Wedding Pictures-officially!

They're here! After 2 months of anxiously waiting we received our wedding pictures in the mail yesterday from Emily! YAY! They're wonderful =]

So, naturally, I am going to post a large handful of these pics here with simple explanations for your (and my) enjoyment.

Have fun!

LOCATION: Grandview Tudor Mansion on Lookout Mountain, GA

(This-taken through the iron archway-is the lovely place we got married-Grandview. The house in the distance is where we had food and got ready. This quiet and intimate garden is where we had our ceremony and started life as Mr. and Mrs. Raley)

(This is another view of the garden where the ceremony was held.  Our own green paradise.)

(This is the main room-where they set up the food and gift tables.  If it had rained on our wedding day, we would have had the ceremony in here-still GORGEOUS so no complaints if that were the case, right?!)

(Now this-this was the overlook we had-the ENTIRE Chattanooga and Georgia valley below. There was a balcony where we had the reception and it too overlooked this stunning view. This was the clincher in getting Derrick's approval of this wedding location-he LOVED it. Notice the happy bride and groom!)

FOOD: Wedding Cake by Norma Stansberry, Grooms Cake by Lauren Street, Heavy hor d'oeuvres by Grandview staff

(Do I really need details?! It was INCREDIBLE-another favorite thing Derrick loved-picking out the food! We had SO much extra that they packed us a picnic to take for our wedding night! And boy-we dug in later that evening.)

(*drools over keys* This was (naturally) my favorite platter that I kept revisiting! God I LOVE some real fresh fruit!)

(Our wedding cake surrounded by my bouquet and the bridesmaid bouquets. Our cake was handmade by Norma Stansberry (my mother's childhood friend and my BEST friend's mother). It was lemon flavored and tasted delicious-even the parts that went down my dress from Derrick smashing it! Small-but since we had a small wedding of 50 it was ideal.)

(And last but totally not least: r2d2 Grooms cake! It was handmade by Lauren Street (college friend to bride and groom) and looked and tasted amazing! Chocolate raspberry-what more does a girl need in life?! It was a total surprise for Derrick and he LOVED it! He thought it was so original, very well done, and tasted incredible.)

BRIDAL PARTY: Bride-Jennifer (MOH), Destiny (MOH), Kelly, Shelley, Tonya (attendant)/Groom-Mark (BM), Patrick, Wed, Brad

(Yay! We're all there-including my mom and dad! This was our goofy picture-with it being 90 degrees all day with NO breeze, I'm sure the heat started to finally get to all of us, lol!)

DETAILS: Shoes, rings, centerpieces, etc.

(Bride and Bridesmaids Bouquets)

(Since Converse High tops are Derrick's FAVORITE shoe, it seemed only perfect for he and his Groomsmen to wear them on our wedding day.)

(Our gorgeous bands of marriage.)

(Handmade programs in the wedding colors-purple and green.)

(Silver bells to ring when we left for our Honeymoon-tied with the wedding colors of purple and green. If you'll notice, behind them are 2 white candles-1 for my grandmother and 1 for Derricks-both who have passed away. They stayed lit from the time the ceremony started until we left that evening.)

(My amazing and HIGH purple heels-worn only about 1/2 of the time because they made my feet sweat and hurt!)

(Some of our centerpieces on the smaller tables-perfect for setting a small plate and drink down on. Isn't that view amazing?!)

*Whew!* Well, I hope you all have enjoyed a tiny glimpse into our wedding day-May 13, 2010. It was spectacular, to say the least.  I know you've seen like 20 of me and Der from that day, so I'll spare you those pictures  ; ]

Sending love to you always,

J