In his not-so-tailored black tuxedo, Troy waited patiently at the alter for Ashley to come down the aisle behind him. For his fiancé to tap him on the shoulder so he could see her for the very first time — as his bride. As soon as we saw each other the nervous butterflies melted away and we couldn’t help but smile. It was just the two of us (and all the family members who had gathered by the big windows outside the chapel) laughing and sharing how excited we were for our day. We got to hug each other. We got to hold hands. Troy was able to say what he thought of the dress Ashley had been hiding from him for the last year. And we got to spend the rest of the day together, instead of apart. It was such a special moment we will never forget.

After our first look, we spent the afternoon with our best friends taking our bridal party portraits. At the time, apple green was Ashley’s favorite color so we chose it as our main color for the day. Ashley’s mom made each one of the bridesmaid’s dresses and both the flower girl dresses (she even made her dress, too!) and we were able to find stunning green striped ties that matched perfectly. During our ceremony as we sat at the alter with our maid of honor and best man, we glanced down at our wedding party looking back at us and couldn’t help but whisper to each other how good they looked!

The day really did go by in the blink of an eye. Just like that we had finished all of our pictures, said our vows, cut our wedding cake and had our first dance as Mr. and Mrs. Yantes. As we sat together at one of the empty reception tables watching our guests dance the night away, fighting the urge to fall asleep right then and there, we couldn’t help but reflect on the amazing day we’d been given. All the details that we had spent the last year planning had played out just as we had hoped they would. The day was absolutely perfect. We were tired, our hearts were so full and we were oh so happy.

Holding each other tight, Troy looked Ashley and smiled. Although we were a little sad that the biggest day of our life was already behind us, we couldn’t help but be a little giddy that our forever was right in front of us.

September 9, 2006. Best. Day. Ever.

Part 1: The First Time We Met • Part 2: Love at Third Sight • Part 3: Everything Comes Full Circle • Part 4: She Said Yes! • Part 5: Our Engagement Photos

Photo Credit: Jesse Valley Photography