Wedding Part III: Wedding Weekend!

So now you know all of the logistics of the wedding- who was taking pictures, who made the cake, etc.  I want to tell you how everything came together after all of the planning, fretting, asking Daddy for money ;), and stressing.

I remember both of my sweet grandmothers worrying about what to wear, how to fix their hair, what color to paint their toenails... So adorable.

I remember my mom asking me every single day, "How are you feeling?  How are you doing?  What do you need me to do?"  I could NOT have gotten through everything without her help.

Daddy got his Mustang looking as good as new so he could drive me in it to the beach.
(We even got reposted by Ford on Instagram! #mustangmonday)

A couple of people dear to me lost loved ones the week of the wedding, which kind of brought me back to reality and made me realize that the world wasn't revolving around me.  I focused some time in prayer for them, and got my mind off of myself for a while.

My mom, Gran, Emily, Caleb, and I arrived in Long Beach on Thursday to "get ready".  On Thursday, we walked the beach, sat by the pool, rode down Beach Boulevard, visited the Friendship Oak, and relaxed.  Caleb, his best man, and his dad fished nearly all night long.

Caleb and his best man comparing Monopoly pieces 

Yes, those three dots are Caleb and his two best friends (Jacob and his dad).

Caleb's parents almost didn't have a room when they got to the hotel because of a reservation mixup.  Everything worked out, though.

Poor Emma fell and busted her jaw, and had to get stitches before they could head down on Friday.

Molly picked up a package that I had been expecting, a gift for my dad, and brought it down for me.  She saved the day!  I would have been heartbroken if I couldn't have given it to him on our wedding day.

So things did not go perfectly- but everything worked out.  Each problem was met with a solution, and the world did not end!  The show must go on ;)

I woke up early on Friday and headed straight to the sand, as I always do during a stay at the beach.  (Well, first I got a cup of coffee.)  Those few minutes by the ocean were so incredibly calming.  I was snapping a few photos of the early morning scenery.  This would be the backdrop for our wedding, after all!  A sweet lady walked over to me and said, "Can I ask you a strange question?  I don't have any more memory on my phone to store pictures, but if I could get pictures in a text, I would be able to save them on my computer when I get home.  Could you text me the pictures you took out here?"  She gave me her phone number, and I sent her a few pictures.  I learned that she, her husband, and two kids were traveling home to Longview, Texas from seeing their family in Georgia.  She begged her husband to stop and spend a night at the beach because she loves it so much.  So they had spent the night at the Holiday Inn Express in Long Beach, just like us.  When I told her I would be saying my vows the next morning, she replied, "Wow, you're really calm!"  "That's only because I'm here," I said.  Boy, was that the truth.  Those moments spent in quiet gazing at God's own handiwork are the most peaceful setting I could ask for.  My new friend inquired about the details of the wedding, and she wished me luck with everything.  I walked through the lobby later that morning and smiled at her as she ate breakfast with her lovely family.  Simple moments like that can leave a huge impact!   Those would be the last calm minutes I would experience until our honeymoon.

The rest of Friday we kept busy running errands, preparing guest gifts, getting last minute things done.  Caleb and I headed to Darwell's about an hour before the rehearsal dinner was supposed to start to set out place cards and gifts for our parents, grandparents, and wedding party.  It was a great excuse to get a few minutes alone, even though we were busy nearly the entire hour!

Oh my goodness, I know I've bragged on Darwell so much already, but I was so impressed with everything.  They had a lot of the food prepared ahead of time, so we didn't have to wait long.  The staff was super organized, and handled the group of about 40 extremely well.  And, as always, the food was SCRUMPTIOUS.  I'm almost certain that everyone enjoyed themselves as much as I did because of all of the laughter I heard and smiles I saw.  What a special time to spend with our families and friends.  It was heartwarming to watch the Bazes and the Smiths get to know one another better.

A humongous THANK YOU! to Caleb's parents for such a memorable, joyful, delicious rehearsal dinner!

My mom and Shannon at Darwell's

Look at these lovelies!

Daddy and me :)

After dinner, we all headed down to the beach for rehearsal.  We waited, and waited, and waited for Riley to show up.  Finally we figured out that he had gotten left at the hotel.  (Riley is the person in our family that we are always waiting on.  He kept the tradition alive!)  When he arrived, we got down to business.  Michael filled us in on his part, and we didn't even walk through it.  I'm telling you- at the beach, every thing and every one is relaxed.  Josh set up his equipment and the musicians rehearsed, while the rest of the wedding party laughed and talked together.

I love this crazy couple!

Then, after transferring supplies from one vehicle to another, and a short jam session in the hotel lobby, my girls swept me away for the night.

Our plan was to watch Disney movies, but when midnight arrived and we hadn't started a movie yet because our chattering got in the way, it was unanimously decided that we should go to sleep.  Our beautification was to start at 3:30 a.m. after all.

Caleb sent me one last very sweet text message as my fiance, saying that it was "for real here now!"  And I tossed and turned next to Emily for what seemed like hours until sleep finally granted my mind some release- from worry, from anxiety, from excitement.

Stay tuned to hear about the wedding day.  I lied about this being a three-part series!

Wedding Part II: Planning

My parents took my brother and me to the beach every single summer with only one exception (the year Ivan hit), and that was always the highlight of my summer.  It was always a stress-free, worry-free, rush-free week.  There was no agenda.  We went to the beach to, you know, go to the beach.  No fancy water parks, nothing special other than our annual dinner at The Oyster House.  Relaxation.  For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to get married on the beach.

Even before we were engaged, Caleb and I talked about where we would have our wedding.  Texas?  Louisiana?  Mississippi?  Caleb insisted that we have it in Mississippi, which I had no objections to.  It wasn’t until after our engagement that I remembered my childhood dream of a beach wedding.  “That will be way too much trouble,” I thought.  But Caleb encouraged me to go for it, so we did!  Side note: one of the many reasons I love Caleb is the fact that he encourages me to “go for it” when I’m doubtful.  It is because of him that I started my Mary Kay business and began learning to play the ukulele.

My mom and maid of honor, Emily, helped me to think through all of the logistics of this decision.  It would have to be late in the evening so the temperature would be lower.  We wouldn’t exactly be able to have 200 guests on the beach.  Will there be a restroom for guests to use?  What about parking?  What if it rains?  So the planning began.  The wedding party had already been decided; other than those special people, we mostly invited only family (grandparents, aunts, uncles).  Our guest list stood at about 60 people.  The whole idea of a destination wedding sounds like a lot of work, but in some ways, you have to make it simple.  Our decorations would be minimal because of the beautiful backdrop created by God, Himself.  And I have to brag on the financial side of things.  To obtain a permit for 60 guests was free, and the pavilion we rented for the reception was free.  Woo hoo!

Because we were only inviting 60 guests, we decided to have a reception in Clinton, to invite all of the other special people in our lives.  We couldn’t leave them out of the celebration!

I’m getting ahead of myself.  I had decided I wanted to have it on the Mississippi coast because, well, I just wanted to get married in Mississippi.  It has become almost a habit of mine to travel to the MS coast (only three hours from Clinton) for a day trip, just to get my feet in the sand.  I had gone with my family, with my friend Anna, and with Caleb.  There, the water isn’t quite as blue as it is in Alabama.  BUT, the crowds are way smaller.  I just really really love it there.  So one day, we drove down 49 until we hit Gulfport, and started riding Beach Boulevard.  In the town immediately west of Gulfport, Long Beach, we saw a beautiful pavilion that looked like a perfect reception venue.  There was a parking lot just past it, and then we saw bathrooms!  We figured that the pavilion would serve as the backup plan for rain.  All of the guests would comfortably fit inside.  We kept riding, and less than a mile away stood a beautiful Holiday Inn Express.  Perfect for our guests: just across the street from the ocean.  Everything fell perfectly into place.  That was it!  I have fallen more and more in love with Long Beach as I simply HAD to make multiple trips down there to take care of wedding details. ;)  It has a beautiful downtown area, DELICIOUS dining, and the crowds are very limited.  It’s a homey kind of town, not a touristy one.

I got on the phone and started calling.  I called caterer after caterer.  Florist after florist.  Rental place after rental place.  We ended up with some FANTASTIC vendors.  I’m going to brag on them a little later. :) 

Around Christmastime, when we were planning our honeymoon, Caleb and I started thinking of a sunrise wedding.  We liked the idea of leaving for our honeymoon the day of the wedding, and with a late evening wedding, that just wouldn’t have been possible.  So we decided on sunrise… Then enjoyed the reactions of our bridesmaids and groomsmen as we broke the news to them. ;) We know they must REALLY love us to have been willing to wake up at such an hour!  Liz, my photographer, said that 7:15 a.m. would be the best time for lighting.  So it was written, and so it was done.

Yet another reason why our vendors were so incredible.  Not one of them flinched at the time change!  So let my bragging begin.

The Long Beach Work Center rented the pavilion to us (for FREE).  I called them countless times with questions, and they were always willing to help!

Our permit for the wedding was obtained from the Harrison County Sand Beach Authorities ($0.00).  I believe for a larger group of people, they would have charged a fee.  They said to call a week before the wedding to remind them, and they would have it cleaned up for us.  When we arrived in Long Beach on that Thursday, the place was SPOTLESS.  I was completely impressed!  So, so thankful for them.

Our photographer, a distant relative of mine and a long-time friend of the Baze family, had me sold from the first email she sent me.  She promised me quality, professionalism, and she promised that she would capture our personalities.  Her confidence drew me in immediately, though her previous work had much to do with the decision!  Thank you, Liz, for your incredible work!  I’ve seen a few sneak peeks, and I cannot WAIT to see the rest.  She didn’t just handle the photography, though.  She delivered me from an uncomfortable situation while keeping her cool completely.  She is the real deal!  So impressed. 

I had a couple of other photographers leading up to the wedding, too.  My beautiful maid of honor took engagement pictures in Oxford; look how lovely they turned out! 

My bridesmaid, Kate, took bridal portraits for me.  She did an amazing job!

Kris Wikle took pictures for us at our rehearsal dinner, and Shannon took pictures at our reception in Clinton.  As if they hadn't done enough for us already!  How sweet to have these memories captured.

My sweet cousin's boyfriend, Christopher, videoed the wedding for us.  I haven't seen the wedding footage yet, but I have seen other work of his, and he is obviously born to be behind the camera.  What a special gift to be able to capture memories in such an artistic and beautiful way!

I immediately thought of my lovely sister-in-law to make our wedding cake.  I have seen her whip out several delicious and beautiful cakes.  When I asked her if transporting a cake from San Antonio to Long Beach would be a problem, she already had it all figured out!  It was tasted heavenly, and looked STUNNING!  I told her a few ideas I had, and she took it from there.  My mother-in-law already decided she needs to make another one for us to enjoy. :)  We settled on an un-iced cake, to fit the morning time better.  Between the layers of cake lay butter cream and blackberry deliciousness.  OH so yummy.

Michael Fox, our preacher at our church in Louisiana, was the clear choice for our officiant.  We had him picked out before we were engaged. ;)  He has supported us and loved us through our college years.  He has helped us work through hardships, and he is just plain cool!  Oh, he also let me live with him and his wife for a month.  He’s got quite the Southern hospitality, though he’s from California. :)  It is evident how sincerely and deeply empathetic he is towards others.  Just beautiful. 

Our great friends, the Wikles that I talked about in my last post, played a huge role in our wedding.  I asked Shannon to direct and coordinate for me, and she did an incredible job!  I knew she was great, but I found out just a few days ago exactly HOW great she was.  She handled some sticky situations by her sharp decision-making with ease.  She was there to unlock the pavilion, help decorate, set up, meet all of the vendors, and tell the grandparents/parents/wedding party when to walk.  She helped clean up afterwards.  She was a lifesaver.  My advice for brides- if you aren't hiring a wedding planner, have someone direct/coordinate.  It is SO important.  Find someone like Shannon who is a go-getter, who will get things done, who will make tough calls when they need to be made, yet who will have a sense of calm that will keep away stress and panic.

My very lovely, fashion-forward bridesmaid, Anna, was the makeup artist of the day.  We woke up at 3:30 a.m. to begin getting ready, and Anna had us looking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for this early morning event.  She did a GREAT job!  She is good at so many different things, it’s amazing.  Anna is one of those people that after spending time with her, you can’t help but have a gigantic smile on your face.  She is so joyful!

Mrs. Darlene has been doing my hair since I was about five years old when my brother and I were homecoming court attendants.  She was more than excited to be there for me on my big day!  She woke up even before me to turn on curling irons and to prepare for the day.  I stopped by The Cutting Edge every single day the week before the wedding to see her.  Her planning and experience put my mind at ease leading up to the wedding, and the morning of.  She had us looking beautiful!  Even the beach breeze didn't affect her handiwork. :)

See, you can't tell I only got about 3 hours of sleep, right?

And Darlene did a fabulous job on my baby's breath crown!

We have enough musical genes in our family not to hire anyone for wedding music.  (I did not get the music genes, unfortunately.)  My cousin, and Josie’s boyfriend Josh, played acoustic guitar for us.  This was far from his first time performing; he has worked as a pianist, and played at Christy’s wedding.  He sounded fantastic, just as I expected. :) And as for vocals, my twin and his girlfriend, Katie, sang very beautifully during the ceremony.  They each have experience as well, and it showed!  I can’t wait to go back and watch the video so I can hear them all again.  My musically gifted uncle also led a song for everyone to sing. Everyone thoroughly impressed me!

After making a few calls, we settled on The Village Florist of Gulfport.  Tanya Jones, the wedding flower consultant there, was a joy to work with.  I called her and emailed her at least five different times because I had changed my mind about what kind of flowers I wanted.  She was so patient with me, and heeded each request.  This was the part that really impressed me—after the sunrise decision, she offered to meet us at the pavilion to deliver the flowers at 6:30 in the morning.  She was SO great!  And the flowers looked amazing.

Last, but certainly not least, is our caterer.  From the moment I talked to him on the phone, I knew that we would be taken care of.  I hadn't tasted his food, but he exuded knowledge, experience, and confidence.  He had wonderful ideas for our reception, and he put those ideas into action.  I knew he had been in the business for decades, and it was quite evident.  He also did not seem to have a worry in the world when we dropped the 7:15 a.m. bomb on him.  After we mentioned a breakfast reception to him, he suggested a grits bar, with lots of toppings.  On one of our visits to Long Beach, we stopped by his restaurant and got the royal treatment.  We each ordered meals, and then he brought us samples of nearly all of his dishes.  At Darwell’s, I ate some of the best food I've ever tasted.  Because of the deliciousness, we decided to have our rehearsal dinner at his restaurant.  Everything was executed so smoothly, and the food was just as delectable as I expected it to be.  He is a pro.  When catering our reception, he went above and beyond the food we had agreed upon, adding muffins to the menu.  PLEASE go see him if you ever pass through Long Beach!

I want to end by saying a humongous "thank you" to everyone who helped me plan, especially my dear mother, and my maid of honor, Emily.  All of my sweet bridesmaids helped so much, as well.  I couldn't have done it without y'all!

Wedding Part I: Showered with Generosity

I've been itching to write because it's been so long since I've blogged, and also to have these memories preserved before the details start fading from my memory.  This post might get a little cheesy for some, so if you have a weak stomach, you may want to reconsider reading this. ;)

Leading up to the wedding, Caleb and I were given SEVEN showers/parties.  My word.  We have more gifts than can fit in our little one bedroom apartment.  I'm having to pay my parents to store things at their house. ;)  We also built up our savings account quite a bit from the generosity of our friends and families.  I get emotional when I think of how much God has blessed us through the special people in our lives!  We are lacking nothing.  It's truly incredible.  

In February, my dear friend Mrs. Sandy Palmer threw a spend-the-night kitchen party.  I am LOADED with kitchen appliances, utensils, etc.  It's awesome!  Her husband, Mr. Jack, made us a fabulous breakfast the next morning, including pancakes, fresh fruit, grits, bacon, and sausage.  Who says the way to a woman's heart isn't through her stomach, too?  Mrs. Sandy also made the most beautiful rose-shaped mints, iced cookies, and Mexican wedding cookies for our reception in Clinton.  She has been so giving of her resources, energy, and time!

Next, my mom's sweet teacher friends threw a shower for us at the gorgeous Latimer House in Clinton.  I felt like a queen!  So many long-time Clinton friends of my mom and me showed up to congratulate and give generously to Caleb and me.  These ladies worked so hard, ordering a stunning flower arrangement from The Olive Branch, and making delectable treats and punch.

Caleb's sweet sisters, Christy and Josie, gave us a couple's shower at Christy's home in Keller, TX.  It was beach themed, and my sister-in-laws did an outstanding job of fitting everything to the theme!  If I weren't trying to be so concise, I would post a picture of each treat they prepared for the shower.  We had Sour Patch Kids swimming in the ocean in gummy Life Savers, shell-shaped iced cookies, my personal favorite, sand castle cupcakes, and much more.  The grill master, Jon, made burgers for the main course.  I loved getting to spend time with Caleb's family!  I didn't get a picture of the hostesses :(  But I got a good picture of Caleb and me with a photobomber.

You can see the sand castle cakes and our fish bowl punch in this shot :)

Next, Caleb's Memaw, one of the kindest souls I know, gave us a shower along with some members of their church.  There was also tons of yummy food here.  (Do you notice what details I tend to gravitate towards?)  Oh my, was the food yummy.  It was evident how much effort went into this celebration.  The decorations were adorable as well; Memaw made us a gorgeous wreath, and shells were scattered about the kitchen and living room.  Just amazing!

My best friend, cousin, and maid of honor (that's all the same person, by the way), offered as soon as I got engaged to throw a lingerie shower.  I have been told by my aunt and grandmother how hard she worked and how long she planned for this!  She chose a 50's pin-up theme, and coordinated all of the food to go with the red and black decor.  My brother's girlfriend, Katie, helped her prepare the day before, and the two of them thoroughly embarrassed me, which I completely expected. :)  But it was so much fun!

That evening, my friend and former teacher, Molly Parks, invited all of us girls over to swim at her house.  She and her husband, Brad, grilled burgers and made lots of delicious dips and treats to go along with the burgers.  She decorated their backyard with cute Japanese lanterns and had everything looking fabulous!  Her sweet 4 year old whom I've babysat the past three summers swam and splashed with us in the pool. :) My mom has told me that Molly would do anything for me, which I know from experience is true.  But she would do anything for anybody.  She has such a generous, empathetic soul.  I am blessed to have her in my life!  The example she sets for Manning and those around her is so Christ-like.  She is an angel!  I am kicking myself for not taking any pictures at her house, but here is one of Caleb, Manning, and me at our wedding.  

And last but not least, my church in Jackson (McCluer Road Church of Christ) gave us a Mexican-themed "stock up" shower.  We had nachos, and our church house was decorated like a fiesta!  This was an incredible idea- seriously!  It saved us so much on our first Wal-Mart trip.  We received a year's supply of toilet paper, some paper towels, laundry and dish detergent, toothpaste, different household cleaners, and even some grocery items.  Brilliant idea.  Along with the household items, we recieved dishes and glasses, and also a handmade quilt by one of our sisters.  How touching!  My church family means so incredibly much to me.  Many of them have known me since before I was born (as my mom would say).  The generosity that my church family displayed moved me.  

I am going to get to my parents and wedding party in a later post, but I want to thank some special people that helped us enormously with our wedding and reception.

The Wikle clan.  This bunch of people would do anything for us, and I hope they know we'd do the same for them.  Shannon got up at who knows what time to decorate our venue and to oversee all of the vendors arriving before our sunrise wedding.  Her precious girls, Emma and Hannah, also got up at who knows what time to get the pavilion looking spectacular for our guests and us.  Look at these hard workers!  I don't have a shot of Kris, but he took tons of pictures for us at the rehearsal dinner and the wedding.  Those pictures are priceless to me.  And he ran errands, and basically waited on my family hand and foot!  This family made it happen.  Did I mention that they drove 16 hours one-way to participate in all this madness?  What special friends we have.  They also stuck around for a week to help prepare for our reception in Clinton.

So if all of this ^^ didn't let Caleb and me know how much we are loved, I don't know what would.  My hope is that we adequately let these shower hosts, hostesses, and guests know how much we truly appreciate them.  The Lord has blessed us and kept us, and made His face to shine upon us.  He has done that through these beautiful people in our lives.  I know that Caleb and I will have the opportunity to share the same love to others.

New last name, new blog

Because I am nearly out of college, and have recently gotten married, I decided to start a new blog.  "Life in College" doesn't seem appropriate anymore!  If you would like to view my old blog, click here.

My plans for "Wife, Teacher, Believer" are pretty well explained in the title.  I just want to give my family and friends a way to know what is happening in my life- as a newlywed wife, an almost-teacher, and a Christian.  Blogging also serves as a creative outlet for myself, and as a way of preserving memories so I can look back at them.

Because my last two "Life in College" posts were wedding/marriage related, I'm going to reblog them here.  So excuse the repetition. :)

Enjoy!

xx
Laura Baze