The wedding was finally over and we ha a chance to relax. Joy and I spent some time relishing the ceremony between the pictures and the reception. A phone call or 2 from the reception got us a little worried that things might not go well...but in the end we decided to just wing it and have as good a time as possible.

When they announced us as a couple it was the first reminder that we were married...and it was a great feeling. The perma-grin was again affixed on my face...and I enjoyed encouraging everyone to clink whatever glasses they could find so I "had to" kiss my beautiful bride.

Our first dance was to When I say I do by Matthew West. We spent some time trying to figure out what song to use, and when we heard the lyrics to this song we knew we'd found the right one.

We spent the dance singing to each other and laughing. I think we both noticed already how fast the night was flying by...and we were both tired and hungry already, but we enjoyed every minute as they came.

Picking the songs for each different event during the reception proved a bit more difficult than expected, especially when Joy and I didnt agree on the songs. We had to settle on Foxy Lady by Jimi Hendrix for the garter toss as my initial selection was immediately rejected by the bride. She gets the last say afterall.

So the garter was removed with as much class as such a thing allows....and it was time for the toss. There is a small rubberband in the garter, so i thought i'd just shoot it over my shoulder...bad idea. It flew all of 6 feet, and my 5 year old cousin Nathan was first to pounce on it. Later in the evening he came up to me and asked where I got the garter...I told him, "your cousin Joy gave it to me."

Joy's dad insisted on suprising her with their first dance. She had her suspicions of what the song would be, and I think that may have made her a bit nervous about the dance, but she was excited nonetheless. Tom took her on the dance floor and a song from Carousel started, and the Waltz began. Joy does not know how to Waltz.

Other than those in the front row who could see Joys feet occasionally leaving the floor, it looked like she was a seasoned professional. It was alot of fun to watch, as it was clear both father and daughter enjoyed the dance. I'm sure they will both cherish it for years to come.

I struggled to come up with the right song to dance with my Mom to. I'm against being corny and cheesy, and with the exception of country songs (of which I know NONE) there arent alot to chose from. I settled on a Simple Man cover by Shinedown after reading the lyrics and listening to it again. Seemed to be pretty perfect, and it went over great.

Mom is a little shorter than me...amazing that I'm over a foot taller than my own mother, we should have had her stand on a stool for our dance!

The cake cutting was fun. We had discussed months before what the plan was, as far as smashing the cake in who's face...but we had forgotten what we decided. So on the way up there I told Joy just to smash the cake in my face....

...and I smashed it right back in hers. Amazingly neither of us managed to get any on our clothes. I think she may have killed me had the chocolate cake or raspberry sauce gotten on her dress. I got lucky.

The cake was delicious, no leftovers to speak of. We had a layer of chocolate with a raspberry sauce layered into it...which was amazing, and a white cake for the rest, which was also very good. It's tempting to call the bakery and drive up to buy another wedding cake just for me and Joy...she'd kill me.

The meal before the cake was delicoius too. Both were provided by local companies, the bakery was a cute little family owned shop, and the caterer was suggested by the venue, as he had done work for them in the past. We were very satisfied with both.

Adam and I have known each other for a long time. In fourth grade I started playing football for my school team. I was on the offensive line, and Adam was the quarterback. I think there is probably usually a bond between the quarterback and the guy who's job it is to keep him from gettin thwomped.

We knew going into the toast that Adam had a tendency to "take his time" with his toasts. Last year he was in several weddings, best Man in 2 of them...and I heard some stories about long toasts. Before the wedding we asked him to keep it brief, then just before he started, Amy's daughter hurt herself (not badly, but bad enough to need mommy) and I grabed Adam and told him to drag it out...he did. The toast was nice and I hope someday Ill get the chance to return the favor.

Amy and Joy have been best friends for years, even longer than Adam and me. Amy's family considers Joy to be a part of their family...she even lived with them for a short time. When it came time to chose the maid of honor for the wedding there was no question, it was Amy.

Amy got up to give her toast and it was clear it wouldnt be as light hearted as Adams. She said the nicest things about both Joy and me, and for the first time all day Joy wasnt able to control her tears (I was barely able to). It's hard to find words to express what it means to us to have someone care that deeply about us, thanks Amy.

The wedding and the reception were pretty special. It flew by and looking back it was a wonderful experience. Everything was decorated beautifully (thanks to all who helped, especially Joy's Dad), and with the exception of the power outage when Joy started singing, everything went off without a hitch. Thank you to everyone who was able to share in our day, and for everyone who sent out their good wishes who wasnt able to be there.