Hawkily Ever After: The Procession

The guests were all seated in the chapel as we began to line up. It was time for the ceremony to begin! 

Mr. Hawk gave his niece, our little flower girl W, one last encouraging pat on the back to ease her nerves.

Once we heard the violinist begin to play Trumpet Voluntary, reality started to sink in. 

Luckily Daddy Hawk was there to give me some of my own much-needed support.

Mr. H took Momma Hawk's arm... 

...and escorted her to her seat before taking his place at the altar.

 The groomsmen filed in, and the music switched again.

 Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring began to play as Sissy Hawk walked through the chapel doors and down the aisle.

 BM T...

...BM K...

...BM R...

 ...and MOH A made their way down the aisle.

 Our coordinator Liz, calmly told W it was her turn.

Apparently she made it about halfway down the aisle before she realized all of the eyes on her.  

This next photo perfectly captures the moment she changed her mind. She never made it to the altar, but instead made a bee-line straight to her parents.

  I wish I could have seen it because I heard she was adorable!

Does anyone else have a similar flower girl story?

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

Music to My Ears

I'll admit that ceremony music was one of my back-burner tasks. It was something that I knew I needed, but it was a decision I wasn't in a rush to make. I think a lot of it stemmed from the fact that I was at a loss of what to do.

Wren Chapel has a beautiful eighteenth century organ on the balcony, and I loved the idea of utilizing the historical instrument, but I kept having doubts about the sound. The chapel is quite small, covered in dark wood panels. Somehow the thought of filling the space with organ music made me think of heavyness opposed to a light, jubilant sound I envisioned for my wedding day. (Does that sound silly?)


Wren Chapel Organ, Personal Photo

I approached my DJ for some recommendations, and she had me listen to samples of an organist, guitarist, and string trio. I immediately ruled out the guitarist because it didn't feel like Mr. Hawk and I. The organ actually suprised me with being less dark as I imagined, but I wasn't 100% convinced; however, once I heard the strings I was in love. The sound was light, sweet, and elegant just as I had imagined.
Unfortunately paying for a group of musicians is pretty costly, and I wasn't sure a trio or quartet was really in the budget. Since I did wait on my decision, I had already seen money fly out the door towards other major expenses, and I really couldn't justify going over budget in another area. Additionally I was a bit concerned about space. The chapel's max is 120 guests, and I was beginning to wonder where all these extra bodies would fit in such a tight space. So what's a hawk to do?

With a little more research, I found a violinist who performs solo. Given that the ceremony space is so small I think that he will  be the perfect fit. I will get the type of music I prefer without sacrificing precious space. Another benefit is the afforability factor. The cost aligns with our budget and our guests will be able to enjoy both pre and post-ceremony music. Horray!

Was ceremony music a priority for you? Did you hire a preformer of any kind? How did you decide?