I'm a married lady! :)

I'm sure every bride, after months of planning and worrying, thinks that their wedding is the perfect day. But truly, (and I am aware I am biased) I know that ours really was. My goal was to be very laid back and to enjoy the day as much as I could. We have a FANTASTIC and IRREPLACEABLE group of friends that helped make every detail amazing and unforgettable. 

Setting the Scene: I wore a short, lace capped sleeved dress with a large keyhole back, my hair curled loose and swept to the side, with BLUE floral print heels and a birdcage veil. The groom, my HUSBAND, gosh... was looking great in a gray suit, with a blue bow tie, a koi fish belt buckle and his fancy gray and blue shoes. The groomsmen, in the same gray suits, customized their garb with a fun bow tie and gray shoe of their choice, lending to a mismatched look which complemented the ladies. The girls were in mismatched floral sundresses in shades of pastels. 

The Venue: A historic site, with a large, open banquet hall featuring tall timber ceilings, beautiful chandeliers and brick floors. Weller's offers riverside ceremonies with ten acres of beautifully manicured grounds. The dancing took place in a gazebo outside the reception hall, and provided a casual end to the perfect evening. 

Read below for a transcript of the ceremony: 

OPENING 
Dear friends and family, we are gathered here today to witness and celebrate the union of Kevin Michael Keeler and Colleen Renee Neuman in marriage. In the years they have been together, their love and understanding of each other has grown and matured, and now they have decided to live their lives together as husband and wife. It is fitting and appropriate that you, the family and friends be here to witness and to participate in their union. On behalf of the Bride and Groom, I thank you all for coming.

READING
True marriage is more than joining the bonds of two persons; it is the union of two hearts. It lives on the love you give each other and never grows old, but thrives on the joy of each new day. Marriage is love. And to truly understand and appreciate the love we have come here today to celebrate I shall paint a word picture; and present a history of this lovely couple in lieu of a reading.

STORY 
Our story begins back in the early 90s. At a time when Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers was what we all wanted to be, when the Simpsons were still relevant, and funny. Stone washed jeans were all the rage. Fulton Elementary School welcomed Kevin and Colleen into the first grade and into the same class. Boy meets girl.

 Shrouded the in memories from Mrs Ziegler’s class, there is one in particular that stands out. No, it’s not of Kevin’s amazing ponytail, which mind you, landed him the role of Johnny Appleseed in a school play. Rather, Kevin drew a picture of ‘friends’ that included Mrs Ziegler herself, another classmate, and Colleen. Though somewhat meaningful now, I am sure Colleen could testify that it lacked any ability that she did then possess or does now. The important thing is that their relationship started as friendship.

Because before either of them knew was love was, they at least really really liked each other. Colleen was present at all of Kevin’s elementary school parties as the only girl. Kind of a big deal. When she arrived to one of these parties in a skirt and it had a moonbounce, she borrowed Kevin’s Chicago Bulls sweatpants. Which would be the first instance of what now is habit.

Their friendship continued every school year as they were placed in every single class together from first to eighth grade. It was like there was something more, some outside force, pushing them together and up to this point they didn’t even realize it.

Eventually, as they continued into middle and high school, the dating began. The two barely ever spent a day apart. Boy and girl found love. Even after high school graduation they wanted to be together. Although they went to different colleges, they lived together in Maumee, at about the halfway point. When money became scarce, they moved in with Gary. When Kevin landed a job in Ann Arbor, Colleen supported moving to the sprawling city of grandeur we know as Milan. No matter what the situation these two have always managed to remain together.

From their time together, they have known friendship, high school romance, love in crappy apartments with ramen noodle dinners, understanding while working two or three jobs each to stay above water while in school, and today, marriage. This moment could not have come without laying the foundation of friendship and the number of experiences in their decade of being together and two decades of knowing each other. So on their wedding day, They don’t just get to spend the rest of their lives with what will be man and wife, but they will get to spend it with a friend. A couple of friends that have really really liked each other since the first grade.

And now that we have all come to fully appreciate and understand what we are really getting into, what we are really here to celebrate today, I will move the ceremony forward into the vows.

VOWS
Do you Colleen Renee Neuman, accept Kevin Michael Keeler as your lifemate and one true love, promising to share in all that life offers and suffers, to be there for him in times of need, to soothe him in times of pain, and to support him in all endeavors, big and small.
COL: “I do”
Colleen has prepared vows of her own:
COL: “Kevin, I take you to be my best friend, my faithful partner, and my one true love. I promise to encourage you, and inspire you and to love you truly through good times and bad. I will forever be there to laugh with you, to lift you up when you are down (figuratively of course) and to love you unconditionally though all of our adventures in life together.”

Do you Kevin Michael Keeler, accept Colleen Renee Neuman as your lifemate and one true love, promising to share in all that life offers and suffers, to be there for her in times of need, to soothe her in times of pain, and to support her in all endeavors, big and small.
Kevin “I do”
Kevin has also prepared vows of his own: (takes a two page stapled paper out of his pocket, and flips to the second page... )
KEV: “I promise to love you, forever.”

And now please bring the rings forward for the exchange of rings.

EXCHANGE OF RINGS
As you present each other with the rings please repeat, “I give you this ring as a symbol of my love for you. Let it be a reminder that I am always by your side and that I will always be a faithful partner to you.”

Wedding rings are made precious by our wearing them, not by the metals that comprise them. Your rings say that even in your uniqueness you have chosen to be bound together. Let these rings also be a sign that love has substance as well as soul, a present as well as a past, and that, despite its occasional sorrows, love is a circle of happiness, wonder, and delight. May these rings remind you always of the vows you have taken here today.

Kevin, it will remind Colleen that she loves that you are not the same person, and that you will always complement each other. They say girls love "bad boys" but that was never the case for her. Kevin, you are an amazing, kind and GOOD guy. You are a great friend, a loving son, and most importantly, an honest and caring partner. She loves that you truly knows her. She loves that you know how to make her laugh, and which parts of movies will make her cry. She loves that you make her talk about things that are hard, and that you are supportive of her dreams. Lastly, she cannot wait to see your wrinkles around those pretty blue eyes.

Colleen it will remind Kevin at the heart of your differences (your heights, your right-brainedness and his left-brainedness, your love of warm-blooded furry dogs, and his of coldblooded slimy scaly fish, his interest of actual critically acclaimed films and yours of rom-coms and twilight, your love of art and his of science), that you still do love each other, but you also really really like each other and your differences.

PRESENTATION
Lastly, I will need each of you to take out your cell phones or mobile devices. [update Facebook status to married] because A marriage just ain’t a marriage until it’s Facebook official.


And now, by the power vested in me, in conjunction with social media, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife. Kevin, you may kiss your bride.


Ladies and Gentlemen, Family and Friends; I present to you for the first time as Husband and Wife: Mr and Mrs Kevin Keeler !!!!!!

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Held at Weller's Carriage House and Historic Grounds in Saline, MI
Hair by Cella-Mar Studio of Hair Design in Dundee, MI
Flowers by Wilma Jackson, grandmother of the bride
Cheesecakes by Bride, Mother of Bride, Sister of Bride and Bridget Salvia, of Whisk Me Away
Cake by Bridget Salvia of Whisk Me Away
Wedding Photography by Dallas Love Photography

If you would like to sign up for an email alert from Dallas Love Photography when the images are ready to view, you can do so here. If you want to see what we and our guests captured on Instagram and Facebook, search the hashtag #kckeelerwedding :) 

The blog post is up, with many beautiful images: see them here.