Non-Traditional Wedding Ideas...Part I

I posted about a few of the common wedding traditions we included in The.Best.Day here, and now I want to share a few of the non-traditional aspects that made our wedding unique to us.  Because we got married at a non-traditional venue (the Oak Water Ranch), we pretty much had free reign to do what we wanted with our ceremony. We put a lot of thought into ways we could incorporate our individual personalities into our wedding. Here are a few aspects that helped make it The.Best.Day... 

There are LOTS of photos in this post, just going to disclose that up front. All photo credit goes to our A-MAZing photographers, McGowan Images. {all files compressed so it won't take four days for the page to load!}

{Sidenote: When I started this post, I didn't realize how many details really helped to "personalize" our wedding...I just kept adding pictures and more pictures. I was only about halfway through when I realized this is already a looooooooong post, so I decided to split it up into two parts. With that said, enjoy Part I...}

First Look

I am so glad we did a "first look" before the ceremony.  I feel like I got to fully absorb Ryan's first reaction to seeing me in my wedding dress. Plus, it was a quiet moment between only the two of us {our photographers gave us plenty of space while still capturing great images}. Those few moments we spent together just taking it all in were probably the calmest, most relaxing moments of the entire day. It truly felt like the world was revolving around us.

Man of Honor

My brother and I are very close, so I wanted him to be by my side when I got married. When I asked him if he would do this, he told me he'd be honored...as long as he didn't have to wear a dress!

Pretending he lost the ring...Punk!

Of course he made me cry during his speech/toast

Meaningful {to us} Music

Music is one of the best ways to tell a story, and we chose songs that we felt reflected our personal stories, both as individuals and as a couple.

Seating of Grandparents & Parents: "Long Line of Love" by Michael Martin Murphy

Ryan's Grandma, Janet Martin
Escorted by Bart Parks 

Leslie's Grandparents, Lois & Huston Mills
Escorted by Landon Lukens

Ryan's Parents, JoAnn and Brock {hiding behind Ryan's shoulder}
Escorted by the Groom

Leslie's mom, Vickie with Lily
Escorted by Landon Lukens

Bridal Party Processional: "The Best Day" by George Strait

+Ashley Beam, House Party
Escorted by Chris Shepard

+Kathryn Ashley and +Megan Powers, House Party
Escorted by Bart Parks 

Kelli Swayden, Bridesmaid

Darcy Weeks, Bridesmaid

+Gretchen Clark, Bridesmaid

Lindsay Shepard, Bridesmaid

Rachael Gonzalez, Matron of Honor

Landon Lukens, Man of Honor
{his THIRD trip down the aisle, after escorting my grandparents and mom}

Jayten Malson {nephew of the groom}, Ring Bearer

Hailey Hampton {niece of the groom} and Maddyx Clagg {niece of the bride}, 
Flower Girls

Bride's Processional: "Look At You Girl" by Chris LeDoux

Flower Presentation to our Families: "Mama's Song" sung by Leslie Wedel

Leslie Wedel, a fabulous vocalist and friend of the bride

Recessional: "Love's Lookin' Good on You" by Lady Antebellum

More "Meaningful Music" details and photos from the reception will be included in "Non-traditional Wedding Ideas...Part II"

Lily

She's a BIG part of our normal everyday life, so it was important to us {me!} to include her in The.Best.Day...

Getting ready to walk down the aisle...
{Landon informed me there was no reason for me to bother walking down the aisle after this
because Miss Lily had already stolen the show!}

I hope you enjoyed this peek into The.Best.Day! Please come back tomorrow for more unique details and photos.