6 Months and a Wedding...

I cannot believe it has been 6 months since I walked down the aisle to the man of my dreams... he is so much more today than I could have imagined just 6 months ago! He is my best friend, protector, pillar of strength, he loves me when I am a mess, he pursues me when I want to run away and be alone, he holds me when I cry, he laughs at me when I am grumpy in the morning, he teases me about singing all the time, he hugs me when I get home from work, he makes me food, he dances with me at weddings, he holds my hand in hard situations where I feel uncertain and fearful, he reminds me that I am strong and capable and doing life well, he is proof of God's immense love for me! I am more in love with my husband now than I was 6 months ago and can't imagine how much more in love with him I will be in another 6 months.

I feel like Mr. Mertz and I have been through more than we bargained for in our first six months. I feel like we have been forced to have conversations about our marriage and future family that most people don't breach until a decade into their marriage. That's us, I guess... we talk and are not afraid to wrestle through the difficult topics. However, because of this, 6 months feels both longer and shorter than I expected! in many ways I feel like we have been married for forever and in other ways I feel like we just got married a couple weeks ago and everything is still a novelty!

I actually have thought about my wedding a lot lately! Friends of ours just got married this last weekend (the day after our 6 month anniversary) and we got to be front and center for all the excitement!! Aaron was a groomsmen, so he had his fair share of wedding activities to participate in. I was in charge of the bride and her sister's hair on the big day! I love doing my friends hair for their wedding! I get the bride all to myself for an hour of her wedding day. She is just sitting and relaxing and is surrounded by her friends... it is my favorite time of the wedding - the excitement and preparation of getting ready! Love it! I kept remembering my wedding day and how my bridesmaids were machines! They anticipated my every need and before the thought "I'm thirsty" or "I'm hungry" was even fully formed in my brain their was a drink and a snack in my hand. I couldn't get over how well they loved and cared for and protected me!
Josh and Kate's wedding was in a beautiful church and their reception was in the same location as our wedding! It was so fun to be back where I said "I do" just 6 months before. Many of the same people were there and we got the question "how's marriage?" and I loved being able to honestly answer - AMAZINGLY FUN!

Alright, a little about Josh & Kate - I have known Josh my whole life! We grew up at the same church and were in the same Sunday school class and even went to prom together as friends for my Jr year of High School! He is such a good man!! His friendship with Aaron is beyond valuable and I am so thankful for Josh's presence and wisdom in my husband's life and vice versa. Kate is one of the most bright, fun, beautiful, playful, and strong women I have ever met. When she and Josh began dating, it was pretty evident right away that they were amazing together! They were so fun and playful and comfortable together. I love this couple so much and am so thankful they are in our tiny club of married w/o kids group right now! So excited to hang out with them!

Mr. Mertz and I with the happy couple at their rehearsal dinner!

this picture does not do the stain glass window in the background justice... such a beautiful wedding!

The beautiful canopy of lights of The Hearn House

We are lookin' good!

First dance

Send off!! (my phone doesn't take great night pics)

LOVE this picture of Aaron and I with sparklers sending off the happy couple! (Thanks Erica!)

It was such a fun reception! Good food, dancing, good friends, being a married couple, all of it was awesome!

This was our first wedding as a married couple and I will be honest and say that weddings are WAY FUN with my husband! We kept laughing about how little stress we felt and how much more present we were in all the festivities cause we didn't have to talk to everyone and smile if we didn't want to... haha. We can't wait for our next wedding!! Gotta find some friends to marry off pronto!



So in honor of our 6 months we got a hotel room in Phoenix at one of the resorts and went their after the wedding! We told them it was our 6 month anniversary and they had strawberries and champagne waiting for us in the room! So nice :)

Good job Point Tapatio Cliffs!

The next day we ordered room service for breakfast and spent the whole  day just laying by the pool and relaxing!!! Oh glorious sun! I need a beach vacation ASAP!

Reception!

And now the party!!!

This was the point in the night, where everything important had been done, and now it was time celebrate!!!!

John Lynch wrote this on his Facebook wall the morning after our wedding and it perfectly describes the night:

I helped perform a wedding last evening. But it was an entire historic community marrying off Aaron Mertz and Miranda Thompson. It is easy, in the day to day, to forget the power of life-giving community which stands together long enough, allowing a setting for God to do His wonder. Under a canopy of lights and perfect weather, in a magical backyard, God showed us His glory, power, love, patience, timing and grace. Friends laughed, mingled, danced and reunited, with great joy, not even noticing they'd been the heroes in this story. Sandy Mowen came out of retirement to shepherd us with grace and masterful skill, Don Nelsen did his magic with sound, David Pinkerton was the perfect MC, Kelsie Pinkerton and Sarah Doyle floated around the event, taking majestic pictures, Chris Tinard filmed with brilliance, the legendary JoAnn Stern made the cake, the Mozingos and great friends served up food fit for heaven. Nancy Hahn and friends helped present incredible desserts. Pat and Laurie, Randy and Linda showed how healthy families give their kids away, dozens of heroes helped serve, Mark Williams embarrassed us with dancing that is banned in several states. Dozens of others served without notice or fanfare. Last evening, I stopped several times and just stared at what love looks like in a community. Well played community. Well played.           ~ John Lynch

And with that, there is no better way to describe the night except to just give you more pictures - 

A picture of our Venue - The Hearn House - after dark

Thousands of twinkle lights provided a magical glow

Nancy Hann did a flawless job of designing and coordinating our dessert table. She asked people to contribute and people made the most delicious treats for our guests! Literally perfection! I got one of the S'mores treats before they were all gone.

Introducing Mr. & Mrs. Mertz!

Our first dance was to "Today" - by Joshua Radin

My dad and I danced to "Mandolin Rain" - by Bruce Hornsby. I have had that song picked out for years. It is one of my dad's favorite songs and I think of him whenever I hear it. When I told him months before that it was the song I'd chose for us, he nearly cried. Nailed it!

Aaron and Laurie danced to "My Wish" - by Rascal Flatts

I'll do a separate post for the dinner, but it was in a word - Phenomenal!

After the dancing and before the food, we watched a slideshow of mine and Aaron's lives. Shawn put it together for us and it was a hit! So fun that so many people at the wedding were in pictures with us when we were little or in high school. Amazing!

Andy gave the "best man" toast

Kendra gave the "Maid of Honor" toast

After dinner, it was cake time! Aaron was a gentleman and didn't get any frosting on me... I on the other hand gave no mercy.

Get you're dance on!

Another photo favorite! He looks so terrified... what is going on here?

Another must at my wedding was to have Mark Williams dance to "Shout!" He has done it at all of his kids weddings, and I had to have him dance at my wedding. His break-dancing is truly something you can't look away from, but kind of want to! ha! He also asked me if he could wear his kilt to the wedding, and Aaron and I could not refuse!

There it is... those who weren't prepared for it, were in awe - NOTE: He does have something on under the kilt... no worries :)

Josh and Kate did our guestbook and they are getting married in May!!!

with John and Stacey Lynch

Bruce was a groomsmen of course, but he and Janet did our pre-marital counseling. So blessed by them as friends!

These are my girls! We have stood by each other for the last 10 years! Can't believe I get to have each of them in my life! (From left to right: Kelsie, Nicole, Heidi, Sarah, me, Tara, Jessica, Jeannette, and Meredith)

Our amazing Photographers Sarah and Kelsie! They are responsible for all these beautiful pictures!

My nephews, Jonah & Nathan, made a night time appearance at the wedding!

Read on my mom's blog about how she made the boys onesies with vest... such a sweet story!

During the dancing and dessert time, we had a photobooth open for our guests to have some fun! Our friend Rod Gipson did the photography! What a sweet keepsake to have our guests pictures from the photobooth. We also saw some crop up in this years Christmas card pictures! 

Aren't we adorable!

The groomsmen

Fun with Sparklers!

And the Grand Exit!

A perfect end to the wedding!

Ceremony...

I was entirely  present at the ceremony and was taking in every minute. Even a week later, I could remember John sharing our story and what our dad's shared. But now, nearly 2.5 months later, I have forgotten. Luckily we got it on video and will get to watch it over and over in future years :)

Most people warned me that I wouldn't remember a thing, and that thought made me sad. The ceremony was what I was so excited about! So I was determined to soak in every moment, and even though it is fuzzy now, I am glad I can remember what I can and I cherish it deeply.

After all the pictures were taken, Aaron and I separated into our respective areas of the house to relax, decompress and get ready for the ceremony. I was glad for this time to refresh. I probably looked like a zombie! I literally sat in the corner of the room in a rocking chair and stared off into no where... don't even ask me what I was thinking about. I remember being nervous and anxious to get through the ceremony and on to the party afterward! I was nervous about music and sound. I was SO excited for the words John would share and our dad's would share... but I mainly just needed to switch my brain off and be quiet. My girls waited on me hand and foot... Jeannette held my dress when I had to go to the bathroom... people brought me food to snack on... Elisabeth fed me white cheddar pop corn bits directly into my mouth. However, the most remarkable moment was when I asked Carla to sing for me.

If you have ever heard Carla sing, it is one of the most powerful, soulful, worshipful voices I have ever heard. She was so sweet to honor my request for a song before I walked down the aisle. I sat listening to her sing the word "our God is mighty to save..." and I sighed with the relief of the knowledge that I was deeply loved. You could hear a pin drop in the room because no one had ever heard Carla sing, save my mom.

 

While Carla was serenading the girls, John was down with the guys in the basement praying

Aaron said there wasn't a dry eye in the room while they prayed. What a group of strong, sweet, Godly men.

Then John came up to pray with us... and the tears kept coming

I want to take this time to talk a little about my friend John Lynch... I am such a lucky girl to count him has someone in my life. Someone who is readily available to me, someone I know I can count on to always be for me. He has been my pastor for my entire life and my dad's best friend. For probably the last 10 years, since I have been of a marrying age, John has asked if he could somehow be apart of my wedding someday. I would laugh and assure him that he was going to be performing my ceremony! I wouldn't imagine having anyone else. Aaron too has counted John a dear friend for most of his life as well, so it wasn't much of a conversation at all when the subject of who would perform our ceremony came up. It was John.

My FAVORITE thing about a John Lynch wedding is how he takes the bride and grooms life story and masterfully weaves it together to show what an amazing love story God has written for them! It was the one moment of the entire wedding that I looked forward to the most... I admit, even above being pronounced Aaron's wife. I was so excited to know people got to hear our story - an awesome story! A story full of hope and waiting and trusting in God's timing. It is a story that proves God is FAITHFUL! He is always working for our good and His glory and it is something amazing to behold when it all culminates in a day like this. This was the moment my friends and family would be reminded or told for the first time that there is a BIG GOD out there and a precious SAVIOR who desperately loves us!

And so with that the focus of the day... with John at the helm to beautifully convey to everyone there, I was more than ready to walk down the aisle to the love of my life.

Of course I had to show you one of the greatest moments in Wedding history... Jack was awesome!

Me and my dad... I could hardly keep it together at this point... my dad has already lost it

And there he is... my love.

I'll have to post our story on here someday as John read it. There was so much laughter and memories. John asked us to pear down the childhood part, because the 16 years of our love story was going to take up enough time. I stood there across from Aaron and just kept thinking, This is it! I can't believe I'm here! I can't believe its him! 

As part of our ceremony Aaron and I asked our dad's to get up and share something. They were perfect! My dad shared about how my entire life he had been the one to help me make big decisions, to calm my fears, to answer my questions. I would spend hours with him discussing God and life and fears and pain and hopes. But from this day onward, he would no longer be that person for me... Aaron would. Of course my dad would always be there for us, he would always be the first man in my life, but now Aaron was the most important man in my life.
Pat shared such sweet things to. He affirmed Aaron in what an amazing man he was, and affirmed me of how wonderful it was to have me in his family. And then he spoke to my parents. He spoke about the joining of families and thanked them for raising me and loving Aaron. He assured them I was going to be loved and protected by him and Laurie as well. Then the four of them stood up and hugged each other. What a great moment!

After that was time for the rings...

 Success...

We exchanged traditional vows and were pronounced husband and wife and then we decided to take communion as our first act as husband and wife. My cousin Lyle and his beautiful wife Anya sang the hymn "Before the Throne" while Aaron and I took communion.

I was in their wedding nearly 2 years before and it was my honor to have them as part of mine and Aaron's wedding day

The BIG MOMENT!

If you notice behind and above us in the ceremony was our gorgeous Chuppah! Laurie's family is Jewish and so we were so excited to honor that in our wedding with a Chuppah above us and Aaron smashing the glass after the ceremony. The glass signifies that although the glass can be broken, our marriage never will.

Presenting Mr & Mrs Mertz!!!!

And this was the moment we became husband and wife!