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.
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