Wedding Week: The Ceremony

Thanks for following my Wedding Week posts! You can catch up on yesterday's post on the wedding looks and outfits here.

The ceremony took place outside at dusk, and the aisle was surrounded by a beautiful bunch of trees with low-hanging branches. We chose to say our vows in front of an adorable vintage writing desk that we refurbished just for the wedding.

Walking down the aisle was the most emotional experience for me. Kyle and I had already seen each other before the ceremony, so it wasn't as if I was nervous to see him for the first time. I think it just hit me as I stood there with my father and saw all the guests standing. I was about confess every ounce of love I had for Kyle in front of everyone that matters to us, and that was kind of trippy. And I think I was also very emotional about the fact that I was walking down the aisle with my pops and it was just as I'd imagined it would be.

All I could hear in my head for months and months before the wedding were the three songs we chose for the processional. These were three of our favorite songs, and I think each one suited the wedding party perfectly.

We wrote the ceremony completely from scratch and with a little help from our friend and officiant, Matty. He said the best opening words about marriage and how finding the perfect match and falling in love is just the easy part. The rest of our lives will be about loving each other every day, and some days will be tougher than others.

After a short reading, two members of the band played and sang to an acoustic version of "In My Life." It was such a peaceful moment before we got into the vows, which we each wrote on our own in secret. I loved hearing Kyle's vows for the first time! They were funny, meaningful, and oh so true.

We walked out to "Home" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and it was the perfect way to end the ceremony. By this time we were more than ready to start partying with our friends and family!

One Day We'll Be Honeymooning

Kyle and I are VERY excited about our honeymoon. It will be our first international getaway without family accompanying us. It will also be our first time visiting this part of the world. Can you guess where we're headed?

Australia and New Zealand!

(Looks like New Zealand didn't make it into the little heart, but I'm just as excited to visit, I promise!) We get to explore this beautiful region of the world for 20 days. 20 days! We'll be trekking (via airplane) through six different cities. When we first found the trip we thought it was going to be jam-packed with various excursions. That combined with all the traveling between cities sounded like a lot--maybe too much. But I've ALWAYS wanted to visit New Zealand and it almost seems like a waste to go all the way over there and NOT do and see as much as possible. So, we're doing as much as we possibly can. But in addition to furiously exploring six cities, we'll have several days of downtime when we can relax and mosey about each city at a leisurely pace. 

So one question I have for my Australia- and New Zealand-based readers is how can Kyle and I make the most of this trip? Aside from enjoying our first couple of weeks as husband and wife, our main goals are to eat and drink well, see some beautiful things, and try to enjoy life as the locals do. 

Here's a taste of our itinerary:

Auckland (1 day)

- I'm sure we'll be absolutely dead after our flight from states, but the exploring and sightseeing will begin just as we arrive in Auckland, starting with a 4-hour city tour and dinner cruise.

Queenstown (4 days)

- The next few days we'll be in Queenstown where we'll enjoy a cruise on a fjord, a scenic tour on a cruise, and a picnic. We also have two full days to explore the city on our own, so this is where your recommendations come in!

Dunedin (2 days)

- This leg of the trip was originally scheduled for Christchurch, but our hotel is still undergoing repairs after the earthquake earlier this year. 

Melbourne (2 days)

- I've heard many wonderful things about Melbourne, so I'm slightly disappointed that we only have two days there! However, I'm very excited about the savannah walkabout because we get to meet some kangaroos! 

Cairns (3 days)

- After a bout with kangaroos, we get to visit Green Island and the Great Barrier Reef. Coral gardens, rainforests, and wildlife swim--it should be lovely. 

Sydney (4 days)

- And last, but not least, Sydney. This final leg will be full of sightseeing and hopefully plenty of eating to soak up as much of our honeymoon as possible before heading home. 

I can't wait to start packing for this vacation (what am I going to wear?) But first things first--the wedding. 

Again, please comment with any travel tips and recommendations you may have for our trip! 

UPDATE: I've posted recaps of each city that we visited and added links to those blog posts above!