Wose Wedding Recap: First Look (And A Rain Freakout)

My hair and make-up were perfect, my dress was on, and I had just read a heartfelt letter from my soon-to-be husband. Before I knew it, it was 3PM and time to meet my groom for pictures! Butterflies in my stomach, I went to the window, and - 

POURING. DOWN. RAIN. 

There it was: the deepest fear of any bride planning an outdoor wedding. Rain with no sign of stopping. A;sflksglkjdsg this cannot be happening. A million thoughts raced through my head: where will we have the ceremony? What about our gorgeous open air dance floor? What about MY HAIR?! I distinctly remember considering sending all of our vendors away until a sunny day as a viable solution to my rain problem.

My amazing DOC, Kim, said something to the effect of "how much rain can you tolerate before moving the ceremony under the tent?" and I completely zoned out. I have vague memories of MOH Hillary grabbing an umbrella (who even brought that?! It was supposed to be SUNNY), and carefully escorting me to the boat bar, where Adam was waiting. 

Sheer panic behind that smile, folks.

Rain be damned, I was excited to see my groom. So I quietly sneaked up...

And then Adam turned around and saw his bride for the first time. This face, my friends, is why you have a first look (and why you hire a fantastic photographer).

We spent several minutes hugging each other and generally doing this: 

And then Charlie made a guest appearance! We wanted a few professional photos with our dog, and what better opportunity than our wedding day?! A family friend picked him up shortly after and took him to Adam's parents' house.

As we were unwinding with Charlie and enjoying a few moments just soaking in the day together, something magical began to happen. Right on cue during our first look, the rain tapered off and the clouds began to lift. It was a miracle! We still had to move the ceremony location due to flooding, but we enjoyed beautiful, seasonally cool weather for the rest of the evening. 

We were enjoying our first look so much that we decided to put off wedding party photos until after the ceremony. This was a great decision as we got to enjoy more time together, and they really didn't take too long during cocktail hour. 

Next up, jitters set in and the ceremony begins!