Spencer's Wedding

"I have great hopes that we shall love each other all our lives as much as if we had never married at all."--Lord Byron

We’re coming to the end of a very slow wedding season for us. Last year we attended 4 weddings in various states and cities, but only two this year! This past weekend on October 4^th we had the honor to be included in Spencer and Jordan Stevens’ wedding. Spencer is a great friend of mine who I met my sophomore year of college in an English class. We quickly became fast friends and hung out quite a bit my both of our friend groups.

Hanging out with Spencer means you’re going to hear a lot about this seemingly amazing girl named Jordan. I only ever hung out with both of them twice, but it was so clear how much they cared for each other. They had met in high school and had dated ever since with a few bumps in the road that every couple faces regardless. Jordan’s laid back, studious and witty personality suited Spencer’s rambunctious, loud, and all around hilarious/happy go lucky one. In short, they balance each other out perfectly and you can tell just by looking at them just how much they care about each other.

When I first got the invite, being much closer to Spencer, I pictured a VERY different wedding than the one we attended. Spencer was a fratboy at college and I pictured a more laid back affair with lots of booze, and a rowdier crowd. Complete opposite. This wedding was the epitome of classy and it shows just how much they both have matured and grown. Will, Ellie (my college roommate) and I got dolled up and made the 2.5 hour drive from Greenville, NC to Greensboro, NC. The drive was muggy and rainy and the highways have absolutely nothing interesting to look at. Despite that, it went by pretty quickly. We arrived at the address 30 minutes before the ceremony was set to start and were pretty confused as to why we had driven to what looked like an abandoned factory. After we had found the right part of the factory we were blown away.

The factory was abandoned in places, but it was in the process of bing refurbished and renovated in to office buildings, event space, and this particular space was made just for fancier receptions and weddings. The outside was a rustic brick backdrop with small well-tended gardens and a few sculptures and fountains. Unfortunately, the wedding was rained out and the ceremony had to be moved inside. Thankfully we arrived early and got some of the best seats in the house with a great view of both levels. The ceremony was in the lower level entrance to the reception hall and was adorned with simple potted plants and chairs for the guests. Lining this area were wooden staircases that the bridal party descended for each side and joined in the middle to walk up the isle. Symbolism at its finest.

For some weird reason people think showing up at the time the wedding starts is somehow okay. Too bad for them since they had to watch from above. It was a great view regardless, but we were happier with our seats. We also noticed that apart from family there weren’t too many friends present. It’s a great feeling to be included in an event like that and know how much people think of you by inviting you to something that is majority family. The ceremony was beautiful and Jordan fought back tears the entire time. By the time they got to the “I take thee…” part Jordan was a happy wreck and had to stop because she was crying so hard. If your eyes were dry during that part…well…you’re a monster.

Short and sweet was definitely the best way to describe the ceremony, which I know everyone appreciates. We’ve been to wedding ceremonies that lasted longer than most movies and let me tell you…it is painful. This wasn’t.

Obligatory pictures followed while all the guests helped themselves to beer, cider, and wine. The hors d’oeuvres were phenomenal. Tiny meatballs, bruschetta, and mini sliders held us over until dinner, which was by far my favorite wedding meal yet. It was a buffet style that sported roasted veggies, green beans, mashed potatoes, bacon/cheese/sour cream topping for the potatoes, chicken, roast beef, and fresh rolls. We chowed down. Dessert quickly followed and somehow there were extra slices so Will and I shared a champagne cake slice and I had a red velvet slice and Will had a pound cake slice. Delicious!!

My absolute favorite part of their reception was the photo booth. They had rented a fully stocked and staffed photo boof complete with hats and props. We went back at least 6 times and the pictures from everyone using all the props was being made in to a scrapbook for the bride and groom. We had the times of our lives goofing around with everything and we even managed a few nice ones. I was even offered a job working the photo booth since they were looking for outgoing people and I had convinced quite a few people that they needed these photos in their lives. What made it even better? We got to keep a copy of the photos to take home. How cool a wedding favor is that? It’s not something everyone will throw away or just eat and never think about again. It was something we could and will frame and look back on and think about how much fun we had.

By this time we were given champagne and listened to one VERY awkward best man speech from someone who obviously had no idea what to say and was at the same time petrified of speaking in front of everyone. What resulted was some weird phrases that seemed insulting, but I’m sure once he said them he cringed, just like the rest of us, and immediately wanted to rephrase it to sound like what he had meant to say. Oh well. Once that was over and the “fun captain/master of ceremonies/DJ was done being corny, weird, and overly enthusiastic we got to toast to the happy couple and drink the best champagne I’ve ever had in my life. I usually hate champagne, but oh my goodness this was delicious.

The dance floor was hit or miss. I missed a lot. I got Will to dance twice and obviously I enjoyed the hell out of that as always. Thanks babe!  I am a dancing animal at weddings. I’ll jump in with a group of people I don’t know and bust a move. Every.Single. Time I heard one of my “jams” I kicked off my shoes, ran to the dance floor only to find it deserted. I can only conclude that everyone else has horrible taste in music or they were having the best conversations of their lives or they were just boring. I vote option 1 or 3, but hoping for 2. What did I do to remedy this? I danced my way around the tables and had my own mini dance party and then we all proceeded to have way too much fun at the photobooth until we decided it was time to make our way back to Greenville.

We said goodbye to the groom and bride and set off in to the night! The 2.5 hour drive back felt like 12. We got home to a very happy to see us dog and a welcoming bed. After sleeping for a mere 6.5 hours I got up to teach Body Step at my gym and now I’m typing this on my break at work where I’m fighting the sleepiness with all my might!


(more pictures to come once my scanner works!)

"There's a big difference between falling in love with someone and falling in love with someone and getting married. Usually, after you get married, you fall in love with the person even more."--Dave Growl