The wedding was beautiful. But more than that, it was inspiring to everyone who attended. We wanted this to be a major event to show everyone in attendance that dreams really do come true, and it can happen to you!

We married at Fairhope's Storybook Guesthouse in Fairhope, Alabama. This is a magical place! You must see it with your own eyes. The home was built in 1946 with construction leftovers and souvenirs that the owner gathered while traveling around the world. Pictures just don't do this place justice! Everywhere you look, you will be wanting to take your own snapshots.

Reverend Thack Dyson, of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Daphne, Alabama, officiated the ceremony. Thack provided us with our pre-marriage counseling and inserted relevent pieces gleaned form these encounters, as well as humor, into the service. Thack involved the guests by challenging them to help us in any way possible to be strong and further build our relationship.

So the vows have been read and the rings exchanged. Now comes the part everyone was waiting for. The Kiss! It was, to say the least, very emotional. Bruce and I feel very strongly that our union has been blessed by God and we are very grateful for this. Sure makes life a whole lot easier with God on your side!

"And now let me introduce to you.....Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Shoop!" The guests cheered as we exited down the aisle and headed to our "picture spot" on the stone bridge that overlooks the Guesthouse.

See The Pics Here>>

After we took as many pictures as we could in the fading light, we snuck around to the back of the Guesthouse to "make out". Sorry, we couldn't help ourselves. :) But we didn't stay gone very long...we had guests to see!

Roussos catered our reception right there on the grounds of the Guesthouse. The guests raved about the food quality, the presentation, and the service provided by the tuxedoed waitstaff. Roussos also provided us with a basket with samples from the buffet table, as well as a bottle of champagne and wedding cake. This was very much appreciated by us because we never actually got to eat any of the food at the reception. We had lots of people to mingle with, and the garter toss, bouquet toss, toasts, etc.

The band was great. Justin Fobes, a good friend of ours, provided the musical entertainment for the event. Everyone ate, drank, danced, and had a good time. I did a lot of research and ended up hand-selecting a few musical pieces to play during certain times. For example, we played Rod Stewart's "Hot Legs" during the garter toss, Shania Twain's "Man, I Feel Like A Woman" during the bouquet toss, The Turtles "So Happy Together" during the cake cutting, etc, etc. I would encourage every bride to take this task into her own hands. It was fun to do, and it made the entire event more personalized. In fact, if I need an energy boost, all I have to do is listen to the CD I made of our specialized wedding music and I can't stop from dancing. And we all know that dancing is a good way to get the blood flowing!

Justin and the other bandmates followed us home and played for us around our firepit. This was the best party I have ever attended! We finally crashed at around 6am the next morning.

The next morning.....Time to get ready for the Honeymoon! But first, a little breather......

More to come after the Honeymoon...