The last song of the night came far too soon. We swayed to Van Morrison and smiled into each other’s shoulders and enjoyed the final moments of our wedding day.

And despite not winding through rows of waving sparklers, our exit as husband and wife was intimate and celebratory nevertheless.

My cousin — who graciously volunteered to drive guests to their cars in a golf cart provided by the venue — waited for us with an umbrella just outside of the tent. He helped us climb into the back of the cart, and then our photographer snapped the final photo of the night. Please note my flat hair, muddy and disheveled dress, and shoes that were no longer red. But you know what? I was — and am — a  happily married woman.

Because anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain. Happy first anniversary to my very wonderful husband!

What takes 2,500 sheets of paper, 20 ink cartridges, eight sets of hands, and ten days to make? If you entered our blog giveaway a few months ago, you already know the answer: our wedding favors!

The idea took shape during a conversation with my sister-in-law. She suggested we incorporate our passion for food and cooking into our wedding day. And since we’ve been blogging about our culinary adventures since 2007, we had a plethora of recipes to choose from. Thus the Family Cooking cookbook was born.

We organized our recipes into the following categories: Hers (my family favorites), His (Nick’s family favorites), and Ours (recipes we’ve made together). We ended up with close to 60 recipes, and that was after thorough editing! Once we had collected and organized the recipes and photos (all taken by us), I laid out the pages in Adobe Illustrator.

Then, with MUCH help from Nick and my dear sister-in-law, we printed all 2,500 plus pages. It was incredibly time consuming, but it was more cost efficient than having the pages printed by a professional. (We wouldn’t have been able to print full color if we had gone the professional route.)

After the pages were printed, I toted them to my parents’ house for help with the assembly. It took four of us to properly stack all 125 books. And let me tell you, it was a relief when I dropped them off to be bound!

In addition to having the books professionally bound, we also had the covers professionally printed, with help from a photographer friend and a graphic designer friend.

Finally, sister-in-law once again volunteered to help wrap and label each book. She wrapped the books in kraft paper, tied them with red raffia ribbon, and attached cardstock name tags with our monogram stamp.

We were thrilled with the final product — both inside and out! We asked our day-of-coordinator to place each book on the appropriate table, and they were opened before we even entered the tent for the reception!

Now we love seeing the cookbook displayed in the kitchens of our friends and family members. And we especially enjoy hearing about the recipes they’ve tried: Dad’s Fluffy French Toast, Uncle Lloyd’s Potato Salad, Aunt Jane’s Apple Dumplings.

It’s something I know our guests will cherish forever.

By now you know we were not graced with the warm and sunny August wedding day that we had envisioned. (Though it’s supposed to be absolutely perfect weather for our first anniversary tomorrow!) This caused several changes in our wedding day plans. Guests gripped umbrellas during the ceremony. The cocktail hour was moved from the pool house to the tent. We had limited time for outdoor photos. And we were not able to use sparklers for our grand exit as Mr. and Mrs.

Nick and I spent hours assembling matchboxes and sparklers based on templates from Twig & Thistle.

They were neatly displayed for guests to pick up at the end of the night and wave as we exited the tent and walked along a path of candles suspended from shepherds hooks. By 10pm we knew this was not going to happen.

While I was on the dance floor with my bridesmaids, my dear husband and devoted photographer wandered into the rain to get just one sparkler shot for me. That is love.

{Photos credit to Robert Winton}

When we first considered desserts, we envisioned a rustic assortment of cakes and pies. And then we tasted cupcakes from Providence Divine Cakes and Pastries in York, Pa. “Divine” is the perfect adjective to describe the moist, flavorful cake and the swirl of sweet buttercream on top. Naturally, our plans changed.

There’s a reason why cupcake towers are a wedding trend. They enable the bride and groom to select a variety of flavor combinations, there’s no additional cost to “cut the cake,” and the display is just so darn cute.

We served the following:

• Chocolate cake with buttercream frosting
• Chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting
• Vanilla cake with buttercream frosting
• Vanilla cake with coconut frosting
• Red velvet with buttercream frosting

(Yes, I’m craving one right now.)

The cupcakes tumbled down the three-tier display (provided by the bakery) and onto the round table alongside our Gocco’d napkins.

For our 6-inch round cake topper, we chose a white cake brushed with Chambord and layered with raspberry Champbord preserves and mousse. Yum!

To the tune of “How Sweet It Is,” by James Taylor (predictable I know, but he is truly one of my favorite artists), we sliced into our wedding cake with an engraved Lenox knife given to us by my parents.

The red and orange ribbons looked oh so pretty, but proved to be a hazard.

As evidence from this perfectly timed shot, we both thought the cake was going to topple off the pedestal and onto the ground.

But it remained in place, and we happily shared bites with kisses in between. (Note: We did not submit to the “smash it” chants, but by the end of the evening, one bridesmaid and one groomsman did end up with frosting all over their faces.)

About that shared slice of cake, it was the only piece we saw and tasted all night. Somehow, our ravenous guests got into the rest of it. We didn’t notice this until the following morning when I asked my parents if they put the remainder in the freezer. “No,” my mom said, “there was nothing left! But it sure tasted good.”

Fortunately, Providence provides a complimentary cake for our first anniversary. We won’t be in town to pick it up this weekend, so we plan to have a belated celebration when we’re home for Labor Day!

Considering how fast the cupcakes disappeared from the table, I’m glad we grabbed one to share when we did! Chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, of course.

{Photos credit to Robert Winton}

About an hour into the dance party, Nick and I took center stage to thank our families and friends for traveling from California, Utah, Michigan, North Carolina, and Germany to share the day with us. I think our guests really appreciated the acknowledgment. (And Nick made everyone laugh, as usual.)

We also gave a special shout out to our parents for setting wonderful examples for us to follow — in life, love, and marriage. We then asked them to join us on the dance floor to celebrate 30 years of marriage (my parents) and 36 years of marriage (his parents).

Yes, it was time for the Anniversary Dance. Rather than tossing the obligatory bouquet to a lucky — and likely embarrassed — single lady, we chose to honor the couple with the longest marriage. My grandparents, who have been married for 57 years (!!!), joyfully received the bouquet.

And in lieu of the garter toss, DJ Wild Bill suggested the groom and groomsmen perform a special dance. Honestly, nobody knew what to expect — bride and groom included. Bill lined them up on the dance floor and led them through a series of moves, then asked them to “pay respect” to the bride and bridesmaids. The grand finale was unrehearsed, too. Nick strutted toward my chair, showed off his red socks, and planted a big kiss on my lips. It was one of my favorite moments of the night.

So we decided against the bouquet toss and the garter toss, but we did do the Dollar Dance. It was not at all about the money; it was totally about spending a few minutes with individual guests. Our aunts and uncles and cousins especially enjoyed it. And to make it more classy, my mother ordered a monogrammed ivory satin bag to collect the dollar bills, proudly displayed by our maid of honor and best man.

{Photos credit to Robert Winton}

My father and Nick’s mother had no choice but to join us on the dance floor following dinner. We abandoned several traditions on our wedding day, but the parental dances were one we definitely wanted to observe. Both my father and Nick’s mother have faced — and conquered! — serious health conditions, and those few moments together were especially meaningful to us.

My dad chose “My Girl” by The Temptations for our father/daughter dance, and it was so fitting. It’s upbeat and not too sappy. I taught him a simple box step just four days before the wedding, and I must say I was pretty impressed with his moves. Sure, he stepped on my dress a few times, and yes, our feet got tangled more than once. But, oh, did we laugh! And we performed at least three successful turns! Our smiles could not have been bigger.

Nick and his mother danced to “A Song for My Son” by Bobby Morganstein, which was suggested to us by our dance instructor. The lyrics are so appropriate for a mother/son dance.

After the formal dances, DJ Wild Bill asked everyone to stand up. Reluctantly, everyone got to their feet. “Raise your right hand,” he said, “and repeat after me.” He then asked all of our family members and friends to pledge their support to us: to laugh with us through the good and to comfort us through the bad. We chose him to MC our reception because of such imagination and presentation. And … it was the ideal way to fill the dance floor for … what do you think came next?

“Twist and Shout!” Every guest was up — and I do mean every guest. And when Wild Bill queued the song, it caught some folks off guard — mostly those folks who would not typically twist and shout. But everyone participated! It really set the tone for the rest of the night.

We opted out of the Chicken Dance and the Hokey Pokey, but Nick insisted on the YMCA. Corny? Most definitely. But, boy, was it fun. Wild Bill even brought props, and he couldn’t have selected more appropriate family members to play the roles of the police man, the sailor, the Indian, and the construction worker.

The air guitar may have made an appearance, as well.

We danced for the next two hours and totally forgot about the howling wind and pouring rain. (Really, it was seeping in the sides of the tent.) Fortunately, there were no power outages, though I’m sure we would have found humor in that, too.

A few other songs from our reception playlist:

• Build Me Up Buttercup
• You Shook Me All Night Long
• Pour Some Sugar On Me
• Sweet Home Alabama
• Cha Cha Slide
• Crazy Love

{Photos credit to Robert Winton}

After we twirled and dipped to Ray and before we ate German sausages and crab macaroni and cheese, we raised our glasses with our Maid of Honor and Best Man.

Both my sister, Laura, and Nick’s best friend, Mike, referenced how we met — in their own ways and from their own perspectives.

Laura had her speech neatly typed, double spaced, and cut to size — she is so my sister. And Mike wrote his notes on the back of our wedding invitation — which I asked him to please give to us afterwards because it was that classic.

Laura recalled my giddy reaction after meeting Nick in the lab in Hershey. And, yes, I did call him McDreamy. (Picture blue eyes, curls, and a white lab coat.)

And Mike talked about the first time Nick invited me to Lake Anna. Though we had only been dating for two months, Nick told Mike that day that he was going to marry me. Insightful man, my husband is.

The toasts were just the right mix of humor and sentiment.

And nobody cared that the rain was pouring outside, especially us. It was time to celebrate!

{Photos credit to Robert Winton}

{Video recorded by Laura’s boyfriend. Thanks, Stephen!}

I’ve already shared the lovely details of August 28th with EAD, but I never quite finished the recaps here. Well, guess what? The time has come!

This week, in honor of our first anniversary, I have several posts planned to wrap up the details of that special day — from cupcakes and cookbooks to raindrops and sparklers.

I figured this tribute is almost as fun as pulling my gown out of its keepsake box and dancing around the house to Ray LaMontagne (which I may still do).

Catch up here and come along!

Nick is in New York training for his new job, but he decided to drive home on Friday night. He walked in the door just in time for sausage and lentil soup, red wine, and the Olympics. On Saturday we bought decorative pillows for our bed and picture frames for our walls. Then he assembled his new workbench in the garage while I filled our new hutch in the dining room. We are nesting. And this is exactly where I dreamed of being six months ago.

I love you, Nick. And I love building a home with you. Here’s to many more milestones.

Also: Our love story started in a lab and intensified in a kitchen. Read more.

Nick and I both ranked food high on our list of priorities when planning our wedding. We envisioned a variety of meats grilled on site, a buffet of hot and cold sides, our favorite summertime salad with fruit and a honey vinaigrette. And our caterer, Ed from The Festive Board in York, was equally enthusiastic about our menu. He even offered to make bratwursts, weisswursts, rotkohl, and saurkraut just for the groom.

I give you our festive menu:

• European cheese spread with fresh bread, fruits, dips, and mustards
• Spinach salad with strawberries, blueberries, and sesame seeds in a light honey vinaigrette
• Pit-style pork and beef
• BBQ chicken
• German sausages
• Saurkraut and rotkohl
• Broccoli almondine
• Garlic grilled corn
• Roasted red potatoes
• Crab macaroni and cheese (one of Ed’s specialties and almost everyone’s favorite dish)

The cheese spread was served during the cocktail hour while Nick and I were taking photos. We also offered two signature drinks: Arnold Palmers and Peach Sangria. The Arnold Palmer is a blend of iced tea, lemonade, and vodka. And we mixed the Sangria the morning before the wedding. (Get the recipe from The Culinary Couple.)

We also had on hand lots of red and white wine and three kegs of microbrews from Otto’s. The beer list was displayed on chalkboard signs:

• Wedding Wheat (a light American wheat ale with the delicate aroma and flavor of apricot)
• Bride’s Ale (an American red ale, very malty and crisp)
• Groom’s Lager (a light refreshing American lager with a malty smooth character and low hop bitterness)

Iced tea, lemonade, water, and a selection of sodas were offered, as well.

After we were introduced as Mr. and Mrs. Wiley and we shared our first dance as husband and wife, dinner was served.

The tables were pre-set with spinach salads, and the meats and sides were served buffet-style.

The staff from The Festive Board is so fantastic that they grilled in the rain — with towels draped over their heads.

Nick and I sat at our own sweetheart table and enjoyed visitors between bites. Everyone raved about the microbrews and crab macaroni and cheese.

My oldest cousin, Scott, brought us beers.

And my youngest cousin, Sara, gave me a handmade necklace and a pair of earrings — to wear on the honeymoon, she said.

Oh, there were lots of kisses, too. Because that’s what happens at a sweetheart table.

True love is smiles that cause your eyes to crinkle like this …

… and words that cause your lips to quiver like this.

{photos credit to Robert Winton}