Will and I were married on August 23, 2011 in the LDS Washington D.C. Temple for time and eternity. It was a day neither of us will ever forget.
We decided to have our pictures done before the wedding so it would still be cool outside. With traffic as it is in D.C., this meant we would have to wake up early. Will and I talked on the phone the night before until about midnight. He had traveled up to D.C. with his family two days previous. I traveled up the day before our wedding with my parents and my grandma. We were both excited for the day, but surprisingly our nerves were at peace.
I got up at 5am to get ready for the day. Dressed in our Sunday best, we loaded up the car and began our commute. The hour drive gave me a chance to get a nap. When we arrived at the Temple my mother and I went inside and she helped me change into my wedding dress. I was all ready, but my groom had yet to arrive. We began doing some bridal pictures while we waited on Will’s arrival. It wasn’t long before he showed up.
Inside the Temple, Will and I were waiting for our family and guests to meet up with us so we could head up to the room where we would be married. The room we were in was magnificent. Every inch of the room was brightly lit. The walls were lined with mirrors, and there were beautiful chandeliers hanging from both the ceiling and from the walls. Suddenly the room began to shake. It was very gentle at first, but got progressively stronger. The chandeliers were shaking too, the crystals clinking together. We were having an earthquake.
We felt safe inside the Temple. It was the thought of what we would find when we left that had us worried. Before we could begin our wedding ceremony, we had to wait for the Temple workers to do a quick inspection of the Temple to be sure that everything was ok. There was some damage to the exterior of the Temple, but it was mainly cosmetic. After the ceremony, our families headed to a nearby restaurant for lunch. The news was on and showing what damage had been caused by the 5.8 earthquake. Thankfully we didn’t experience any delays from the earthquake and everything was able to go as planned.
After lunch, Will and I headed to downtown D.C. to the Henley Park Hotel. A few family members made us a reservation in the junior suite of the 5 star hotel as a wedding gift. It was beautiful! We had only been in our room for about five minutes when room service brought us complimentary Champaign and chocolate dipped strawberries.
Our reception was held two days later at the Allendale Mansion. In my opinion everything turned out perfect. My mother, who definitely was more stressed about it, may not agree, however; especially considering the plates and silver forks that went missing over the course of the evening.
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| Will and I at the front doors of the Allendale |
Will and I showed up early for the reception to have a few more pictures done and to help get things ready. There really wasn’t much that had to be done. About an hour before the reception Will and I disappeared upstairs to get back into our wedding attire. Once we were ready, we sat on the edge of the bed in the bride’s room and watched through the window as the guests arrived. After most of the guests showed up, Will and I were announced and had our first dance together…not just our first dance as a married couple, but our first dance ever. If we had given it any previous thought we probably would have practiced beforehand.
The evening flew by so fast! To me, the three hour reception felt more like thirty minutes. Once the last guest left, Will and I headed back upstairs to change. As exciting as it had all been, we were excited that it was over.
