enJOY it by Elise Blaha Cripe

wedding photos & words : the ceremony.

After the bridal party photos, we took a limo to the church. The girls sat for an hour in a comfortable back room. We needed that hour. To refresh from the photos. To sit. To laugh. To be quiet. I loved my girls so much for taking that time to just be with me. Just us.

Meanwhile, the boys were hiding out in the pastors study and a few of them were acting as ushers for our guests.

I just wanted the wedding to start on time. Throughout the wedding process I had been told over and over that weddings never started on time. This was a challenge I had to beat. And thank goodness, we did. I think the doors opened to seat the grandparents at 3:59.

We were all lined up in the entry to the church and I kept having to back away from the group to get my composure. My dad kept going up to the choir balcony to adjust the video camera he had set up. (This is how we both gathered ourselves.)

We heard laughter inside the church as my mom and Paul's mom lit the side candles for our unity candle. My bridesmaid's reassured me that "laughter was good news!" "Laughter meant a fun ceremony!" I remember nodding and thinking that at this point in the game, those girls would have told me that a fire breathing dragon eating my guests was good news!

The boys walked out.

And one by one, my girls walked down the aisle.

And then it was just us. Just me and Dad. Standing behind the doors.

I couldn't stop crying.

"Smile!" The church wedding coordinator said to me.

And down the aisle we went.

Everyone says the ceremony is a blur. But I remember it much clearer than any other church service I've been at. I remember Robbie's readings. And the sermon. And lighting the unity candle. (Yes, our candles were orange and gray. The gray ones I found randomly last Christmas and then I figured I might as well go all out and bought the orange candle at Ikea a few days before the wedding. We left them at the church which I'm kinda sad about because I loved those gray ones.)

But mostly, I remember our vows. I remember hearing Paul. I remember speaking mine. And then exchanging rings.

I remember being so far past crying. I was ecstatic now.

It ended quickly. We kissed. I remember thinking, "we forgot to practice our kiss!" But too late now and fortunately we didn't crash noses on the lean in.

Our fantastic pastor pronounced us husband and wife and introduced us as

Paul and Elise Cripe!

I hugged my new sister, and we marched out to Ode to Joy.

I also tripped on the way down the steps, but Paul caught me.

Through the doors we went. On the steps of the church, we took a family photo with our parents, siblings and grandparents, and that was it. That was enough. I said early on that we were going to keep the family photos short. Weddings are too exciting for long photo shoots of lots of people. It was a unusual choice to make, but for Paul and I, the right one.

And then we dove into the waiting limo and just sort of laughed. Back to the Citizen for photos of just us and a grand party.

to be continued...

all photography by Lisa Welge

wedding photos & words : bridal party.

These photos sort of speak for themselves. This is us. And our best friends. Decked out in our wedding finest.

I remember saying about eight times HOW MUCH I LOVE THE ORANGE AND GRAY. The bouquets popped SO WELL off the gray dresses.

You'll notice the shoes and jewelry on my girls. I said, "do whatever you want, just not black shoes." I love that they wore colors. I love that they wore the kate spade bracelets (most colors are now sold out) I bought them as bridesmaid gifts. That was not intended but they looked rad.

Speaking of kate spade bracelets, I am so glad I bought that white one. I wore it during the wedding and throughout the honeymoon. I wear it most days now too. Every time I put it on I think of our magical wedding.

Oooh, these photos make me so happy.

to be continued...

all photography by Lisa Welge

wedding photos & words : first look.

Paul and I decided to see each other before the wedding because at the end of the day, it made the most sense for photos. We would be dressed. Our bridal party would be together. It would save time. It would mean that our friends could enjoy the cocktail hour and reception without having to stand around for photos.

It was the right decision for us.

And besides, I don't believe it's bad luck for the bride & the groom to see each other before the wedding.

So I hid behind a tree and waited for Paul to come.

The groomsmen walked past and hollered hello. I hollered back. I adore those guys.

And then Paul was there.

He turned his back and I walked up behind him.

At the last second, I panicked and wrapped him in a bear hug.

(That was awkward.)

He turned, and TA-DA : First Look.

...plus a few portraits.

to be continued...

all photography by Lisa Welge

wedding photos & words : boys getting ready.

Here are some of the photos Geoff took of Paul and his groomsmen prepping for the wedding. The groomsmen wore ties from Express Men. Paul's tie was from Nordstorm (we forgot what brand) and his suit was Hugo Boss. 

Here's P's thoughts from the early afternoon :

I remember getting back to the hotel after breakfast with what seemed like hours before our proposed meeting time with the photographers at 1:00pm. I didn't really know what to do. The guys took showers in their respective rooms, and we decided to meet in Steve's room when everyone was ready.

I decided to put my suit on in Steve's room, and as I was getting ready, Steve retrieved a bottle of Bombay Sapphire from his bag. We filled the ice bucket and had Woody and Conor bring some extra low-ball glasses from their rooms. The gin was good. By the time Robbie got there, we saw that we were short one glass, so he drank out of a wine glass, which was funny.

We basically stood around sipping on gin-on-the-rocks, talking about anything but the impending events.

There was quite the discussion about the proper way to put on the boutonnieres. I decided to punt that decision to 1) Elise and/or 2) Geoff, as he probably had the most experience making them look good.

When Geoff got there, we put the final touches on our suits, took a couple pictures, and rolled out.

to be continued...

all photography by Lisa Welge

wedding photos & words : getting ready.

A lot of the hustle and bustle of getting ready happened before Lisa arrived with a camera. And I sort of like that. It made the time with my girls all the more intimate. From about 11:30 on, the seven of us were together and for the most part, piled into Kristen's hotel room at the Citizen. Everyone did their own makeup except Kristen did my eye makeup. Erin curled almost everyone's hair.

We were a well-oiled, getting-ready-machine.

Around one o'clock when Lisa was set to arrive, I started panicking about my own hair. We had never really done a trial run and this was sort of make or break time. veronica was in charge and I get nervous just thinking about how much pressure I put on her. I sat on a desk chair in the bathroom and in two minutes and three bobby-pins, she had my hair up in an elegant, simple style. It was exactly what I wanted. I cried. I actually cried. I looked like a bride and a felt like a bride and if everyone wasn't already expecting an E & P wedding I would have married vern right then and there. That's the only photo I wish we had : me crying and her spraying me with hairspray.

Once the hair was up and we'd all had a sip or two of champagne, Lisa arrived and started to take detail photos. The girls changed into their gray dresses (from j.crew) and it was time to put on my dress.

I loved my wedding dress. I love my wedding dress.

I would never change it for a bigger more "traditional" gown. I never thought I would be a traditional gown girl but it still surprises me I went the J.Crew route. But I am thrilled that I did. It was perfect for me and for that day.

The girls had never seen it on and as I stepped into it and zipped it up, they "oohed" and "ahhed". I remember feeling so overwhelmed and so very much like a bride.

I had to change my underwear three times until something finally didn't show through the dress fabric. That's probably an over-share, but also a piece of advice : be prepared. Bring backups. I had a whole suitcase full of back up undergarments.

So then we were dressed. We had flowers. We reapplied lipstick and were off and running.

When we were ready to roll, Lisa and (her husband) Geoff choreographed the girls and the boys to get us out of the hotel and to Capitol Park where we were going to take our bridal party photos.

We walked a long, long way and randomly, seriously so randomly, we walked past this poppy wall art. It was pretty perfect.

to be continued...

all photography by Lisa Welge