Love Story: Part 10 - Wedding Day

Read about our wedding preparations by clicking here.

I woke up early on Thursday May 17, 2007 and realized it was finally my wedding day.  My hair had survived the night so all I had to do was my makeup.  I got dressed in a nice shirt and skirt and waited for Brandon to come pick me up.  I'd heard the tradition that it was bad luck for a groom to see the bride before the wedding, but I wanted to know where Brandon was.  My nerves couldn't take wondering if he was going to make it to the temple.

I wanted everything I needed for the wedding to be in one place - with me. I had our marriage licence, our marriage recommend, our temple recommends, and the wedding rings in a manila envelope.  My wedding dress and Brandon's tuxedo were in the car.  My mom and dad also rode in the car with us.  I figured no matter what else happened, as long as I had Brandon and the stuff I needed, we could get married.

We didn't talk much during the 30 minute drive to the temple.  Both of us had knots in our stomach.  I felt like I might throw up.  I was really nervous.  I knew that I loved Brandon, and I knew that we should get married, but I was still anxious about the enormity of the step we were about to take.  

The sealing ceremony was scheduled for 9:45.  We arrived at the temple about an hour and half before that.  First we took care of making sure we had the correct paper work.  Brandon's dad and mom arrived and his dad and my dad signed our marriage certificate as the witnesses.

Then we went to the dressing rooms to get changed into our wedding clothes. My mom helped me get ready.  In an LDS wedding both the bride and groom wear white to symbolize purity.  Many brides choose to wear their wedding dress when they get sealed.  However, the dress has to meet certain requirements such as having long sleeves and minimal embellishments.  Mine had short sleeves and a large amount of bead work.  Rather than worry about putting a cover over it to fit the requirements I just wore my simple temple dress.  Every time I returned to the temple and wore that dress I was reminded that it was what I wore when I was married.

Then temple workers escorted Brandon and me to the Celestial Room of the temple.  They had us wait there while an endowment session ended. Brandon and I looked at the large mirrors that reflected back and forth from each other to represent eternity.  We waited in that room for a few minutes and then the workers had us take care of a special part of the endowment ceremony that we hadn't been able to do when I received my endowment 8 days before. After that we were back in the Celestial Room for a little bit.

We'd chosen to get married in the Bountiful Temple because we liked it's location and how it looked.  We didn't know that 3 years later we would move to Bountiful and attend that temple on a regular basis.  When we did return we would stand in the same spot where we waited in the Celestial Room on our wedding day and reflect on how happy we had been when we were starting our life together.

After a while a temple worker came to get us and took us to a small room where we met our sealer for the first time.  His name was Val R Christensen.  He talked with us for a few minutes and gave us a few instructions for the ceremony.  Then we all went into the sealing room.  

Our parents and Brandon's siblings and their spouses were waiting for us in the room. Several of our aunts and uncles were there along with some close friends. My Grandma Mary Ann and her husband were also there.  You have to have been through the temple to attend a sealing so none of my siblings could attend.  Cameras aren't allowed in the temple so we don't have any pictures of our actual wedding ceremony.  But here is what a sealing room looks like.  You can click here if you want to see more photos of what the inside of an LDS temple looks like.  

Brother Christensen gave us some advise.  At the time I was thinking, "I'm going to remember everything he is saying."  But I forgot it all almost instantly.  I do remember that he was really funny and we all were laughing a lot.  One thing he said was, "Valerie looks stunning and Brandon looks stunned."

Then it was time to get serious.  Brandon and I knelt at the alter. We made covenants between each other and the Lord.  Brother Christensen used the priesthood sealing power to seal us for time and all eternity.  It was a very special ceremony.

And just like that we were married!  Everyone gave us hugs as they filed out of the room.  Brandon and I separated so we could change our clothes.  I thought my mom would help me change, but she ended up following everyone else out of the temple.  So I changed by myself and then she came back at the last minute and helped me with my veil.  Brandon was waiting for me when I came out of the dressing room. I hadn't let him see my dress until that moment.  I thought it would be a special event for him to see my dress, but after everything else that had happened it was kind of anti-climatic.  We picked up my bouquet where I had checked it at the front desk and then we walked outside to greet everyone.

Since none of my siblings had been able to attend the ceremony we decided to exchange rings on the temple grounds.  Brandon gave me my engagement ring along with the wedding band.  I gave him a shiny indestructible (but not loss-proof) tungsten ring.  I kind of wish we'd exchanged rings in the temple because nobody really paid attention while we did it outside.

We took several pictures with everyone who was at the temple with us.  My siblings and my Grandma Noveroske had waited in the waiting room with Brandon's neice and nephews.

We moved to the east side of the temple and took pictures with our immediate families.  Here we are with Brandon's family.

And with mine.

And then we walked around the temple for an hour long photo shoot.  I'd considered hiring a professional photographer, but then I decided that I would be more comfortable with my dad taking pictures.  Brandon's brother Bryan was a professional wedding videographer and so he shot a lot of video of us for our wedding video.

Get ready for a lot of pictures.  

I love the view from the Bountiful Temple.  In 2011 and 2012 we celebrated our anniversary by walking up to the temple from our apartment down in the valley.  It was at least a 3 mile hike up some very steep roads.  We brought the kids along with us on those walks because we are crazy like that..

I love Brandon's expression in this picture.

I'd worried that the weather might be rainy, but instead it was absolutely perfect.

Our rings. (Brandon has a different one now)

The Bountiful temple had always been special to me because I was able to attend it's dedication when I was 9 years old.

Here we are with the temple in the back ground.

Under one of the arches

Under my veil.

This is Karen.  She was like a second mother to me for many years. (She's the one I called for reassurance every time I found out I was pregnant.)  I was so happy that she could make it to my wedding.

Bryan doing his video thing.

More happiness.

We were in our own little world for most of this time.  Brandon and I were actually singing the song, Come What May from Moulin Rouge to each other when this picture was taken.

We also kissed A LOT.

This is one of my all time favorite pictures of us together.

I love how pretty the exterior of the temple is.

One of my siblings took this picture.

This was just a silly candid picture that I ended up loving.  My shoe had fallen off and I handed Brandon my bouquet so I could put it back on.  Then the wind blew my veil over my head.

This is another one of my favorite pictures.

I could have gone back inside to change out of my dress when we finished the photo shoot, but I wanted to wear my dress some more.  So Brandon and I just walked to his car while we were still dressed up.  We drove away from the temple and it finally hit us that we were married.

I always imagine us in a convertible during this moment, but really we were in Brandon's crappy Pontiac Grand Prix.  We turned on the radio and Nickelback's "If Everyone Cared" was playing.

From underneath the trees, we watch the sky
Confusing stars for satellites
I never dreamed that you'd be mine
But here we are, we're here tonight

And in the air the fireflies
Our only light in paradise
We'll show the world they were wrong
And teach them all to sing along

And as we lie beneath the stars
We realize how small we are
If they could love like you and me
Imagine what the world could be

If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
Then we'd see the day when nobody died

It was such a perfect moment.  We drove to Brandon's parent's house where our families were meeting us for a back yard barbecue style wedding luncheon.  I didn't want to get my dress dirty so I changed back into my shirt and skirt when my parents arrived with my clothes.  

The food was yummy and the atmosphere was really relaxed.  Most people plan their wedding and receptions to be on the same day, but I wanted them on separate days so we could slow down and enjoy the wedding without worrying about the reception.  

Somebody had everyone sit in a circle and give Brandon and me marriage advise.  I don't really like to listen to advise - especially in a setting like that - so I was kind of squirming the whole time.  My brother Billy made it all worth it when he used a quote from Back the the Future as his advise.  He said, "if you guys ever have a kid who sets fire to the living room rug when he's seven - go easy on him."

Eventually the luncheon ended and people started leaving.  Brandon and I weren't sure what to do.  We didn't know what time we could check into our hotel.  Brandon called the hotel and found out that we could check in any time.  So we hurried and grabbed our bags and got out of there.

At the hotel Brandon surprised me with sparkling cider and two fancy goblets.  He and I toasted to our new life together and then well . . . I'll leave out all the details of the rest of the day.  :)

Check back tomorrow for all the details about the reception.