Wed Recap: Oh, let me just do that for you!

Mr Fix It and I are control freaks.  Shocking, I know, right?  I mean what would ever make you think that I think I can do it all?  As my sister, MOH J so brilliantly put it in her toast at our reception, neither Mr Fix It nor I are perfect...and that *is* in fact hard for both of us to hear.

We are both perfectionists and though I am a little more humble in realizing that I don't 'know it all,' Mr Fix It believes he is a contractor, electrician, plumber, lawyer, doctor, mechanic, teacher, gardener, etc.  Now granted, he does in fact know a lot about a lot of those things, but he definitely can't do it all.  Though he'd like to think he could.

Anyway, our personalities once again flared up during our ceremony when it came time to partake in the Unity Cross.  I wanted to incorporate something that we could keep as a memorable item to display in our home from our ceremony.  A lot of people will participate in the lighting of a unity candle or in a sand pouring ceremony and then keep the vase in their home.  I wasn't super excited about either of those ideas.  So I was super thrilled when I found the Unity Cross on the GetMarried.com web site. 

It's not cheap at $99 but my small group of girls that I lead in a bible study asked if there was anything special they could all pitch in to get me for my shower and I instantly thought of this cross.  So it not only was a great keepsake from our ceremony, but it also was a special gift from some very important friends in my life.

Basically, the cross is put together by the bride and groom during the ceremony to represent the uniting of the two different beings (man and woman) on the foundation of our faith. 

I loved the symbolism of this.  Although I wish the pastor would have spent a little more time and thought on how he explained this to our guests as part of the ceremony.  It comes with a great little story about how the man's cross is strong and sturdy and yet somewhat empty inside.  And the woman's cross is intricate, beautiful and perfectly suited to fill the man's cross.  But instead he described the woman's cross as 'curvy'.  Really?  Whatever, Pastor Lyle is awesome at rolling with it and I love how he made everyone laugh with his comment about me breaking a nail.  It was still a cool idea.  However, when it came time to put together the cross, well, let's just say that I commented to Mr Fix It that we probably should have practiced putting it together before the actual ceremony which we in fact, did *NOT* do as you'll see in the clip:

Did you listen carefully to how Mr Fix It and I make a perverted comment about 'finding the hole?'  Yeah, not one of my finer moments...I was obviously nervous.  :)

Starts off great working together.

Mr Fix It is having some problems.

And I try to take over...unsuccessfully.

Share time:  Did you have any little mishaps that occurred during your wedding?

TODAY'S WEDDING TIP:  While it's not necessary to practice every single thing that you will be doing at your ceremony or reception, it is a good idea to at least talk about how you'll do certain things.  We should have definitely practiced putting together the cross before the ceremony.  And though you can't do that with a sand pouring, you can at least remind each other that you want to pour the sand slowly so it mixes together well.  My sister and her hubby didn't do this and she poured her sand into the vase super fast while her groom took his time.  It didn't merge quite as well as they wanted though it was a funny story.  Remember to try on your rings before the big day to make sure they fit okay. 

Unless otherwise noted, all photos by Robert Mullins Photography
Raw video footage courtesy of Video Keepsakes of Beverly Hills

A big thank you, update and some sand, candles and water

First, let me say thank you so much to all of you ladies for your wonderful words of kindness and encouragement yesterday regarding all the stress that is suddenly rearing it's ugly head through my Grandmother's health issues and the wedding related items.  Yesterday was so good to be able to hang with her (I was able to finish assembling my ribbon wands while I chatted with her).  Though it was hard because while we were there they decided to bring a hospital bed into her home for her to stay in from now on and had to insert a catheter as well.  She is supposed to be on oxygen 24 hours a day but she kept pulling it out of her nose.  And she kept asking us to let her get up and go to the bathroom even though we told her she couldn't get out of bed.  She was in good spirits though and was asking me about the wedding and the move and all that stuff.  It was nice to get to see her as I have a feeling it will probably be the last time I may ever hug and kiss her :(  But she's lived a pretty full 94 years now!  It was very emotional and my mom and I cried a lot on the 2 hour drive home.  My mom kept saying how this should not be happening right when we are supposed to be happy and excited about our wedding.  But the truth is, as hard as it will be, life just throws you curve balls you have to swing at as they come across the plate, ya know?  The good news is that I have Jesus on my side and He and Mr Fix It and many family and friends - especially you blogger ladies - have been providing wonderful support and encouragement.  It's nice to have a place to vent.

Update:  I was able to renegotiate with my stylist regarding my mom and cousin who couldn't afford to have their hair/makeup done as originally contracted.  My stylist has agreed to let me split my mom and cousin's services so that they can each have their hair done for $35 each and then they will do their own makeup.  The stylist loses the cost of $70 from what we originally contracted and my mom and cousin save $35.  Everyone seems happy with this!

Second, Remember that TODAY is the last day to enter my giveaway for a $25.00 gift certificate to MyWeddingFavors.com   Be sure to enter by clicking here.  Winner will be announced tomorrow!

AND NOW FOR THE REAL POST - BACK TO WEDDING PLANS:

Everyone is somewhat familiar with the 'unity' portion of a wedding ceremony.  You know the part?  Where the officiant asks the bride and groom to use two candles to light one together. 

Source

Or the bride and groom each pour a vase of different colored sand into a vase together representing how the two of them are being intertwined and united as one. 

Source: My sister's wedding via Jim Kennedy Photographers

It's a very beautiful symbolic moment showing the beauty of marriage as two truly become one.

Well, of course I would love to incorporate something like this into our wedding ceremony.  But of course, I didn't want to do what every one of my friends and family members has already done.  I mean, yeah it's tradition and all, but you know me - I don't want traditional!  I want something different and never before seen at a wedding.

Well, my prayers were answered when I found this amazing little thing called the Unity Cross over at GetMarried.com's wedding shop.  It's pricey at $99.95 but the cool thing is that I mentioned it to my group of five ladies that I lead in a weekly bible study and they all pitched in and bought it for me as a bridal shower gift!  Yea! 

Basically, it's two wooden crosses...one to represent the man.  He is bold and strong and yet empty without the woman.  And the other cross represents the beauty and intricacy of the woman.  The pastor discusses these comparisons and then asks the man to place his cross on the strong foundation (for us it is representative of God's truth and love and desires for marriage).  The woman then places her cross inside of the man's cross and the pastor inserts three pegs into the cross to hold them together...they represent the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

After the wedding, this cross can be permanently glued together and then placed on display in your home.  There is even a small drawer in the back for you to place your vows in if you'd like. 

I absolutely love this idea and am so excited to not only have it as a key element of our ceremony but to know that it is a gift from some special ladies that have been a part of my life in such a positive and loving way for many years. 

So, are / did any of you have some sort of symbolic moment during your ceremony to represent your union?