To paraphrase Meg from A Practical Wedding, it was not the best day of my life. The best day of my life would have involved more sleeping, less tulle and much different weather. It WAS the best party I have ever been to and therefore the best party I’ve ever helped throw. The photographer who started the day with a trip to the emergency room after a groomsman split her forehead open during a round of disc golf told me and several others at the end of the night that it was the most fun wedding she’d ever been involved in. The deacon was late, and I didn’t freak out. There were still about 40 people on the dance floor when we danced to Let’s Get it On at 10 p.m. It was authentically us, and I experienced every moment fully.

wedding shoes, taken by my cousin’s husband

And at the end of the day we were married and it did feel different, in the best possible way. I’ve experienced a joy I’ve never known in my life thanks to a day that will stay in my heart for a lifetime.

And now for a trip to the Emerald Isle, and I’m not talking about the one in North Carolina.