Ryan & Me: Chapter Twenty

The Honeymoon:

Ryan and I went to California for our Honeymoon! Probably not the most exotic place to go but it sure was fun! Our goal was to go somewhere where we wouldn't have to do a lot of driving or sight seeing. After planning a stressful wedding we wanted something where we could just have fun and enjoy each other. We actually flew out to California on Friday, the day after our wedding. After getting there we went to the hotel and basically crashed. We were so tired! The best part about our hotel though was that we could stand on our balcony and watch the fireworks at Disneyland every night we were there. Totally awesome!


Saturday morning we headed to Los Angeles. Part of the route we took there was on the Santa Monica Freeway. Holy smokes that freeway is nauseating! Both Ryan and I commented on how we felt like we were on a boat. The up and down motion of the road felt like we were riding waves and it nearly did me in. But we made it to the LA Temple without losing any of our breakfast and we did a session in the LA Temple and it was amazing! The temple is large and so beautiful! I loved the temple grounds! We weren't quite expecting so many people to be there though. Apparently it was a stake temple day and so we had to park almost a quarter mile away! It was crazy, but it was also very nice to see so many people there. After our session we spent some time taking pictures and then we headed back to the hotel. We took a different route on the way home so thankfully, no more sea sickness!


Later that night we went to the Medieval Times. Ryan and I both really enjoyed that! The food was delicious and the entertainment was pretty fun too!


Sunday we went to 11am church and then we decided to head to San Diego. It made for a very nice Sunday drive. If you ever have to do a lot of driving (LA or San Diego for example) my advice is to definitely do it on the weekends when there is no rush hour traffic. We made it to San Diego in record time (just over an hour) and we had a wonderful day there. We started off in Old Town San Diego where we went to the Mormon Battalion Visitor Center. Neither of us had ever been there and it was a lot of fun! I learned so much I never even knew about the Mormon Battalion.


After the Mormon Battalion we went and took a few pictures of the San Diego temple. we would have loved to have gone inside that temple as well but unfortunately the temples are closed on Sunday. We enjoyed touring the temple grounds though!


Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we spent at Disneyland and California Adventure! That was so much fun! Ryan had never been to either park before so it felt extra special to be there with him. We enjoyed both parks but I think California Adventure was our favorite only because it's geared more towards adults and the rides are awesome! We had no lines for most of the rides and ended up on Tower of Terror FIVE times! We couldn't get enough. :)





Wednesday morning before heading to Disneyland we drove out to Newport Beach and went to the Newport Beach Temple. It was another gorgeous temple, inside and out!


Our trip came to an end on Thursday. We checked out of our hotel at noon but since we didn't have to be to the airport until 3pm we decided to head back out to Newport Beach and visit the beach! It was deserted other than two or three surfers and a few runners which made it that much more fun for us! We took a ton of pictures and played in the sand. It was awesome!




It was such an amazing honeymoon and it was so sad to see it end. We got home Thursday night and spent the rest of the weekend moving me into his house and cleaning out my old place. It was so much work and I was ready for another honeymoon! In fact, I still am ready for another honeymoon. :)

Ryan & Me: Chapter Nineteen

The Wedding: Part Three

The reception went from 6:30 to 8:30pm at an LDS Church by my parent's house. We decided early on that we didn't want a big fancy reception. We wanted to invite a few people and keep it pretty low-key. I think the church worked out perfectly! We had so much help with getting everything set up and looking beautiful. I cannot thank everyone enough for all they did to help!

We got there an hour early to take a few more pictures and then the receiving line started right at 6:30. There was a pretty constant stream of people until 8pm. Aside from the fact that my feet were killing me, I had a great time! Nobody could have wiped that smile off my face if they tried. It was so fun to see so many people come and show their support for Ryan and me. We feel so blessed to have such amazing family and friends! And it was fun to see people from my childhood (friends of my parents) that I haven't seen in nearly 20 years! I couldn't have asked for a more special night!




Once the line began to slow, we cut the cake!


Afterward we mingled a bit more and then headed off to change our clothes. As I came out of the bathroom my nephew ran up and asked if he could have the keys to our car.

"Why do you want them?" I asked.

"Well, we want to write 'Just Married' on the windows but it's too cold outside and it won't stick. We need to turn the car on and warm it up a little."

Since when does a teenage boy actually ask for permission to vandalize a car? It just made me smile.

"I don't have the keys." I said. "You'll have to ask Ryan."

I was pretty sure that Ryan wouldn't do it. He already said he didn't want to drive across the valley in a decorated car. But when Ryan came out of the bathroom my nephew went through the same shpill with him that he had just given me and when he finished, Ryan reached in his pockets and handed over the keys.

My jaw dropped to the ground and my nephew yelled "Yeah!" then grabbed the keys and ran off yelling "He gave them to me!"

I looked at Ryan and he said, "You can't deny a kid from having a little fun."

Nope, you really can't. Instead of heading out right then, which was our plan, we went back in the cultural hall and talked to a few more people - just to give the kids time to warm up the car and write all over it. (Note: My name was all written out, you just can't see it in this picture).


Once they came in and handed the keys back to us, we loaded up, said our goodbyes and headed to The Little America. My amazing husband had booked us the Honeymoon Suite! What luxury! And what a perfect way to end an already perfect day!

Ryan & Me: Chapter Eighteen

The Wedding: Part Two

Our wedding luncheon started at 1pm and it was held in the Kirtland Room of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. It is such a beautiful building and as soon as Ryan and I got engaged we both knew that was where we wanted our luncheon to be held. We had originally arranged to have the luncheon in the Bonneville Room but due to some unforeseen circumstances it had to be moved to the Kirtland Room about two weeks before the wedding. I was disappointed at first because it wasn't the room I originally wanted and that news isn't exactly something an already-stressed-out bride wants to hear! But I knew I just had to take things in stride and believe that it would all work out.

It did! The room ended up being the perfect size for the nearly 60 guests in attendance and the view was SO much better! The kids could not stop looking out the window at the temple!

That sight alone made the switch in rooms completely worth it to me. I wish I knew what was going on in their little heads but I'd like to think it was something along the lines of how they couldn't wait to go inside that temple someday!

That view also provided the perfect backdrop for our ring ceremony.

The luncheon actually started off with introductions. We went around the room and everyone introduced themselves and stated how they knew the bride or groom. We then ate a delicious meal before having the ring ceremony. Ryan and I decided very quickly that this was something we wanted to do, mainly for his family and the nieces and nephews - none of whom could go to the actual ceremony inside the temple. We asked his State President to do the ceremony for us and it was wonderful! He spoke a bit on temples and why they are so important to members of the LDS faith and then he spoke about the significance of rings and why we wear them on our left hands. I loved the whole thing! After that he had us exchange rings. It wasn't very long, six to seven minutes or so, but we loved it! Apparently we exchanged rings so fast that my two sisters trying to take pictures missed the entire ring exchange. This is the best shot we got*:


After the ring ceremony we ate dessert and then everyone was free to leave at their leisure. Many stuck around to chat with us for awhile which was nice! The whole thing was so nice and intimate. I was so grateful for all our family and friends who made the trip to be here. Some even came from as far away as Logan, Idaho and even Maryland, Arkansas and Texas! As I sat at the head table and looked around the room I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of love for everyone. The outpouring of love and support shown to both Ryan and me on our special day was almost more than my heart could take.

I think one of my favorite memories of the luncheon (other than what I've already mentioned) will be of my two year old nephew, who, while we were all eating lunch, would walk past the head table one person at a time and say "Hi". He'd walk up to Ryan's dad..."HI!"...then take one giant step forward to Ryan..."HI!"...then one more giant step to me..."HI!"...and then on to my parents. Then he'd run back and do it all over again! He also came up to show me his chapstick. I asked if I could borrow some and he said yes then ran around the table to me, pulled off the cap and rubbed it all over my lips and surrounding area! I have no idea who's chapstick that really was, but I'm still alive so I guess it was okay.

By about 3pm everyone had departed and so Ryan and I quickly changed and headed out to get ready for our next event, the reception!


*We did re-stage the ring exchange for photo purposes and I will insert a picture of that when I get one.

Ryan & Me: Chapter Seventeen

Editor's Note: The next three chapters will consist of Part I, II and III of Ryan & Camille's wedding day!

The Wedding: Part One

January 12, 2012 was probably best day of my life! After a year of dating and three months of stress and planning, I finally married my very best friend! The day couldn't have been more perfect either! I was up bright at early by 5am to shower and dry my hair. My sister and hairstylist arrived around 6:15am to help with hair and makeup and they made me look more beautiful than ever. Ryan picked me up at 7:30am and we were off to the Salt Lake Temple.

I admit that I was quite nervous. Not nervous to get married, but nervous of not knowing what to expect. I tried to eat breakfast but I just couldn't do it, my nerves were too great. We met my parents and brother at the Temple (my mom acted as my escort and my dad and brother were the witnesses) and then a few minutes later they whisked us all off in different directions. Thankfully my mom stayed with me though which helped calm my nerves. Ryan didn't have an escort so a nice gentleman (a temple worker) who happened to be walking past kindly offered to show Ryan where to go and what to do. Ryan was grateful, as was I. It's nice to know that at the Temple you never have to go through anything alone because there is always someone willing to help.

After 20 minutes or so Ryan and I did eventually meet back up together and then after a few minutes of waiting in the Celestial room the person who would be performing our marriage came and got us. And would you believe that it was none other than that kind gentleman who had offered to help Ryan just a few minutes before? Upon seeing us he said, "I have the privilege of marrying you today and let me just say that when I saw you in the hallway a few minutes ago I said 'Oh, I hope they are the couple I get to marry today' and here you are!" We all felt as though that was true inspiration!

After a few words of direction, he led us to the room where we would be married. Everyone we had invited was already sitting in there and when I walked in the room I nearly started crying. The spirit I immediately felt in seeing my loved ones was unmistakable. I had to convince myself it wasn't worth crying over though because I couldn't afford to have makeup running down my face!

The sealing was beautiful, though quite short. It's nothing like Hollywood's version of a wedding ceremony. It was wonderful though and the spirit there was so strong! There was no doubt in my mind that Ryan was the one I wanted to spend eternity with. The peace and happiness I felt was overwhelming. In about 20 minutes I went from being Camille Butterfield, to being Camille Millward, Ryan's wife. What an amazing moment that was! I wish I could put in words the exact feelings and emotions I had, but there just aren't any words quite worthy of the experience.

After the sealing we changed into our "fancy" clothes - Ryan in his tux and me in my wedding dress. We had opted not to take pictures of us prior to the wedding (which apparently is quite common these days) because we didn't want Ryan to see me in my dress before the wedding. I am SO glad we didn't. The look on Ryan's face when he saw me in my dress for the first time was priceless! It completely added to the beauty and excitement I was already feeling that day. I never want to forget that moment!

Once we changed they led us to the doors where all our family and friends were waiting outside. Now it was time for pictures!

Coming out of the temple:

One thing that Ryan and I had talked about was having our nieces and nephews at the temple for pictures. It was quite a sacrifice on the part of our siblings to get all their kids there and find someone to sit with them during the sealing, but I am SO glad they did it! Having the kids there was probably one of the highlights of the entire day for me. Kids don't always get the opportunity to see someone come out of the temple right after their marriage. All they see of an LDS wedding is typically the reception. I wanted those kids to be a part of that day because I felt that if there was any chance at all that it would help strengthen their testimony of a temple marriage, then I didn't want to deny them that experience. And besides, I love those kids as much as I love my parents or siblings. They ARE my family! I will always be so grateful that they came to my wedding and shared this special day with me. Again, there really are no words to describe the emotion I felt.

The whole gang:

My Family:

Ryan's Family:


Us:



One thing about getting married in January, you never know what to expect with the weather! Luckily the weather on our wedding day was absolutely gorgeous - blue sky and all! But it was SO cold! We took pictures outside for nearly 1 1/2 hours and I was chilled to the bone! By the time we finished outside, I couldn't even feel my hands. In fact, I could hardly grip my bouquet!

Once the pictures were done outside we headed over to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and took more pictures before heading to our luncheon!