Love – a girl named toni

I have been anxiously waiting to write this blog post & I am SO excited to share all about our WEDDING! I can’t even begin to describe the immense amount of love, support, and excitement we felt on that day. It truly was the best day of our lives. You can watch our wedding video here!

We got married June 10, 2018 at the Clarke Estate in Santa Fe Springs, CA surrounded by about 175 our closest family and friends. I got ready with all my bridesmaids at my sister’s house, while Zack and the boys met elsewhere. I really savored this ‘getting ready’ time with my sister + mom + girlfriends because I wanted to spend some quality time with my closest girls before the rush of the day. The whole morning I just felt so incredibly anxious and giddy. I couldn’t believe we were just hours away from being married! We headed over to the venue, where my mom helped me get dressed, and then my bridesmaids got to see me in my dress for the first time.

Zack + Toni -- Wedding -457 — my aunt Kelly led my bridesmaids in prayer over me…this blessed me in more ways than one that day.

After getting ready, we each did our photos with our sides of the bridal party – Zack with his groomsmen & me with my bridesmaids. Zack and I had decided we did not want to see each other before I walked down the aisle, so we did all of those photos separate. After the bridal party photos, it was time for our personal vows. Zack is a pretty private person, and doing personalized vows at the altar just wasn’t something he particularly wanted to do. So we decided to recite traditional (ish) vows at the altar, and write our own private vows, and read those to each other in private before the wedding. Shauna (my photographer) led me to Zack with my eyes closed, then lined us up standing back-to-back (without seeing each other), and we each took turns reading our personal vows. Can I just say… this was truly one of the most special, intimate & unforgettable moments I’ve ever shared with Zack. It was one of my absolute favorite moments of the entire day. We were both emotional, me especially. I was so glad we did this because I really did get a LOT of crying out here during this time/ before the wedding😂 but… I still cried through almost the entire ceremony.🤷🏻‍♀️I can only imagine what a mess I would’ve been if I didn’t have this time to get some of that out! Haha. It definitely took A LOT of the edge off, and helped me just calm down and be ready to see him at the altar…

Finally, the time came for the ceremony to start! The day felt like it was flying by, but it also felt like I had waited forever for this moment (probably because 7.5 years is a decent amount of time 😉 ). I’d had so many conversations with my dad about this day, this moment. I always asked him if he thought he’d cry when he gave me away. He told me, “Not unless I’m really in the moment, taking in everything that’s going on. If I am not really making an effort to BE in the moment and take in all that’s happening, I don’t think I’ll cry”. But sure enough, just before we walked out, I grabbed my dad’s arm and told him I loved him and I think we both just felt the weight of the moment & became emotional! Finally, the doors opened. Out I walked with my daddy, down the aisle towards my almost husband, as one of my friends of 10+ years sang “Cant Help Falling in Love”. I could not stop smiling.

Our Ceremony was officiated by Ken Goodban, the pastor of the church I attended for most of my life up until college. He told our story of how we came to be and got to that day. I truly felt like so much of God’s spirit was just evident in that time. We took communion together and braided & tied a knot in a cord of 3 strands – one standing for Zack, one standing for me, and one standing for God. We recited a different set of vows and then… we were pronounced husband and wife! That’s when the real party started!

Zack + Toni -- Wedding -934 — a bouquet brooch my sister made for me with my grandpa’s picture on it so I could have him with me on this day

Our reception set-up was the dreamiest dream I could have ever dreamed! LOL. I am not exaggerating, I could not have imagined a more beautiful set up. It was EXACTLY what I had always wanted. Long, dark espresso farmhouse tables, benches & chairs, glass, gold, and greenery everyyyyywhere. I was absolutely in LOVE!

We had the Taco Man and fresh donuts being made on the spot (because duh – everyone loves tacos and donuts.. especially us 😉 ). We spent the night dancing away with our families, our parents, and each other. I don’t think I have consecutively smiled for that long ever in my life!

From the bottom of our hearts, a MASSIVE ‘thank you’ to my parents for this incredible day. Not only them, but both of our families, our bridal party, and everyone who came to support and celebrate with us. We have truly never felt so much love and that is truly what made this day as incredible as it was.