A few special details...

Butterflies: I work with kids and families impacted by cancer and/or loss. This past year I grew very close to a special 4 year old girl diagnosed with a rare, aggressive brain tumor. She was ALWAYS joyful, loving, happy, strong, and sassy. Unfortunately, she (recently) lost her battle to cancer. The day she died, a butterfly landed on a pink and yellow flower (her favorite colors) and, without being informed, I knew she had passed. Oddly, on the day of her memorial service, a butterfly fluttered by me. And on her birthday this year, I witnessed a butterfly land on a pink and yellow flower, letting me know she was near. I feel her presence whenever I see butterflies now. My bridesmaids and I went on a hike a few days before the wedding to clear our minds, connect with nature, and feel close to God. As I was walking and reflecting, I looked ahead and the hiking trail (MY FAVORITE HIKING TRAIL) was completely FILLED with butterflies… thousands of them! I looked it up afterwards and the butterflies are apparently a result of the super-bloom California experienced due to the excess rain this season. (I believed it was so much more). I felt it was a perfectly timed reminder that I need to experience joy and happiness and soak up every moment with loved ones just as deeply as I experience sorrow and sadness with loved ones and the kids and families I mentor. After the wedding, everyone commented how HAPPY Ryan and I looked the whole time! Honestly – after the hike (and for the rest of the weekend), I felt at peace, joyful and happy and totally PRESENT. The day of the wedding… a butterfly landed on my sister’s gown right before the ceremony and just hung out on her dress for a while. Without prior knowledge of the backstory, our photographer snapped a photo and captured this moment!

Our First Dance Song: We were originally going to dance to “You Are the Best Thing” by Ray LaMontagne. I have always loved this song, but it didn’t feel like OUR song. A few weeks before the wedding, my sister and I went to a concert at the Chicago Theatre and one of the opening acts played a song that I knew immediately would be the PERFECT song for me and Ryan. After he finished playing his song, I told Ava I had to have it! Unfortunately, he announced that his songs are not available for download or purchase. I was devastated… (but committed to getting that song!) I reached out to him on social media multiple times (an embarrassing amount of times), tried to contact his agent, and tried to get through to his management company as well. I told Ryan about the song (and the lyrics I remembered) and he agreed it sounded perfect for us. I never heard back from the artist…

Unbeknownst to me, Ava’s boyfriend, Matt (knowing how desperate I was to get this song), took it upon himself to make it happen. He started messaging the artist, the artist’s friends on social media, anyone who tagged the artist in a video, pleading for a recording of the song for me. The artist finally responded (applauded Matt’s tenacity) and agreed to record the song for us. As I was getting ready, Matt informed me that the artist did not respond to me because he had asked him NOT to so it would be a surprise wedding gift… and that the artist sent over the song THE MORNING OF MY WEDDING. I cried, obviously. Ryan and I are beyond grateful that we can call this our first dance song now!

Family Traditions:

Tying the knot: We literally and figuratively do this in our ceremony. We used the same handkerchief to bind our hands that my parents and my sister and her husband used in their wedding ceremonies. Breaking bread: The bride and groom and both families break bread together. Side note: my dad baked the bread! Drinking from a common cup: an Orthodox tradition

Bridal Tradition:

Bridal Fans: I carried a fan adorned with flowers, as did my bridal party. I did this as part of a tradition started by my mom on her wedding day, and continued by my sister, Alex on her wedding day. We both took the same bridal photo with the fan that my mom did on her wedding day (Thank you, Jenny!)

Pearl Bracelet: I wore a pearl bracelet that my mom wore on her wedding day. Mira Couture: I bought my bridal gown at the same boutique that my sister bought hers. We became very close with all the designers, but we became particularly close to Khryhstyna. As a wedding gift, she hand drew an artist portrait of me in my gown. She shipped it to California so we could display it at our wedding. The artist rendition is showcased in Charlie’s wedding video. (In addition, THE DRESS was purchased at Mira Couture, and all the designers were in on the surprise). Bachelorette Day: The bridesmaids were “asked” with a travel theme: a Malibu shirt, a palm tree jean hat, a luggage tag, a beach bag with pom poms, a small bottle of Malibu Rum, and sunglasses. We all matched as we hiked the Charmlee Wilderness Trail, followed by a relaxing afternoon at the pool, and finally by having a Private Chef pamper us with his amazing menu. My kind of bachelorette party!