Ultimate Wedding Week- The Reception!

Well, today is gloom and doom here in Northern California. What better way to cheer me up than to talk about the reception since I am stuck on the sofa and can’t leave the house? It really was my favorite part about our wedding. I spent countless hours researching other destination weddings for inspiration, looked at numerous vendor sites and of course watched my fair share of wedding shows! My biggest challenge was figuring out ways to let our personalities stand out even though I knew I couldn't bring much to the venue. Most importantly though, I wanted everyone to have a blast since they traveled so far from home to be with us!
 


After the wedding we took a few more pictures before starting the real party. Every time I wonder what it would have been like to get married in a church (the hubs wanted the beach and I wanted a church) I look at the backdrop in our pictures and I know I made the right decision by listening to him! (shhhhh! do NOT tell him I said that) :)

We hired a DJ that played a CD I made with all of our favorite songs. I didn’t want to leave the music up to chance because both the hubs and I agreed that it would set the mood for the party. I am a country girl at heart so line dancing was a must for me. We lined danced to Tim McGraw’s It’s a business Doing Pleasure With You because Michael and I joke that if we had a country song it would most definitely be that song. I mean isn't that every couple's theme song??


Some of the other songs we chose were Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’, Francesca Battistelli’s It’s Your Life, Gavin Degraw’s In Love With a Girl, Toby Keith’s Made In America (not really a dance song, but I had to throw it in there…).
 


Our first dance was to Marry Me by Train. It was playing randomly one day in a store while Michael and I were shopping for Christmas gifts. I looked over at him and he was looking at me all teary eyed. A few months later when I asked him what song we should have our first dance to he answered, without hesitation, Marry Me.
 


After our dance I got to live out every little girls fantasy of dancing with their original knight in shinning armor while wearing the big, white princess dress. While my dress wasn’t a princess dress, I still loved every moment of dancing with my dad. We danced to Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman because it is the epitome of our relationship. The hubs chose Simple Man (Acoustic version) by Shinedown. I don’t think the photo’s do their dance justice, but in the video you see the emotion and unwavering love between mother and son.

When we were done with the traditional aspects of the reception, we moved over to the buffet and dug right in. Considering we were not able to sample to food I was very, very happy. Everything Michael & I ate was absolutely delicious!
 


While eating I couldn’t help but cry tears of joy. Why you ask? It started pouring rain the minute we sat down to eat. It is an old wives tale that the harder it rains, the stronger the marriage. I looked at Michael and he said “It’s your uncle and our grandpa’s." Of course that made me tear up even more, but it is one of my favorite memories of the day.
 

Everyone watching us watch the rain...

Another great aspect of the reception was the open bar. We had the margaritas flowing (my favorite) and enough beer and other cocktails to last a lifetime. It was included in our package and I am so thankful for that. I am sure most people say this, but I really don’t think they saw us coming! 


Our best man came over before the toasts and asked if we could take shots of tequila instead of drink champagne for the “cheers” moments. Without hesitation, Michael & I said yes! A few shots of Patron later the dance floor was full and we danced into the early evening.

This table was set up to remember those that were with us in spirit. Notice the reflection of our cake topper over my uncle's shoulder...

At some point late into the evening we had to get back to the ship, but we didn’t let that stop us! The hubs and I took a few photos around the ship and then met up with our guests to continue the party in one of the ships main dinning halls. It really was the never-ending party and it was so much fun!

Our California reception was also a ton of fun, but it was in a completely different way. After the renewal we walked back to the house and started the party.

I had mentioned in a previous post that I only asked for a few things for the renewal. They were appetizer/ small bites for the food, a cake, I wanted the beach theme to be carried over and of course…a margarita machine!

I wanted another cake because the hubs has a sweet tooth and I wanted to be able to go back to our bakery in a year to reorder the top tier. I knew that I couldn’t do that from Cozumel, so I wanted the next best thing. In all honesty, I loved the cake from our CA reception more and I am so happy I had that on my list of wants. It was gorgeous and it tasted so good!

The margarita machine was a total hit and I am so thankful I was able to have the second reception to celebrate with our family & friends!

Missed the last couple of link ups? Here's how you can catch up:

The Ceremony 

Before The Wedding

Rehearsal Dinner & Bridal Shower

Engagement Photos

Now come join the party at Hello! Happiness