I'll Always Remember

From the moment the wedding weekend ended, Sam and I have relived and retold stories and memories of our special weekend with family, friends, and each other. There are several memories that will stick with me forever, and I have wanted to blog about these since then! Finally, I'm finding a small free moment to get them all out.

• I'll always remember when Sam walked into the ceremony room to see me for the first time in my wedding gown under the Chuppah. I'll always remember the silence and serenity of such a sweet, special moment all our own.
  
• I'll always remember the heart-to-heart my mom and I shared before getting dressed for the big event. She cradled my picture frame gift I gave her - a double 4x6 frame of a picture of me dressed as a bride when I was about 6 or 7 adjacent to another picture of me in my wedding gown at my bridal portrait shoot. She just rocked it and cried like it was the best gift she had ever received. I'll never forget our hug and her embrace that morning.
• I'll also never forget the one-on-one, quiet moment my sister and I shared when I gave her the card I wrote her to say my deepest, heartfelt thank yous for all she's done this past year. We rocked each other, mourning our childhood giggles but celebrating this new chapter in both of our lives as we add Sam to our family.
  
• I'll always remember the feeling of my late grandma's hug around me at the cemetery just a week before the wedding. I swear she hugged me and told me she was with me.
• I'll always remember looking at each of my siblings under the Chuppah one at a time at different points in the ceremony. I'll never forget looking at each of my best friends and winking at one to let her know how special she is to me. I'll never forget the feeling of complete "rightness" with the world that all the people I love were right there with me supporting me and Sam.
• I'll always remember the support and warmth I felt from Sam's hand throughout the ceremony and throughout the rest of the night.
• I'll always remember how amazing the food tasted!
• I'll always remember the last kiss from my brother before walking down the aisle, knowing he supported me and wished me well before taking this big step.
• I'll never forget the feeling right before the doors to the ceremony room opened before I walked down the aisle. It was my last moment just to myself - ending with one deep breath and a reminder that I'm still me, I can do this, and it's all about me and Sam.
• I'll always remember the fun I shared with my good friends that night... taking pictures, sharing hugs, telling each other we love each other, and fighting back tears through our joy. I'll always remember being excited for my friends who are engaged knowing they were next to understand this excitement!
• I'll always remember the long talks Sam and I shared the next few days at our special hide-away semi-honeymoon. We sat by the pool at night on lounge chairs in the breeze just remembering so many aspects of the wedding; we sat near a waterfall for hours just planning our life together; we embraced each other on a bridge talking about how much we love each other. What a perfect way to end a phenomenal weekend.
• I'll always remember the dance with my dad as I told him I had thought about this dance for a long time and how he told me how much he loved me.
• I'll always remember my work friends partying with me like we've never partied before! We laughed and hugged, and it was so nice to feel that love from them when I returned to work, too!
• I'll always remember my cousins and how they were unconditionally there for me along with their parents and children.
• I'll always remember looking out from the Chuppah and feeling so loved, supported, nourished, respected.
• I'll always remember the way Sam stopped mid-aisle at the recessional to give me one more big kiss in a romantic dip.
• I'll always remember the utter happiness, silliness, and looks of love from my mom, my sister, my brother, my nephew, and my niece when they performed a fun dance to "Blame it on the Boogie" by Michael Jackson. Their surprise was well planned and well executed and enjoyed by all, and I'll never forget the love I felt from them at that moment, and I'll never forget the image I have of them singing and dancing for me and Sam - I'll carry that image with me forever.
• I'll always remember the amazing speeches we heard at our rehearsal dinner from aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, siblings, and parents. I felt so loved, so truly admired by my family and friends, and that feeling will take me far and remind me of how much we are supported in times of difficulty and challenge.
• I'll always remember the way my new mother-in-law looked at me when she saw me in my dress for the first time - saying she felt like she had given birth to me herself as she was so blown away by me in my gown.
• I'll always remember the feeling of weightlessness while being lifted in the air on the Hora chairs while Sam and I bobbed up and down and held on for dear life!
• I'll always remember that walk down the aisle with Mom on one arm and Dad on the other and Sam staring right at me. How perfect the world was at that moment!
• I'll always remember speaking to Sam at our Ketubah signing and hearing what he wrote to me, watching his chin tremble with a dedicated attempt to hold back tears.
• I'll always remember my sister singing to Sam and me that night - Stay With You - as Sam and I danced right in front of her.
• I'll always remember the look on Sam's face and the joy I felt when I sang with my brother and my sister in a surprise rendition of "That's How You Know He Loves You" from Enchanted (the movie).
  
• I'll always remember the feeling of strong, strong, strong emotion and love for my new husband. I didn't think I could love him more, but I feel so connected to him after the whole weekend - I feel like we are now a family! Yes, even though I did not change my name, I still feel like we are a family and are more deeply connected and in love than ever before. (More blogging on this another time...)

Such amazing memories to take in and cherish. There are so many other unforgettable moments I'll hold in my mind (anyone who knows me will assure you these memories are safe in my head - the sights, sounds, smells, and feelings are memorized and engraved for my safe keeping). Too many to mention, these special times are forever with me. I'll Always Remember what a beautiful weekend it was - inside and out!