn't except to happen that day, so many "uh-ohs" that needed quick resolution, and you warrior'ed up and handled them all like the champions you are. We are forever in debt to you for all you did on our big day.

To my Nana Pam: You were the Martha Stewart voice of reason in the middle of some chaotic moments in the decorating process. I can't credit you enough for saving the day a time or two, when the stress was beginning to get to our mothers. Also, thank you for bringing Papa John along, despite his health conditions that presented challenges to the long road trip & mountain terrain. In hindsight, I never would have imagined he would no longer be with us one year later. What an honor that I got to see him in the crowd smiling proudly as I made my way down the aisle; a bittersweet memory I'll never forget.

To my Mema Carolyn, my Aunt Shirley and Aunt Catherine: You took care of setting up the food & making sure everyone made themselves at home. Thank you for helping us make sure everyone was fed & happy.

To our friend Dana: Having you at our wedding was like having a team of designer florists available on site. The floral arrangements you made for us went above & beyond my every expectation. You volunteered your talents just because you could, and we will forever appreciate your kindness & generosity in lending us all your help. 

To Gadget's cousin Jenny: You helped me steer the rehearsal dinner into an actual rehearsal, which is something I was too overwhelmed to do by myself. Because of your guidance & your school-teacher ability to 'herd' people, the rehearsal (and thus the wedding) went as closely to plan as possible. You also were a huge help in decorating & taking down decorations, which we desperately needed. Thank you.

To our niece & nephew, Norah & Peyton: You made your aunt & uncle so proud as a flower girl & ring bearer. Thank you for entertaining our guests with your cuteness & for being just as excited to participate as we were.

To all of the family men:  While the women were pre-occupied on making the venue pretty, you stood by for orders & were the automatic muscles of the weekend. Thank you for being good sports, when you'd probably had rather been fishing in the lake.

Most importantly, thank you all for your love & support these 10 years Gadget & I have been together. Our wonderful support system helps us thrive in our relationship. We love you all!

<3, Gadget & Goose