The Story of Us, Part 4. An engagement and a party.

[parts 1, 2, and 3 here.]

The months leading up to the wedding now seem to have passed by in a blur, but they were not easy. One of Sam’s dearest friends passed away only a few days after our engagement, and that rocked both of our worlds. There was also the uncertainty of whether Sam would be able to find a job in Princeton (we both had decided that we did not want to start our marriage out long-distance, and Sam wanted to come up to Princeton to support me, especially during the next year, when I would be preparing for my comprehensive exams). Also, it was a lot of work planning a wedding while doing PhD coursework.

In other words, our engagement was a mixture of good and hard. Visiting Sam’s family in Tanzania was definitely a highlight of our engagement, as was getting our engagement pictures taken by some of our dear friends, Bailey and James Scott. (And, to be honest, I also did like planning a wedding while doing PhD coursework—it was an enjoyable way to procrastinate.) Sam decided that he wanted to try to get our wedding announcement in the New York Times, and, remarkably, they did end up printing our wedding announcement (and Bailey Scott’s phenomenal photography skills), much to our delight.

[safari-ing in tanzania.]

[pc: the inimitable bailey scott.]

[if you are wanting more engagement pictures, you can go to this post here.]

We planned for a late May wedding, and because of various reasons (venue availability, Memorial Weekend plans, stress levels, etc.), we decided to split the day of the reception and the day of the actual wedding. Having the reception the night before does not work for everyone, I realize, but it did work for us. And, for me, it was nice to have some breathing space the day of the actual wedding—it allowed me to focus on the ceremony rather than worry about traffic, catering, or flowers.

[what follows is a montage of formal wedding photos by our incredible wedding photographer, justin hackworth. hiring justin to be our wedding photographer is still one of the best decisions we made for our wedding. 11/10 recommend.]

 The day of our wedding reception was a perfect May evening. If you haven’t experienced Utah in late May, it is a beautiful thing. The mountains and the valleys are green, the weather has not become too hot yet, and the air is fresh. We were lucky to have two perfect May days—May 24^th and May 25^th—for our reception and wedding days. Our wedding venue—Wadley Farms—was verdant and lovely, with green foliage and soft twinkle lights, making for a perfect backdrop.

And we were even luckier to have such an outpouring of love from family and friends. My neighbors and former youth leaders volunteered to help out with serving the food; aunts, uncles, and cousins helped with decorations and with managing A/V equipment; friends from throughout the years came to see our happiness. There were so many people who came. So, so many. When I look back at that party, I am filled with joy, and so grateful to everyone who came and gave to celebrate with us.

[the series with the garter toss is absolutely hilarious.]

[the real mvps.]

[the story continues in part 5]