Devon loves Adri part III: They tie the knot!

Catch up on the series here: rehearsal, getting ready

Since I was a bridesmaid and got to stand up with Devon & Adri as they said their "I Do"s, I wasn't able to take pictures during the ceremony. Thus, all photos in this post were borrowed from family members :)

To say that I was honored to be a part of this day would be a dire understatement. I was a veritable fountain of emotion that day and the days preceding it, a detail confirmed over and over and over by comments from family and friends.

The ceremony site was beautiful, set on the grass overlooking a little pond inside the former race track. We walked down the aisle and set up in our places, watched the adorable ring bearers and flower girls, and then it was Adri's turn.

Devon was adamant about one thing; he did NOT want to see Adri before their wedding ceremony, so a first look was out. He wanted the first time he saw his bride to be the moment she walked down the aisle to him {Tim & I felt strongly about that as well, so we chose to forego the first look as well}. We all got to witness their first look as Adri rounded the corner on her father's arm, and it was priceless. I mean, you can't fake this:

Jen's photos

That started the ceremony on a pretty high emotional note, and it did not decrease from there. Rather than writing their vows (which Devon has always said were established by God and held by tradition and who are we to add to them?), they each wrote out why they wanted to marry the other person, and the pastor read it to the witnesses at the ceremony.

Jen's Photo

I tried my absolute hardest to keep from sobbing during the ceremony (tears of joy, of course), but I was unable to keep it in. I was a chin-quivering, snot-running, waterfall-of-tears ball of joy the whole time, starting from the moment I began walking down the aisle and didn't really reliably stop until I went to bed that night. Standing up in front of everyone didn't really help either; it was either look at the family who was in the same shape as I was, or look at the bride and groom, who were the reason I was in such a condition in the first place. Gaaaaaaaah I love those kids.

Jen's photo; my parents watching their baby boy get married

After exchanging vows, rings, taking communion, Devon & Adri kissed and were pronounced the new Mr & Mrs! 

Jen's photo; How these two still look fabulous even after all of their tears is beyond me

Tim jumped the line in the recessional so he could walk back down the aisle with me, which caught me off guard but was so sweet. I still had tears in my eyes so I appreciated the support!

The gazebo and lawn area surrounding it was laid out with lawn games to play while the bridal party took pictures, and it turned into one giant reunion to catch up with people we'd not seen in awhile. I'll admit I was a little busy schlepping decorations between ceremony site and reception barn, but it looked fun!!

Lorna's Photo; Tim and my Metzmama, Armenian for Grandmother

Lorna's photo; Mama and her three siblings. Jenny, Mama, David, Lorna

After about a half hour, we moved on over to the barn. It was reception time!