The Wedding

Good Morning campers! Today is the day!

    Chris and I are excited to share our Wedding day with you! 

Originally we were going to have the wedding at a place called Murphy Lake in Wyoming, along the Greys River. However, that was not going to work because there is not a way for us to reserve it, nor was it easy to get to. It is a good hour hike from the bottom of the mountain it sits in. So we scrapped that idea and opted for having the ceremony and the reception at his parents house, to which both seemed very happy and thrilled to do.

We opted for the ceremony to be on the front porch of their cabin home, and then move the reception over to the opposite side of the house for the food and fun. Little did we know it would be raining the day of the wedding. We knew Friday (while getting the girls nails done that it was a possibility) and boy did it come down. So change of plans happened and we had the ceremony and food in the same place on the back porch of the home because the tents and such had already been set up there.

Chris BBQed our favorite dinner. Steak potatoes and corn. We had all kinds of appetizers.

Everything from Watermelon with balsamic and blue cheese, dipping bread with olive oil and balsamic, cheeses boards and different drinks. It truly was fun and so delicious. My favorite of all the food was the Ice cream bar that we set up. I personally love Ice cream and so does Chris (neither of us really love cake so this was a better option; although his mom surprised us with the AMAZING cake that we had).
 For the steaks Chris grilled them up on our new Camp Chef 3 burner grill that we got from Cabela's. A review on that will be posted soon along with some recipes that we love.

Lets be clear about the next nitty gritty of the wedding......

I'm not going to sit here and tell you how you should do your wedding and such. But I will tell you that I was having a hard time getting everyone else out of my head as to what should be done and how. So Chris basically said "it is for us, make it what you and I want" and so that is what we did. That is the advice I have for other people deciding on how to plan their wedding. Our wedding was very small and intimate but that is what we wanted. Do not let people, even toxic family members tell you how you should have your wedding. It is for you and your spouse and should all there is to it.  

Overall the wedding was amazing and Chris and I enjoyed it to the fullest. We were able to have the ceremony and then the reception inside while Chris BBQed outside on the same porch. It actually worked out perfectly and we still got our enjoyment out of it. Most people, because it was still raining  after the ceremony, were happy that we could go inside to eat and socialize. Angel( our niece) took the photos for us, and she did such an amazing job. We are grateful for her and so excited she got to be apart. 

    When it came to the ceremony we gave it a non-traditional makeover. It is our wedding so we wanted it be special and meaningful to us.

As far as traditions go, my dress was red because in Korean culture the brides dress has red, and she usually has red circles painted onto her face as a symbol of warding off bad spirits. We also had a kissing bell and geese as part of our other "traditions" that related best for us and our family.

The geese(fake, though they used to be real live geese) are a symbol of forever, and being with a soulmate. A goose will mate with only  one goose in their lifetime. Thus the symbolism of receiving them as a wedding gift. Now normally the brides father gives them to the groom as a gift, but my grandma stepped in on behalf. 

As far as the kissing bell, research that I have done says that it is a Korean and Irish tradition. It is usually brass or silver and is rung right before the officiant says "you may kiss the bride" it also is symbolized as warding off bad spirits.

As far as vows go, Chris and I did go down this road, as we did an exchanging of Guns. We both wrote out something to be said during, in place of vows. For Chris and I, teamwork and being apart of each others success is a big thing. So we thought it be best to write something together rather than saying vows. 

We chose to exchange guns instead simply because they are a big part of our lives (Chris being military, and both of us just being interested in them). The Vikings exchanged swords, we liked the symbolism of exchanging weapons as both providing and protecting for our family and With that the rifles we chose to exchange for each other worked best for us. 

Here is an insert of some of what was said during the rifle exchange: 

"...The coming together of two people does not mean that one ceases to be an individual. Love does not ask you to become small so that your partner may grow. Love asks one thing of you and that is to always remain true to who you are.

 You have become each other’s compass. A compass always points north and serves the traveler as an honest guide and means of orientation, but also serves as a source of support, hope and faith. On a traveler’s journey destinations will inevitably change, their path may sometimes loose their footing. With the right compass to accompany them, they will never loose direction. Marriage is committing to the person who points you north and remains by our side each step of the way...." 

Overall, Chris and I really felt that our wedding was for us, and the way we had the ceremony really showed who we are as a couple and as husband and wife. Even if it did rain on our wedding day (rain is a sign of good luck), Chris and I loved every second of it and are so grateful that we got to share our day with loved ones. 

If you take anything from this, remember that this special day is like no other as a couple. You will have a lot of fun filled adventure days, but you will also get on each others nerves and I just hope that you know your wedding day will not make your relationship stronger or weaker. You do. Your wedding day is a day. It is a special day, and its a HUGE deal, but do not loose the fact that after you both wake up the next day, possibly hungover, that the rest is what you make it from there on out. 

During our ceremony our officiant gave us the 5 love languages book, (I have read before, but Chris has not but gets the gist.) and we were told to learn each others love language. and I can not stress enough that a relationship is two people wanting what's best for each other. Thus making it not 100% all the time, but being able to give your partner the rest of what they need on any given day.  A relationship is two people coming together and cheering the other on, it's making sure they feel ok, and being apart of the process. It is not one sided, it is not toxic, it is not waiting till they get home to tell them what they haven't done all day, right as they walk through the door. I am not really religious but the one thing I do follow is that Love is patient, kind and forgiving. Unconditional love is what we are striving for, and what will help a relationship last. 

We hope you feel apart of the family, as this is what we are striving to accomplish. This is a community of love and acceptance for who you are.

Remember to stay safe and healthy during these trying times with Covid. 

- The Whitten's -