The Reception

There were two parts to our reception that I believe made our guests feel loved and helped them to experience our love. The first was through a speech that Matt made. We were very concerned in the weeks leading up to the wedding about our guests drinking and driving. The worst possible ending to a wonderful Christian wedding would be for us to come home from the honeymoon and find out that someone had gotten in an accident. We talked with the reception facility and they assured us that if they saw that anybody was getting out of control that they would cut them off. But, this didn't quite satisfy us. Together, Matt and I made the decision that Matt would lovingly ask our guests to be responsible. Matt did this very tastefully, and though I am sure some people did not listen to him, I do think it let them know how much we cared about them and I also believe that the majority of our guests were responsible that night by assigning a designated driver.

The second thing we did was to have a slide show of Matt and I growing up. It began with each of us individually as babies and then worked its way up to college. At the end, there were pictures of us together. In order to make it interesting for everyone, I did my best to find at least one picture of me with all of the people that my family had invited (everyone likes to see pictures of themselves) - Aunt Dolores and me, Miles and me, my grandfather (who has passed away) and me, etc. In this way, everyone was included. Plus, they got to see pictures of Matt and I that they most likely had not already seen, doing things they most likely did not know we had done. There were pictures of us doing dishes, bowling, and at Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving, at the Rose Bowl, taking hikes in the Kettle Moraine, and so much more. It was really very sentimental and again, there were a number of teary eyes.

Today

Well, I am not sure how many people remember our wedding to this day, but for the months following it, we heard from all sorts of people who said that our wedding was one of the best that they had ever been to. We even got a letter from one of Matt's college friends saying how much he looked up to us and our relationship and how he hoped to find that someday. This brought Matt and I a lot of joy in return, as it was a wonderful compliment.

Remember though, your wedding will be a blessed event because of the love and faith you share. Don't go crazy trying to get everything perfect - sometimes the best parts are the unplanned ones. We had no idea that our guests would get so into the "Passing of the Peace" and what a joy that turned out to be! Most importantly, if you have a good time, your guests will have a good time. Try to relax and savor every moment. When you say your vows, look into your soon-to-be-spouse's eyes, block everyone else out, and really mean every word you say. If you do these simple things, I guarantee your wedding will be a blessed event!

Kelly Kons
Our Wedding Website

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."