For my first wedding post, I wanted to write about some of the details of our wedding because there were so many unique and special details that made our wedding what it was.
My absolute favorite part of our wedding was how personal it was. Every detail was intentionally planned and had a meaning to either me or Isaac or both of us.
I will start off by telling about my mom's awesome surprise: Sticks & Scoops at the reception! If you don't know what Sticks & Scoops is, it is an ice cream truck that serves ice cream with donut holes. (It's as good as it sounds). My mom surprised me with them being at the reception, and it was SO exciting. Definitely one of my favorite wedding details.
Next, I will talk about my bouquet. I will start off by saying that my mother in law did a great job with all of the flowers! My bouquet was so beautiful & everything I could have dreamed. My mom surprised me the day of the wedding with a picture of my papaw to hang on my bouquet. It was a such a sweet reminder that he would have been there if he could & that he would have been so happy for me.
The dress. I found my absolute dream dress from Lulu's. I always dreamed of a long sleeved dress with an open back, and I got just that. I also got a hanger for it that said Mrs. Kandel, and it was so pretty.
Now, I will talk about how each person who played a role was someone important to Isaac and me. Whether it was the hairstylist or those who sung in the ceremony, everyone involved had played some type of role in Isaac and I's lives.
First, our wedding party:
Maid of Honor- Sarah Dixon (my sister)
Best Man- Josh Kandel (Isaac's brother)
Bridemaids- Jessie West (my cousin)
Jami Kandel (Isaac and I's sister in law)
Skyler Norrod (my college roommate)
Amanda Seaton (my cousin)
Gretchen Thomas (my friend from college)
Groomsmen- JohnDavid Kandel (Isaac's brother)
Elijah Kandel (Isaac's brother)
Adam Farragut (Isaac's friend/mentor)
Cody Lawson (Isaac's college roommate)
Matt Lee (Isaac's friend/mentor)
Each person in our wedding party was either family or a friend who is more like family. We were honored that each of these people chose to stand beside us. I'm not sure what the guys did before the wedding, but my bridesmaids & I ate Firehouse Subs and blasted worship music. It was so fun to just sing God's praises with them while getting ready, and it is a memory I will cherish forever!
Next, hair and makeup:
Hair-Kim Malone and Katelyn Harrell
Makeup-Jami Kandel
Kim, who was my Sunday school teacher growing up, did my hair. It was so special to reminisce with her on those Sunday mornings spent learning about Noah's ark and eating goldfish while my hair was being done for my wedding. Katelyn, my little cousin Alex's girlfriend who is like family, also helped with the bridemaids' hair, and it was so great for her to get to play a role as well! For makeup, my sister in law, Jami, did it. We definitely had a lot of fun, and she did such a great job!
Next, our officiant and the opening prayer:
Officiant- Tony Bennett
Opening Prayer- Walker Roberson
My Uncle Tony performed the ceremony, and his sincerity truly added so much to it. When he said he asked the Lord what he needed to say & then he spoke about my papaw, he'll never know how much that meant to me and how God used that in that moment. Isaac's papaw did the opening prayer, and it was so beautiful!
Next, our ceremony music:
The Blessing by Elevation Worship, Kari Jobe, and Cody Carnes- sung by Matt Lee and Amber Vanderslice Shelton
Build My Life by Housefires- sung by Matt Lee
The Blessing, sung during our family prayer where my immediate family & Isaac's immediate family came to pray over us, was sung by Isaac's friend/mentor, Matt and one of his friends from church, Amber. It meant a lot to me to have people singing over us who I knew genuinely meant what they were singing. Build My Life, sung during the Unity Cross part of the ceremony, was also sung by Isaac's friend/mentor, Matt, and we really appreciated his willingness to sing two songs at the ceremony.
Next, our first dance song:
Lover by Taylor Swift- sung by Gretchen Thomas
One of my best friends (and fellow Swiftie), Gretchen, sang our first dance song for us. There is seriously no one else I would have wanted to do this (even Taylor Swift herself) because Gretchen has been such a source of encouragement & wisdom in my life since we became friends. I knew her talent would bring so much to our first dance, and she did an amazing job!
Next, photography and videography:
Photographer- Savannah Hinton (Serenity Shots by S)
Videographer- Nathan Branch
One of my friends from high school, Savannah, was our photographer! She took both our engagement and wedding photos and did truly an incredible job. She was so patient and positive throughout the whole day. I could not have asked for a better photographer, and I will recommend her to absolutely anyone. It was really cool too that someone that I used to hangout with a lot in high school was then the one to take the photos at my wedding. Our videographer, Nathan, was one of Isaac's friends from church. It was nice to have someone taking the video who knows us and has known about our story from the beginning when we first started talking.
Next, our reception DJ:
Matt Wenger
My cousin, Matt, was our DJ. I knew from the start that I wanted Matt to do this job because he is truly the most fun person I have ever known. His high energy & sense of humor brought so much to the reception, and I am so thankful he said yes when I asked him to DJ!
Next, our wedding coordinator:
Patricia Orr
Our wedding coordinator, Patricia, is a lady I grew up going to church with & have always admired! She was right there to calm me down anytime I got stressed, and she made sure things were always running smoothly. She also made our beautiful programs! I appreciate her help more than she will ever know!
Next, our Junior Groomsmen:
Jordan Dixon
Jace Dixon
Jasper Kandel
Isaac and I's nephews were our three little junior groomsmen. They were all three absolutely adorable in their tiny suits, and having them have such a big part of the wedding will always be special to us!
Next, our Ring Bearer and Flower Girl:
Ring Bearer- Thomas Bennett
Flower Girl: Henri Jane Bennett
My little cousins, Thomas & Henri Jane, were our ring bearer and flower girl. It was so sweet for Thomas to get to pull his little sister in a wagon down the aisle. I will never forget it! Also, a thank you to their mom, Kayla, for praying with me right before I walked down the aisle. Such a special moment!
Next, our Ushers:
Alex West
Sammy West
Ely Causey
My little cousins (I say little but they are 18, 16, and 18) were our ushers! Alex and Sammy escorted our mamaw in, and Ely escorted my grandmother in. Alex also built the cross that was standing behind Isaac & me in the ceremony, and Sammy & Ely hauled it all the way from Maynardville. They blew up the balloons, help set up, and I'm sure did even more that I don't even know about. Their help meant the world to me!
Next, our program attendants:
Emeri Seaton
Elaina Seaton
My little cousins, Emeri and Elaina, were our program attendants as well as helped make the video of Isaac and me that played before the ceremony. I am so happy they were able to play multiple roles, and their effort meant so much to me!
Next, sound/lights:
Seth Wolfenbarger
One of Isaac's friends from church, Seth, did the sound/lights as well as played a video of me and Isaac before the ceremony. He was so helpful and really intentional about making sure everything was how we wanted it.
Next, rehearsal dinner photos:
Keerthana Duddu
One of my best friends, Keerthana, was unfortunately unable to make it to the wedding, but she came to the rehearsal dinner and took some photos for us so we would have some from that night! Everyone was so busy that the only pictures that were even taken were the ones she took, so we are very thankful she chose to do that for us!
Our wedding was the second happiest day of my life (the first being when I met Jesus), and I wish I could relive it over and over! The way we got to take joy in the details of that day reminds me so much of how God took so much joy in the details of our story. He used so many different things in Isaac and I's lives in order to bring us together, and so many different things had to happen for our wedding to happen the way that it did. How sweet it is to know that God is even more intentional with the details of the story of our lives than even I was with the details of my wedding.
ALL photos by Serenity Shots by S.
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