Hawkily Ever After: Family Formals

Once the excitement died down, many of our guests headed to cocktail hour while we took our formals. Our photographer, Valerie, suggested against doing photos at the altar. She advised that in her experience, they tend to appear overly stiff. We went back to Wren's courtyard area, which was the perfect backdrop.

We started with our adorable niece and flower girl, who now thinks I'm a princess because of the wedding. Isn't that sweet? Our next photo was with my new in-laws...

... and then Mr. Hawk's immediate family.

 Momma and Daddy Hawk were up next...

...and Sissy Hawk jumped in.

I am so glad that we chose to do our formals outside because the light streaming through the trees was just lovely for our newly combined Hawk family photo.

Although we chose not to take individual shots with each family in attendance, we did a giant group shot of my side family...

 ...as well as Mr. Hawk's.

This kept our formals short and sweet, and allowed us to head straight to cocktail hour! But before we did, I asked Valerie to take one last photo: a shot of new rings!

Are you planning on doing a lot of formals? Or would you like to keep it short and sweet?

All photos by Valerie Demo Photography

Miss a Hawk recap? Don't fret! Catch up here:

We review our planning journey
We rehearse and welcome our guests
The girls get pretty
I share my bridal details
Mr. Hawk becomes a groom
Our first look
We take photos at Crim Dell Bridge
We explore campus for more photography
The groomsmen ham it up
The bridal party channels their inner model
The entire wedding party regroups
My last moments as a Miss
Welcome to our wedding ceremony
The bridal party procession
Miss Hawk's walk down the aisle 
We're married!

We were surrounded by love during our impromptu receiving line

Hawkily Ever After: Impromptu Receiving Line

Mr. Hawk and I stepped out of the chapel an official married couple. 

It only took a moment before MOH A came up to give me a congratulatory hug.

It was surreal to watch our friends and family exit the chapel, knowing that the ceremony was really over.

Although we had not planned for it, we had an impromptu receiving line, and I'm so glad that we spent a few moments with our guests.

Looking back on these photos absolutely melts my heart and brings me back to the complete joyousness I was feeling.

The violinist continued to play as we chatted and embraced those near and dear to us.

I will always treasure how completely loved our friends and family made us feel!

Do you plan on having a receiving line post-ceremony?

All photos by Valerie Demo Photography

Miss a Hawk recap? Don't fret! Catch up here:

We review our planning journey
We rehearse and welcome our guests
The girls get pretty
I share my bridal details
Mr. Hawk becomes a groom
Our first look
We take photos at Crim Dell Bridge
We explore campus for more photography
The groomsmen ham it up
The bridal party channels their inner model
The entire wedding party regroups
My last moments as a Miss
Welcome to our wedding ceremony
The bridal party procession
Miss Hawk's walk down the aisle
We're married!

Hawkily Ever After: The Ceremony

Our ceremony began with a welcoming of our guests and a moment of silence for those who were unable to attend.

Since we had not rehearsed the ceremony, Daddy Hawk tried to give me away prematurely. We all had a little chuckle.

Not yet, Daddy Hawk!

But soon the moment did come, and Daddy Hawk handed me off to Mr. Hawk.

We exchanged traditional vows...

...before the blessing of the rings.

I remember barely being able to maintain eye contact with Mr. Hawk at some points for fear of completely losing control of my emotions. 

Quite contrary to what I imagined, I made it through without spilling a single tear!

Our ceremony concluded with a prayer...

...and a blessing of our union.

We were officially Mr. and Mrs. Hawk!

But somehow, we had skipped over the "kiss the bride" portion of the ceremony, so I quietly whispered to Mr. H, "hey! Are we gonna kiss?"

Now it was really official.

Ever the traditionalist, I chose Mendelssohn's Wedding March to play as we recessed.

In my newlywed excitement I decided to shake my bouquet in victory, which caused a shower of petals to rain down upon the aisle, and resulted in quite a bit of laughter from our guests (and me!).

 It was the perfect end to our slightly imperfect ceremony.

Were there any accidents or slip-ups during your ceremony?

All photos by Valerie Demo Photography

Miss a Hawk recap? Don't fret! Catch up here:

We review our planning journey
We rehearse and welcome our guests
The girls get pretty
I share my bridal details
Mr. Hawk becomes a groom
Our first look
We take photos at Crim Dell Bridge
We explore campus for more photography
The groomsmen ham it up
The bridal party channels their inner model
The entire wedding party regroups
My last moments as a Miss
Welcome to our wedding ceremony
The bridal party procession
Miss Hawk's walk down the aisle

Hawkily Ever After: Here Comes the Bride

One by one I watched as my bridesmaids walked through the chapel doors. Daddy Hawk and I both held on to each other tight in hopes of keeping our emotions in check. I'm sure I would have lost it without him by my side.

As our flower girl entered the chapel, I knew it was almost my turn. My heart was nearly beating out of my chest as we ascended the stairs toward the door.

Being a traditional girl, I could not have imagined walking down the aisle to anything other than Wagner's "Bridal Chorus," but actually hearing it begin to play was a surreal experience.

 Once I was able to lock eyes with Mr. Hawk, I felt some of my nerves start to melt away.

We were ready to officially become Mr. and Mrs. Hawk!

All photos by Valerie Demo Photography

Miss a Hawk recap? Don't fret! Catch up here:

We review our planning journey
We rehearse and welcome our guests
The girls get pretty
Miss Hawk becomes a bride
I share my bridal details
Mr. Hawk becomes a groom
Our first look
We take photos at Crim Dell Bridge
We explore campus for more photography
The groomsmen ham it up
The bridal party channels their inner model
The entire wedding party regroups
My last moments as a Miss
Welcome to our wedding ceremony
The bridal party procession