as long as you both shall live, with this ring, I now pronounce you....

I do.

I thee wed.

Husband and wife.

The BIG day.

I went to numerous dress fittings. Lost weight, gained weight, accidently lost more weight a week before my wedding sending my alterations lady and myself into a panic to pull in the seam, and there I was.. barely able to breathe once my dress was on and it was time to walk down the aisle. How does one gain and lose and gain 5 pounds in days? Lets not forget to mention, that by the end of my wedding night.. I found myself yanking my dress up discretely (I hope) because that darn thing seemed to be growing on me!

I bought 3 pairs of wedding shoes. 3 pairs. Hated all of them, except the last pair.... or so I thought. Apparently, wearing an 8 pound beaded lace gown makes your feet hurt no matter what you’re wearing on your feet. After the ceremony, and hours of pictures... I put on platform flip flops. Yes, I did. I swear. The girl who owns 739238 pairs of heels, opted for flip flops for her wedding reception. I had dancing all night on my agenda, and my "perfect wedding shoes" weren’t gonna cut it...

I had 2 hair trials. Thought it was exactly what I wanted. Until 3 hours before my wedding. "It needs to be higher! volume! I need volume!" So... my lovely girls helped to give me what I wanted. I think. I wish I would have gotten extensions. Yes, I naturally have wonderful amounts of Latin hair. But, ya know... whatever. Extensions. That’s all Im gonna say.

I remained calm throughout the day. I was the one telling my mother, maid of honors, and bridesmaids to relax. Lets not even get started on how many time I had to tell my dad to breathe. I ate a small breakfast. My wonderful maid of honor, Lauren, even walked completely across a mall to get me a Venti Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks while I got my hair done. I had a few bites of a sandwich while it was makeup time. "Are you nervous!?" My response.... "No."

And I wasn’t. I was marrying my best friend. Who would be nervous about that? I had been practicing my vows since I saw "Father of the Bride" when I was 6... I grew up wearing dresses, and could successfully walk a mile in high heels by the time I was 12. Why would I be nervous? Its only my family and friends... Seemed like such a silly question.

My bridesmaids walked down the aisle one by one, and I smiled watching them from a window.

Then my Maid of Honors walked, arm in arm.. and it was time to pull myself away from the window and stand tall.

When my flower girl and ring bearer made their way down the aisle, I laughed.. My ring bearer took his job very serious. "Throw a petal! Come on! Throw the petals!" he screamed at my flower girl while he flung around the ring pillow my mother spent weeks hand sewing and beading with crystals.

Daddy looked at me and winked.

Piece of cake.

And then the music changed.

It went from a sweet symphony to the traditional "Dun dun dun dunnnnn....."

A few weeks before, while picking our ceremony music... Ryan declared he wanted "Here comes to the bride" to not sound wimpy. He wanted it to be full of deep bass.. as if announcing the royal family...

Bad idea.

My stomach flipped. And then it flopped.. and then.... I felt like I was going to be sick in the sticky Florida May heat. "Ryan is your best friend. He is your lover. He is your soul mate. He is the father of your future children. He loves you even though you’re insane! He is the reason you’re so dang happy all the time!"

And then came the tears.

 And none of this was nerves.

All of this was pure shock.

I, Angela, was marrying the one man that makes so head over heels happy.

Every dream was coming true at that exact moment.

I had found my God given partner, and I was about to commit my entire life to him.

And silly me.

 Before I met Ryan, I never thought I would ever be lucky enough to get married.

I had just turned 22 when I met him. Pathetic, huh?

Here I am... 1 year and and 9 months after the day I had first laid eyes on him.... about to say "I do", to make a deal with God and continue to love this man forever.

I was completely overwhelmed with emotions.

And our pictures?

Shows every insane emotion that came flooding out.

And NOT in the nicest of ways......

"Ok, this is easy.. There he is. MY GROOM. Look how handsome the boys look! And my honey! I havent seen him in like 20 hours. I miss him so much."

"ok, there goes the 2 girls that know more about me then I know about me. Wait, Jessies dress is shorter then Laurens. How the heck did that happen? No biggie..."

"Arent they so freakin cute?"

"My poor mom. Spent days on that dang pillow, and junior is tossing it around like a rag... funny"

"Dun dun dun..... dunnnnn ohhhhhhh crap"

"Um.. whats my name? Where am I? What planet am I on???"

"Look at this handsome man. God, he is so amazing. And so handsome. I hope he remembered to give Joe our weddings bands. Look how dang cute he looks! Those dreamy blue eyes..."

"Woooo Hoooo! This is EASY! Keep your eyes on the prize, Angela... "

"How long is this aisle? I hope it doesnt rain. Mmmmm... my man looks yummy!"

"Crap, this is the moment they sing about in county songs. Daddy is giving me away. Crap. Swallow that  lump in your throat!!! Get it together!!!"

"Swallow that lump, I say!!!"

"Ok, its me... and him... and preacher man... and 150 people... and God. No prob... Wait. Time for vows? I have to speak? Out loud? "

"Dang it. Stick a fork in me, Im done. There is no going back on these water works..."

"In sickness and in health (sniff, slurp, sniff) til death do us part"

"Ok, that wasnt so bad... Crap, its his turn. This may be worse then my turn. Its a good thing his grandmother hand beaded this hankie Im wiping my snot all over"

"losing it here.... losing it..... He said it. He said I do. The moment I have dreamt of all my life. Sweetest words Ive ever heard!"

"Rings, rings... my rings so pretty."

*Disclaimer- I will not post a picture of our first kiss as husband and wife. It was horrible. I decided it was okay to throw my chubby little arms around my husbands neck, and I look like a lumber jack. True story.

"Husband and Wife? Husband and Wife? Oh my holy JESUS! Husband and wife!"

Marrying Ryan was the most soul calming thing I have ever done. God made it clear that I was marrying my soul mate. There are not words to describe the amount of love for each other that floated from our lips as we said our vows. I think our faces paint the entire picture.

I do.

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow.

Forever and a day.