Honeys Do: Push It!

We had done dinner, the dances and speeches so that left one more formality before we could just dance. And if you are guessing cake cutting you are wrong. This would have been the time that we did the cake cutting, but there was some miscommunication about the dessert. Word had spread that due to the buffet nature of our dessert options, our intended cake had been cut and was already being enjoyed by guests. I shrugged it off, happy that guests were enjoying my $11 cake from the grocery store, and moved along. Was I upset then? No. Am I upset now? A little bit. I do wish I could have smashed some cake in Mr. Honey's face, and had the pictures to prove it, but I also don't consider our day ruined because we didn't cut the cake.

So, what was the last formality? The girls dance. The one I had declared months ago would replace the traditional bouquet toss and the one that we choreographed moves to just the night before. We also planned with the DJ's that this dance would be the official kick off to the dance party. The DJ's requested everyone clear the floor and make room for the bride, and I took my spot on the vacant dance floor. A quick note: I have never performed a dance in my life, and certainly didn't ever think that the first time would be on my wedding night in my purty white dress. But there I was as Salt-n-Pepa's Push It came over the speakers.

Then 6 of my bridesmaids (the two that were preggers skipped the performance) joined me and they broke out into full on early-90's dance moves! For whatever reason, we decided not to have my do the same choreography, maybe because my dress a little more restricting than their bridesmaid dresses, so I just did my own thang as they moved in unison.

Ending in the classic, the running man! Yes, I did do the running man in my wedding dress!

After our minute of choreography we then encouraged the rest of the girls in attendance to come to the dance floor and join us for the rest of the song. It was so much fun!

And because I'm feeling brave right now, I will post a video of me and my amazing bridesmaids dancing to Push It on my wedding night (sorry it's a little dark)!

Not for one second did I, nor do I, regret not doing a bouquet toss. This dance was SO much for fun for all of us and was a good alternative to the tradition.

This dance replaced the bouquet toss, you may be wondering what replaced the garter toss? I planned nothing, but BM Candace took it upon herself to do something. A few songs later, she sat me down in a chair, to which I frantically told her that we weren't doing a garter toss...and then You've Lost That Loving Feeling came on and all of a sudden I was being serenaded by a whole group of guys!

This was a pretty quickly planned (I'm talking like 5 minutes prior) performance so the guys didn't really know what to do...they started on their knees, snapping their fingers and then decided to hoist me into the air where I remained for a good few seconds.

Guest Photo

After I safely returned to the ground, I declared their serenade a success! It was so sweet of the guys and a complete surprise (thanks Candace!).

*Unless otherwise noted, all Photos by the talented duo of Zak Fleming Photography

·         We had a busy wedding week

·         Teamwork made our Dream Work

·         We rehearsed casually

·         There was a pizza party!

·         Friday night was Princesses, Panties & Practice

·         Bridal details made me reminisce my morning  

·         I became a bride!

·         The Honey Girls took a walk in the snow

·         The Dudes got handsome

·         We did our First Look, with our doggy!

·         The Honeys posed as bride and groom

·         The Honey Dudes played in the snow

·         20 People and a Dog posed

·         I swooned over the details

·         We all trekked a snowy aisle

·         There were vows, declaration and a kiss!

·         Our recessional was tricky

·         Guests drank and I bustled

·         We ate finger-lickin’ good BBQ

·         We did The Dances

·         There was a toast and a roast

Honeys Do: A Snowy Trek

It took a few extra minutes and a few requests from the DJ to get the entire crowd outside...probably because moments before our ceremony, this is how it looked outside.

A few brave souls grabbed a fleece blanket or huddled under an umbrella, but the majority of guests gathered under the covered porch.

I heard the wedding party's processional song come on (1,2,3,4 by the Plain White T's) and one by one our wedding party exited the venue and made their way to our snowy ceremony site. I was peeking out of a window to see as much as I could of this part of the ceremony! The grooms are so lucky they get to see this part of the ceremony, that being said, the proscessional pictures are some of my favorite from the day.

GM/Honey Bro escorted my mom down the aisle first. She was so happy and looked beautiful in my great-grandmother's fur coat.

After Mama Honey was situated, Mr. Honey walked down with FIL Honey and Officiant Mark.

And there Mr. Honey and Officiant Mark stood under our handmade arbor, in the middle of a snow storm and watched the rest of the wedding party trek the snowy aisle.

If you remember, we had the uneven wedding party with eight bridesmaids, five groomsmen and one dog. I kind of fretted over how we would actually pair up the 'maids to 'men, and I have to say it worked out perfectly! Here's how our uneven-ness played out.

GM/Honey Bro walked BM Mae.

GM J.S. pimped, I mean walked, down the aisle with BM Candace and BM K.

BM Kel Bel had the most handsome of all...she walked Zeus down the aisle.



GM J.C. and BM Hogan walked down together.

GM Steele then walked BM Scoot and BM Fawn down.

Then it was BM Cruise who escorted MOH Stac (he later said she had a death grip on him, but hey she was 8 months pregnant!)

Our crew of little ones followed them. I have to say that I wasn't sure this would actually work. At the rehearsal, two of the flower girls were being especially shy, but I figured if they didn't make it down, so be it. Well they rocked it! Our two ring bearers (two of my cousins) held the little girls hands and helped them walk down the snowy aisle. So cute!!

I recall standing in the doorway at this moment, making eye contact with the guests on the porch with the biggest smile ever while my dad was (still) fighting back tears. I remember having this feeling of perfection as I looked down my aisle and glanced at the wedding party standing so perfectly on our ceremony site.

The song switched to my song (Everybody by Ingrid Michaelson) and it was my time. My turn on the aisle. I get chills typing this out because it was such a happy moment. The Honey wedding guests did their part by beginning to stand as I made my way down the stairs...

...and then they started clapping and cheering! It was so unexpected and if possible, it made my already huge smile bigger.

Meanwhile, this is how the wedding party was looking:

There's smiles and tears and even two groomsmen being awesomely adorable. And Mr. Honey? He's looking down because he is in fact crying, big puppy dog tears! Shhh don't tell him I told you that secret ;)

Both Mr. Honey and I gave my dad ginormous hugs...seeing two very important men in my life embrace, both while crying, was a very sincere moment for me.

My dad took Zeus, and headed back to sit next to my mom. Mr. Honey and I grabbed hands and it was time...time to become husband and wife!

*All Photos by the talented duo of Zak Fleming Photography

·         We had a busy wedding week

·         Teamwork made our Dream Work

·         We rehearsed casually

·         There was a pizza party!

·         Friday night was Princesses, Panties & Practice

·         Bridal details made me reminisce my morning  

·         I became a bride!

·         The Honey Girls took a walk in the snow

·         The Dudes got handsome

·         We did our First Look, with our doggy!

·         The Honeys posed as bride and groom

·         The Honey Dudes played in the snow

·         20 People and a Dog posed

·         I swooned over the details

Honeys Do: Pictures with 20 People and A Dog

The guys took a few minutes to warm up inside the venue and then Zak quickly gathered the whole wedding party to go back outside for a group shot. With snow accumulating very quickly, dangerous driving conditions and the early arrival of some guests, we had a record setting quick shoot with the 20 people who made up our wedding party, and of course the dog.

Zak recruited a couple brave volunteers to stand on the two corners of the road and request drivers slow down for our wedding party pictures. We got friendly honks and a few celebratory hollars from passing cars. Or, maybe people just thought we were nuts?!

The snow was coming down so hard at this point, so kudos to our wedding party (especially the little ones!) and the photographers for sticking it out with us and providing these shots!

High on our list of photo requests was pictures with Zeus, our dog-of-honor. We made it a priority to be able to have him at our wedding and it was like he knew he had a special role that weekend. He was such a good boy all weekend long. He rocked that tie proudly, he listened to anyone who requested he behave and he even posed for important pictures. We felt so lucky to have him be there with us, representing all of our pets, on our wedding day and I have no doubt the day wouldn't have been the same without his big, goofy presence. After our wedding party booked it for the warmth of the venue, we took a few special moments with Zeus and got these amazing pictures.

We got him situated and gave him lots of praise...

At which point he rewarded me with a big sloppy kiss...

All the stars aligned and insisting our big dog be a part of our wedding was all worth it when Zak captured this perfect picture.

And with that perfection, we called 'formals' a success and got to head inside to mingle with our wedding party and family before the ceremony.

*All Photos by the talented duo of Zak Fleming Photography

·         We had a busy wedding week

·         Teamwork made our Dream Work

·         We rehearsed casually

·         There was a pizza party!

·         Friday night was Princesses, Panties & Practice

·         Bridal details made me reminisce my morning  

·         I became a bride!

·         The Honey Girls took a walk in the snow

·         The Dudes got handsome

·         We did our First Look, with our doggy!

·         The Honeys posed as bride and groom

         The Honey Dudes played in the snow

Honeys Do: Girls In The Snow

The girls and I left the warmth of the crackling fireplace and ventured outside...I was first out the door, leading my group of girls into the snow. A very vivid memory I have is turning around and seeing my eight bridesmaids looking just amazing. I chose to go with the mismatched bridesmaid dresses and never once did I regret that decision. There were eight different styles/fabrics/lengths of various navy blue dresses and it worked fabulously. Tied together with the matching cardigans, my heart swelled with how perfectly my girls looked.

We took a little stroll down the snow covered dirt road...the girls held hands and latched arms, paying special attention to my two pregnant bridesmaids, as Flower Girls S & B led the posse of girls. I wonder how many residents caught glimpses of the crazy winter bride and her bridesmaids!

We chatted about the breathtaking background we had surrounding us...the snow covered pine and aspen trees were just picturesque Colorado, but we also walked peacefully taking in the sound of the crunching snow beneath our cowboy boots.

The snow was quickly accumulating...here BM Hogan is telling Flower Girl M to look how much snow is on her boots.

Zak paused us on our walk and my stunning group of favorite ladies posed for this absolutely perfect picture.  

I have been a big fan of jumping shots since we got engaged, however with snow (and subsequently ice) and two preggers in the group, jumping just wasn't safe...so we stayed on the ground and showed our excitement with some hoops and hollers!



With chilly toes and a ticking clock, we had to scurry over to the venue...the snow was really starting to come down and this bride was ready to see her groom!!



*All Photos by the talented duo of Zak Fleming Photography

·         We had a busy wedding week

·         Teamwork made our Dream Work

·         We rehearsed casually

·         There was a pizza party!

·         Friday night was Princesses, Panties & Practice

·         Bridal details made me reminisce my morning  

·         I became a bride!