Live, Love, Laugh – Our First Dance

On By AngeliaIn 10.10.10, Timeless Treasures

“Dance as though no one is watching. Love like you’ve never been hurt. Sing as though no one is listening. Live like it’s heaven on earth.”

There were times when I felt my head would explode from the monstrous planning of all the little details in the wedding and at the reception. A good chunk of it during the weeks prior when my future mom-in-law got admitted to ICU. The stress, the worry, and the hurt; a huge ball of strain. It zapped our joy. Brought us to our knees. And frankly, I had no idea if our wedding day could be joyful through the hardships we were facing.

Every detail fraught with blood, sweat, and tears. Even as much as we loved each other, and were happy to be joining in marriage. I had concerns of being happy on our ten-ten-ten day. I had concerns of even having a wedding at all. I didn’t know if we could pull it off, and if we did, I didn’t know what it would be like. Everything tainted by the stress. Emotions raw.

Part of me didn’t want to finish on my own without Jason’s mom. Didn’t want to face the family married knowing she wouldn’t be there; couldn’t be there. I wondered if the details were even worth fulfilling. If they had value. If the cost was worthy. The time. The effort. The heartache.

But when I think back to the memories of that precious day, those details, and the glimpses of them in frozen seconds. I know. I know. Each and every one was truly worth all the planning.

The words ‘Live, Laugh, Love’ were hung on the wall by the cake table for the reception. I found them at Hobby Lobby the weekend before the wedding. Just a few words, but what a difference they made. It truly represented our union and how we live our lives. It is a reminder that through the good times and the bad, to keep loving, keep laughing, and never stop living. It reminds me of my blog which is so completely us and our family.

We didn’t have a first dance choreographed like we had hoped. That detail didn’t pan out, but it didn’t seem to matter. It worked out beautifully just dancing and singing without thought or pre-step.

Yes, we sang *like no one was listening. We danced *like no one was watching. And we braved loved again *like we’d never been hurt. It took a lot more work to do that than any of the wedding planning.

The song, Smile by Uncle Kracker played for our first dance, because I knew our day was not a sad day. It was a day to remember. A day to rejoice. A day to forget our past mistakes. To give our future to God and leave our fears and worries at the cross. It was a day to smile and bring our love to others. Especially the families brought together in marriage.

The day to..

    LIVE…..
    LOVE…..
    LAUGH…..

    What a blessing those little details turned out to be.

    More to come….

    *Photos by step-brother Kevin*

19 thoughts on “Live, Love, Laugh – Our First Dance”

  1. I can’t get over how incredibly happy both of you look in those photos. I’m glad you ended up loving every minute of it… even after all the stress you went through.

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  7. You are an amazing woman. Just saying.

    May you be blessed with some ‘together’ time to strengthen your relationships and enjoy all the newness while it’s still new. 🙂

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  9. You both look so happy!!
    Is it wrong that when I saw the “Live Love Laugh” sign, I smiled because it made me think of your blog title?
    I’m glad that the day turned out great for you both despite all of the hardships leading up to it. The happiness and love you feel for each other really shows through in the photos.

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  15. I have the song we danced to at our wedding as Andy’s ring-tone on my phone. Every time he calls I have just a second to remember that moment. It has been nearly 10 years now, but the memory is just as strong as yesterday. Hold on to it!
    Congratulations again.

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  18. That was really a “Wedding of the Year”! Thank God it all ended well. All those preparations are worth it. Angelia, you are so blessed, and with Jason, I know you will forever stay blessed. Your love story doesn’t end here. I’m looking forward to kid additions, too, and soon! Good luck!

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  19. I am so amazed that you did it! You did it! Yay! I am so happy that you did it. And I am really happy that you are already looking back and you are glad you did it. It was a feat to pull that off, but you did it — and it looks so lovely.

    Thank you for sharing.

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