Wedding Highlights from Mrs. Soup

Ah, Here I am just sitting on my couch 10 days after being married to the love of my life. I seriously wish I could go back and relive it all over again. It was the BEST day of our lives! Everything was perfect! I'm so proud at how we were able to pull off an elegant, yet fun wedding for so cheap! I know some brides have that guilt after they get married because the wedding was a lavish expense, but ours was perfect and we can still buy a house someday! Okay, so I'll start off with some of the low points of the wedding weekend.
Friday morning---I was hurting! I would not recommend planning your bachelorette party the day before the rehearsal dinner. However, that was the best day to get all my girls from out of state in one place. I had a great time on Thursday Night (even though Gloria's didn't have my signature Mango Margarita) and a great time decorating the wedding venue the next day.
Groomzilla---Mr. Soup was somewhat of a groomzilla. I know Murad wanted to hang out with his buds the whole weekend, but I think he got somewhat stressed with all the guys depending on him. He kind of slacked on his duties (forgetting his rehearsal dinner outfit and overnight suitcase). I'm glad he remembered the rings though!

Highlights:
Rehearsal Dinner---this was a great time for our family and friends to come together in an intimate setting to eat and celebrate. I made a seating chart so that guests could get to know each other (the teacher in me!). On the back of the menu cards we put trivia questions about the wedding party and family members present at the dinner (again more teacherness). I think everyone really enjoyed figuring out who belonged to each question. See, I can make learning fun! We also had a great video slideshow for everyone to view! It featured clip of Mr. Soup and me through the years. Overall, the evening was fun and relaxing. The food was excellent too! Mr. Soup and I put a lot of effort into picking gifts for everyone and I think they all liked them. I was so happy when my grandfather told me how much he liked the pocketwatch we gave him (and the other men). I felt so proud
My dress---need I say more. Absolutely beautiful. People still can't believe my mom made it. I love the detail on it. I love that noone else will ever have this dress!
jewelry---my mom did an awesome job with the jewelry. Not only did she make my jewelry, but she made jewelry for my bridesmaids and flowergirls. She also created some hair jewelry as a surprise for me. I had wanted them, but didn't know I was getting them until the day of the wedding!
Rooftop Private Photo Session---Mr. Soup and I met on the rooftop of the DAC before the wedding. He had been stressed out all day and starting to piss me off royally. However, when we saw each other on the rooftop all our stress melted. He still talks about that moment and it makes me melt. I wasn't an advocate for seeing one another before the wedding, but seeing him eased my nerves.
Photo Session with the wedding party---those pics were so fun to take! I can't wait to see how they turn out. It was great having all our guys and gals together for some fun shots!
Guest Book Quilt---this was a huge hit with our guests! I think it allowed for people to leave more personal messages too. I can't wait for my mom to finish piecing it together!
Unity Sand & Jumping the Broom---I loved incorporating these elements into our wedding. I think they are so unique and beautiful. Our sand is sitting in our living room on display. I will put up our broom soon too!
family---not many people from both our families attended the wedding, so we were excited to see the ones who came. I was especially excited to see my cousins. Although, I could not help but think that Philip should be there, I was happy Willie, Jessi and Willie's new wife Jessica were there. Willie represented with his mohawk. However, it's probably gone now that he entered the service.
Our Readings---all three readings were beautiful. the two religious ones expressed our faiths without being preachy. The poem on marriage showed how unexpected yet welcomed our love was/is.
the dance floor---it was fun to see people gravitate towards the dance floor....even my mama danced a couple of songs. I think she liked dancing with Murad in the Soul Train line the best! Abby was all over that dance floor! She was the hit of the night! I don't think she even sat down to eat!
groom/daughter dance--everyone's heart melted when Abby and Mr. Soup took the floor. They looked absolutely adorable out there. I know that is something we all will remember for the rest of our lives
speeches---Our speeches were so thoughtful. Not only did our best man and maid of honor/matron of honor give speeches, but so did Amber (bridesmaid), Rashad (groomsman) and Ryan (my brother). Jose (best man) speech was funny and poked fun at my husband. Katie and Himee (maids of honor) read a poem together which highlighted my less than perfect past. Amber's speech was thoughtful and reminiscent, as was Rashad's. I think everyone was shocked by my brother's speech. Ryan and I love each other so much, but we fight often like good siblings do. So, when he gave his speech I was surprised to know how much he admired Mr. Soup and I.
Siberian Huskies---I had so much trouble finding the perfect signature drink. Murad and I were arguing over a fact about Huskies (the dogs). When I went to google the correct answer to prove him wrong, the drink popped up instead of the dog! I hadn't even tried the drink. I just knew I wanted it because of the name! It turned out to be a perfect drink. The bartender told us they were a hit among the masses. Many of my friends loved them too. I think Amber had one too many that night and was hurting the next day. Even though we couldn't incorporate our actual dogs in the wedding, I think the drinks were a hit! I need to make one a test it out!
the last dance---Mr. Soup and I enjoyed our last dance together on the dance floor. It was just him and me. It was the perfect way to end our evening
bubbles---immediately after the last dance was our bubble exit! We were so glad to see everyone outside as we left! What a perfect way to end our night!
comfy beds---Mr. Soup and I jumped on the hotel bed to eat leftover food, chocolate covered strawberries and sip wine. We also did some other things, but I won't type them here ;) Needless to say, we got a good night's sleep on our comfortable bed!