Lead me to YOUR Choice

On September 27, 2012 I knew some big things were in store for my life. I had interviewed with an AMAZING company and could not pray hard enough that I would get the job (I did!!).  If I got the job or not, it was still a start to getting even more serious with Ryan. You see I knew there was something special about him and I wanted to be closer to him in hopes that one day we would be together forever. Little did I know, he was so serious that I got ENGAGED that night when I got home!!!

The night he proposed! 

Now that the ring was on my finger job or no job there were for sure some big things in store for my life! I have shared in a previous post about how I never dreamed it would happen to me. I mean i guess I knew in the back of my mind that I would eventually find someone. I just had started to doubt that anyone good was coming along. That is my BIGGEST mistake....don't ever doubt God and HIS timing!! He brought me the perfect man for me at just the right time.

Fast forward to getting ready for our wedding.....

When we were talking with our Pastor about how we wanted the ceremony it was very important to me for us to have him talk about God's timing. Ryan and I are both a little older compared to the ages our parents were when they were married. We both know that we are the age we are because God was not finished preparing us to be husband and wife yet. I think the generation we live in is so rushed and in a hurry they forget that God is preparing us each and every day. He is getting us ready for life, a future husband, leading others to Christ, planning our future, the list could go on and on. When we don't live on HIS time table we begin almost try to play God....and that is HIS job and HIS job only. It really messes things up when we don't do things on HIS time table. I look back all the time and think yep, now I know why that did not work out God. It was not part of your plan.

I say all of this in hopes that you have looked at my wedding post. It was my dream wedding! The day could not have been more perfect!! I am almost positive you can see how happy I was in all the pictures. So if only one person gets the message of WAIT ON GODS TIMING then this post is worth every word. Don't force a relationship that is not meant to be. Don't stay in a relationship that is not of the Lord. No matter what wait and you will be BLESSED far more than you could ever dream. A "Ryan Locke" will come along and make you feel like you are the most amazing woman he has ever met. He will treat you with respect and like you always knew you could be treated. He will put you before himself. You WILL be the most beautiful woman in the world in his eyes. You know what else? He will want to spend forever with you for all the RIGHT reasons and because he is truly in LOVE with YOU.

I mentioned in the wedding post that I would share our Vows. Ryan was nervous to go away from traditional vows because he was so scared he would mess up the words. Let me say it was the best decision for us to do non traditional vows because it was more fitting for us. I will forever live by the words we said to one another.

I, RYAN, take you, LARA ELLEN,  to be my lawfully wedded wife.  I promise before God and these witnesses that I truly love you,  becoming one with you as God has ordained. I will pursue God first while keeping you beside me. I will be a husband who is first humbled by God's love for us and your love for me. I promise to hold your hand through all the trials of life, whether in sickness or in health, for I know our God is bigger than us.  I promise to place your needs before mine in all areas. I promise to be the person who you can depend on everyday that we live. I promise to pray for you and with you and to initiate times of prayer by being your spiritual leader. I am glad to have a Godly woman by my side and I am honored to become your husband. 

I, LARA ELLEN, take you, RYAN, to be my lawfully wedding husband. RYAN, I love you. I prayed that God would lead me to His choice. I praise Him that today His will is being fulfilled. Through the pressures of the present and the uncertainties of the future,  I promise my faithfulness, to follow you through all of life's experiences as we follow God, that together we may grow in the likeness of Christ and our home bring praise to Him. As your helper, I will respect you and pray faithfully for the direction in which God will take us. I will support your goals and dreams and help you fulfill them, and I will challenge you to reach your full potential in God. I will always be your biggest encourager. I have seen your love for God and your desire to serve Him,  and I am truly blessed to have you love me as well. I am so glad that you are my best friend, and I am honored to become your wife. 

Just remember God is preparing your Prince Charming. Don't rush his process, let it happen is his timing.

Thank you Jesus for your PERFECT timing! I could not be more THANKFUL and BLESSED!

One of The Most Important Parts

Last night I did not mention a very important part of my special day. I did this on purpose because she deserves a full page .........plus some.

Meet The Wedding Planner:

Kalyn Hall Randolph

Love, Laughter, Happily Ever After

 

 

 

First of all could she be any more adorable?? I think not! Kalyn and I go way back to when we were little kids growing up in the same neighborhood. We also went to school together, were in various organizations together, share a second mother, and most importantly shared a connection over our love for Jesus Christ. Kalyn is one of the most kind hearted women you will ever meet. I learn something new from her each time we talk.

 

Kalyn was married almost a year ago to the man you see with her Tony. They began dating in high school and throughout most of college. They were separated by Kalyn's family moving to Louisiana. You see this is yet another area I am always getting advice from Kalyn on. Just like she and Tony had a time of "testing" by being states apart, Ryan and I are dealing with the same thing. Ok, so back to the point. When I was thinking of  who I wanted to ask to be my wedding planner only one name came to mind....Kalyn. She had just been married, all the details to her day were perfect, she worked on a budget, and she is super organized.

 

I know, I know...the PERFECT Wedding Planner/Director

 

 

Even when she did not have time due to school she would listen to my hours of rambling every time I called her. No matter how stressed out I was she had the perfect solution to the problem or the perfect words to say. She made time to come to my showers(see above), help me with details, and give me advice on where to get the best deals.

 

I am known to get "High Tense Mode" as my best friends would say. Most of the time I am happy and carefree but when I get stressed.....I get stressed. I literally hit my breaking point several times during this planning process. I think we as the bride want everything to be perfect and exactly as we have a vision for it. If anything goes astray it causes total crying breakdown haha! I knew that on my wedding day I was going to be "High Tense Mode". Being the type of person I am, I thought I would want to be right in the middle of everything up until I walked down the aisle.

 

Before the wedding Kalyn and I talked several times about the agenda, what exactly I wanted, and how I wanted it. When she sent me the typed document that she prepared of everything I told her I wanted, I was at complete ease. She LITERALLY took everything I said to heart and made it happen. I knew that from that point forward I had no need of being in the middle of anything. She was going to make sure everyone got to where they were supposed to be on time, the items I wanted her to check on would be checked on, I would make it to my "Paw Paw" on time and we would FINALLY say "I DO" after months of planning!  

 

From the start of my day to the end she stood by my side making sure I was ok, calm, and not worried about anything. I can't even list the number of times she said "Is everything how you want it?" I will say that if anything went wrong on my wedding day, I never knew it. Everything went perfectly and exactly how I envisioned it.

 

Kalyn holding my flowers until we got out of my delivery truck!

 

 

I must say I have never been so calm in my life. It was a Peace I can't describe. I never got nervous, worried about anything, or stressed. I kept telling myself it was God letting me know I had waited my turn and knew that I had finally found the man he created just for me. I also knew in the back of my mind that Kalyn had typed out the most detailed time line you have ever seen and she would not play if someone got off track!

 

I don't think I could ever say Thank You enough to someone who can help you stay calm on your wedding day. From the months before,  through today, and I am sure forever I will always value the advice that she has given and gives me. It pays to have Christian friends who always have the perfect way to help you through any and every situation. Though she may be years younger than me, I feel she is far wiser at the whole being a wife thing. I will forever look to her for guidance.

 

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you

For being one of the most important parts to my day!

 

 

Kalyn, I am truly BLESSED to have you in my life!

 

 

 

The Honeymoon Is Over.....

And that means I'M BAAAACCCCCCCKKKKKKK!!!

I am so excited to finally now somewhat be back to my normal life. Only one HUGE thing has changed. I'm now a MARRIED woman!!!

On May 25th I had my dream Barn Wedding! It could not have been more perfect. We are beyond blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family members in our life. They all played a special part in sharing our day with us. I am not even going to lie and say that planning was fun. It was by far the most stressful 8 months of my life. I am so glad that the planning part is over and that I had a beautiful wedding to show for all the tears!

I will say my favorite part of the entire day was saying the vows. Our vows were so beautiful. We did not write them but if I could sit down and write something from my heart that beautifully, the vows would be it! I will make another post one day with the vows in it. The reason I loved that part so much was because I got to look in Ryan's eyes and know that I was making a Covenant to spend forever with him. I meant every word of what I said. I truly believe in God and that HIS word is truth. I want to live my life by The Bible as much as possible. A marriage is no exception to the rules. I will honor and cherish my marriage until I die.

I know for now you would much rather see pictures than hear me ramble. Get ready, I will be sharing a lot coming up about marriage and how it has changed my life in only a few short weeks!

For now I will let you get a small view of how amazing our special day was!

The Get Ready!!

The Venue

Be Sure to Like Their Facebook Page

The Barn at Powell Plantation

The Decor

 

I'm Blessed to be Talented and have VERY Talented Parents! I would say we did a pretty good job for DIY!

Old Windows exactly how we found them! Some with and some without the glass! Used as frames for our childhood photos. My Mom did these and they turned out precious!

 I wanted a Bible Table. I had my amazingly talented friend Kirby Dykstra hand draw me signage for not only this table but my program. She does graphic design work on the side. If you need anyone to help out in this area she is great and I would be happy to set you up with her! Anyway I had tags where you wrote your name and the Bible verse you highlighted in the Bible. There is also a extra large Mason Jar on the table to put the tags in. Ryan and I will draw a card out at night and read a verse for as long as they last form all the people that attended our wedding.

 

The Program Kirby designed for me. The most perfect program ever. Fit me perfectly!

 

 My ALABAMA roots are something I am very proud of! I love where I was born and raised and I also love my Crimson Tide! Everyone that knows me, knows my love for Alabama. I had to have BAMA flair throughout the wedding.

 My precious daddy had this set up for me. What else would you put gifts in at a barn wedding besides a red wagon??? Loved this idea!

 

 

Ryan and I both love candy. We had to have a candy table. We picked all of our favorite treats to have as Wedding Favors! We also had the Koozies you will see below.

 

 

One of my favorite things at the wedding was this table in memory of loved ones we had lost.

 

The Flowers

Sue's Florest

Northport, Alabama

AMAZING

 

Bridesmaids Flowers

 

Table Decor

 

 

The Bridesmaids

Love my Girls

I don't have all of my wedding pics back yet. However, I think this is the perfect picture to display just how beautiful the flowers were!

 

Could they get any more beautiful?? I think not!

 

Mine and Ryan's precious cousins, niece and nephew.

My Mother and I

 

 

And yes....This does deserve a category of its on

The Out House

 

My dad designed these beauties. They are working out houses with chandlers and all!!

Cutest toilet Ive ever seen!

 

And Now I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Locke!!!!!

 

 

ROLL TIDE!

BEST DAY EVER!!! Hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I do!