family portrait

When the ceremony was over, it was time to take some family portraits! I loved doing this because we had just created our own new family. It was also so much fun being surrounded by all our loved ones right after the ceremony and just rejoicing with everyone. Huge sighs of relief! We made it!

Here's our favorites :)

My family

Ryan's family

my Aunt Debbie

my Aunt Sherry & Uncle Bub & cousins Nick & Jesse


Ryan's MeMe

Ryan's Uncle Don

Emily & Catherine


My dad has a thing for high fives



I just love this photo of Meme. I hope when I'm her age, I'm as gorgeous as she is!

reception - details

Ah! Finally married...time to party! Our reception was held at Enterprise Mill. We decided to use the inside, outside gazebo and a tent (from All Star in Aiken). Here's how everything looked before we arrived!


My mom found these awesome lanterns...I want to say at the dollar store?

I thought the centerpieces turned out great - pink roses with the kiwis that my dad cut. They weren't big & flashy, just simple and pretty and entirely reflective of me, since my sister nicknamed me Kiwi so many years ago!



Leah West made programs/menus for each table, along with CDs with some of our wedding/reception songs. They turned out so great, and I still have people mention to me how much they love listening to it.

Remember these?

the ceremony - i now pronounce you...

Saying our vows was the best part to me :) I got to say everything I wanted to pledge to Ryan for the rest of our lives. There's just something about getting your whole heart out there, not just to Ryan, but to everyone.

After we said our vows, we were almost done! It was time to light the unity candle while Ben & Jeanine sang "The Prayer":

I think at this point Dr. Jon said a few more words and we had a congregational hymn, "How Firm a Foundation." We picked this hymn because it pretty much encapsulated our whole relationship, especially the time of engagement when Ryan was out of a job. We just had to keep trusting in God as our firm foundation and continue to build on Him, because nothing else was sure or strong.



One other detail - we had grandparents who couldn't be there because of sickness, distance, or having passed on in earlier years. We had a rose for each, white for those who had passed and pink for those who were unable to be there. It was good to honor and remember them!


And the moment we were waiting for...Dr. Jon "I now pronounce you man and wife":


Ryan is relieved that it's over! He says it's because he was hot. Riiiight!


Walking back down the aisle, this time together as Mr. & Mrs. Ryan Duckworth!

the ceremony - vows

Alrighty...now with everyone in the sanctuary, it was time for my daddy to walk me down the aisle. Notice his traditional Filipino formal dress, the barong tagalog. So stylish!

Although we had already seen each other before the ceremony, it's an entirely different feeling when you hear the church bells ring, the doors open, and your groom waiting for you at the altar! Wow. Took my breath away! I can only hope Ryan felt the same way, and judging from his smile, I think he did :) (Music: God of Our Fathers, Whose Almighty Hand)







You can't see it, but our ceremony opened in prayer, specifically "The Lord's Prayer" recording of my Nana when she sang it at my mom's wedding.

Dr. Jon with the charge and message:

Holly on flute, Jeanine on vocals and Mrs. JoAnn on piano with "O Perfect Love"
We did traditional vows and the we read vows that we had written ourselves. I memorized mine and Ryan read his. He made me laugh :)

My vows:

As God created Eve as a help meet for Adam, so I promise to be your helper in everything we endeavor. I promise to support you, to affirm you, and to put my whole heart into building up our family.

As the church submits to Christ as head, so I promise to submit to your authority. I promise to honor and respect you, and I pledge you my loyalty and love.

As God showed us the ultimate love through His Son, so I promise to strive for that kind of sacrificial love in our relationship. I promise to pray for you daily. And I promise to continue to be your best friend, to stick closer to you each day, and to stay with you through all adversity.

We have already come through so much, and I know with God's help we will stay strong and finish strong. This is my covenant with you.

Ryan's vows:

I am glad that I don't have to imagine another day in my life without you. Proverbs 18:22 says "He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord." I stand here today, ready to take you as my wife, knowing that I have more than a good thing, I have my best friend.

God calls on the man to be the spiritual head of the home. I promise to lead you forward, growing in our love and knowledge of Christ, from this day forward. I will make sure we are active in our Church, community, and life.

I promise to keep things interesting, to never forget how to have fun. I will help keep our sense of adventure, and always try new things.

I promise to always be a calm, patient husband, not sweating the small stuff, and work through anything that troubles us. I promise to put your needs first. I promise to always be there for you, and love you until the day I die.

the ceremony - processional

Ok! We are making progress :) Ryan has finished writing his thank you notes and he just needs two stamps and they'll be off in the mail! Together, we've blogged all the way up to the actual ceremony. So here goes...the biggest moment of our lives!

At this point, Ryan was waiting up front with Dr. Jon. I was waiting in a room off the front foyer with my bridesmaids. I was nervous & quiet, if only because I was trying to remember my vows.

First - the lighting of the unity candle by our parents:



Seating of my aunt Debbie (our reader), grandmother (Ryan's - MeMe), and mothers
Music: Great is Thy Faithfulness


I love this photo of Ryan's mom. You can tell how proud she is of him and what an emotional, momentous time this is!

I love this photo of my Uncle Bub escorting my Mom. His tie just radiates awesomeness! Mom looks like she's having a grand ol' time too :)


And then the groomsmen & bridesmaids. Some are more photogenic than others :)
Music: Sheep May Safely Graze, Bach





I love this picture of our siblings. You can tell they're both beaming at Ryan and excited for what he's about to see.

And the littlest members of our wedding party, the adorable Sands girls, Emily & Catherine, and Jaden.

the wedding par-tay

Here's Ryan & I by our lonesomes:


Here are some of our favorite pictures of the whole wedding party. After the ceremony:
Before the ceremony in the neat box pews:
In front of the big red door: