15 days of wedded bliss down & an entire lifetime to go..

As the last two weeks have unfolded we are feeling the greatest, sweetest JOY of our lives! We have yet to stop smiling, laughing, squeezing, or praising God for allowing us to enter into this sacred union.
Our Father gives the greatest gifts. 

Today’s #ThoughtofThanks is in honor of my FAVORITE DAY EVER. 

The wedding day was the closest experience to PERFECT I’ve ever had. It was our literal fairytale come true. Everything exceeded even my highest expectations from a sentimental, heartfelt ceremony, to a celebratory, non-stop dancing reception!
I couldn’t take my eyes off the handsome groom in his perfectly fitted cobalt blue suit & I felt like a total Barbie Bride in my dream gown. 

Our parents ROCK (our entire families do too!)

Where do I even begin?! I could write a novel praising & thanking our four truly special parents for a lifetime of sacrifice, love, support & encouragement. Tyler & I are one of those rare couples who come from families with four sets of grandparents who are either still married, or stayed married until death, AND both sets of our parents are faithfully married after being together for over 30 years. 
We’ve witnessed true examples of marriage that looks the way God intended, teaching us the importance of commitment & unconditional love. This is one of the best gifts parents can give their children. 
Our parents worked and sacrificed and planned and selflessly poured their money, time, effort, energy, & love into making our wedding dreams come true. There are no words that do our gratitude justice. We love you all!!

Our wedding party RULED. 

Having all of our best friends with us on the wedding day and day(s) beforehand was an absolute blessing that made me realize even more how much I LOVE these people, far more than I can ever express.  
My girls worked hard for two days helping our team decorate the reception venue & church until it looked like decor fit for a TV wedding. Seriously. Tyler & I were in total awe of how INCREDIBLE everything looked. I’m starting to squeal again just thinking about it!!

I loved having my best girls stay at the Chaney house for two nights of sleepovers & constant friend time as excitement grew for the big day! 

Tyler’s guys kept his nerves to a minimum & his laughter to a maximum! I’ve always said he had the best group of friends & the wedding proved that to be true. 

My great friend, Drew, generously offered to plan & coordinate the wedding and WOW she was seriously the MVP of the day. Thank you for your patience through the entire planning process! Thank you for your generosity  & hard work & take charge attitude! You made the day PERFECT!

Our church SAVED.

I’ve bragged on First Christian Church before but WOW, again I don’t have the words to give them the credit & thanks they deserve. 

The loving folks at our church took charge of the ceremony, making every request/idea a reality. The stage was breathtaking with romantic draping and soft lighting. Rose petals lined the aisles.

When our party bus totally bailed, not even showing up to drive us to the reception, Mr. Dan McCamish stepped in & saved the day. When he heard our transportation plans were wrecked he instantly offered to drive the entire wedding party in the church bus. Problem solved! What a blessing!!

All of our vendors were EXPERTS.

I’m planning a vendor review for a future post, for now I’ll leave it at this: God led us to the BEST people for every aspect of the day! No detail was left untouched!

Our wedding guests were a BLAST!

Thank you to everyone who came and cried and celebrated and danced and ate and cheered and smiled with us through our special day. The dance floor stayed packed (my dream come true!) with guests the entire night. If we had moved our send off back hours I really think the dance party would have kept going! So much FUN!

Our God is GREATER than all of the above.

The Lord Almighty provided true MIRACLES for the wedding day & honeymoon just as He promised.
I vividly remember the morning of February 29. I stood in my bedroom clanking up for the day when my heart became overwhelmed with the Lord’s presence. I paused what I was doing to be still & hear & feel & know. 

A giant peace in the midst of severe anxiety washed over me. I felt the Holy Spirit telling me not to worry or even think about my physical abilities on the wedding day. I knew He was telling me that all the prayers for my body had ALREADY been answered. He was saying that when I woke up on April 23 I would be ready to have the greatest day of my life. I would be strong enough, well-enough to not simply get through the day but to genuinely love the day. I stopped questioning how my sick body would possibly enjoy the day & started trusting in His blessed promise. 
God always fulfills His word.
Friday afternoon, 24 hours out from the wedding I was a TOTALLY different person than the girl you saw at the celebration. I began to worry & question how I would get through the day considering how I was feeling. Again, the Lord hushed me with His peace.

As April 23 unfolded I began to miraculously feel better & better. In fact, the wedding day was the FIRST DAY IN OVER 2.5 YEARS that I can honestly say I felt even remotely GOOD. Constant suffering, pain, & praying for my break to come…finally I had that day. And great days following! 

MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN.

 
My family & friends saw a part of me that hasn’t lived in years…. A spirit & special joy that I felt died with much of my physical body. Towards the end of the night my Mom asked me what I thought about the day. I confidently answered that this was my miracle day and there’s no way it could have possibly been any better EVEN if I was healthy.

That says absolutely everything. 

 

I cannot wait to share more with you about the special day & this wonderful gift of marriage! 

And soon…PROFESSIONAL PICTURES!! 

Big thank you to Peggy Donahue for taking most of above awesome shots!!
Tyler & I are incredibly blessed and insanely thankful for our miraculous, fairytale wedding!! God continues to bless us far beyond what we deserve.

All praise be to Him!

xoxo,
Mal