Rehearsal + Dinner

Alright, about time I get to blogging about the wedding! I can't believe we have been married for over one month already! The month of June FLEW by.

The Rehearsal ended up meaning a lot more to me than I thought it would. At the time it was just another scheduled thing to get out of the way before the wedding. It ended up being so much more than that. For those of you who know me, you know it takes a lot to make me cry. I'm not a public crier by any means. I'm not a happy crier either. I had no intentions to cry on the wedding day.

You want to know what happened during the Rehearsal? I end up crying. Haha. The atmosphere felt so intimate and the room felt like it was bursting with love.

Beautiful stained glass windows throughout the church (photo credit: Themba Imagery)

Amazing lighting! (photo credit: Themba Imagery)

For those of you who don't know, I walked down the isle to the song, "Home" by Dave Barnes. Once I heard his voice on the overhead speakers in the church, I almost lost it. Butterflies started swarming in my stomach and I had to hold back the tears. I had imagined that very moment for over a year and it was about to REALLY happen in mere seconds. The song lyrics remind me of the strong relationship Jeremy and I have.

This shows my nerves. (photo credit: Themba Imagery)

This shows my happiness and excitement. (photo credit: Themba Imagery)

Many of you don't know about my Dad. It was a real blessing for him to escort me down the isle. Long story short, he has had not one, but TWO failed back surgeries, leaving him unable to walk, sit, or stand for very long. He is most comfortable laying down. The fact that he was even there to witness my wedding day means THE WORLD to me and I was so glad he was willing to give it a try. I was originally going to walk down myself and have him meet me. In the end, it felt right to have my Dad walking me down the isle to Jeremy, the man I would spend the rest of my life with.

Special moment. (photo credit: Themba Imagery)

We had two attempts at walking down the isle. The first round was a little messy. Normally the bridesmaids walk into a different song than the bride but I was using one song for everyone. I had it all worked out in my head, but no one really knew the details of when to walk and where to stand.  It was all about timing and how to walk SLOWLY so that we weren't just standing there listening to the track finish. The second round was where everyone lost it. That's when my dad did a trial run of walking me down the isle. I mistakenly looked at my sister and two best friends who were crying which in turn made ME cry. Geeeeeeeez!

Once we were done with the practice runs, our pastor, Jeff Gardner, pulled my Mom, Dad, and I aside to talk to us. Guess what. I lose it and the tears start rolling AGAIN! Jeff has pretty much seen me grow up. My family started going to his church while I was in middle school. We know each other pretty well since I spent a lot of time with his family over the summers watching their kids. Although there was an 8 year gap of no contact, I knew Jeff was the one to marry us. It felt like no time had passed when we were reunited. In that moment that made me cry, Jeff explained to us how important it was that he was there to marry Jeremy and I.

After the Rehearsal, it was off to Jeremy's parents house for the Rehearsal Dinner/Cookout. Jessie and Millard (Jeremy's parents) were gracious enough to open up their home and cook for us! To be honest, I was expecting to go in and it just be the normal Singleton home that I am used to. I was totally wrong and SURPRISED. Jessie and Millard went above and BEYOND. They transformed their home into an Asha/Jeremy fest. The room was filled with black and yellow decor. Newspaper clippings of App football headlines, pictures of us, and awards Jeremy had gotten throughout his life were hanging on the walls. It was amazing. I was blown away and felt so loved by everyone in the room. Such an amazing feeling.

The walls of the room. And this was only one side!

Not only were the decorations great, the food was AHHHHHHMAZING too. Good ol' southern cooking! Fried chicken, mac n' cheese, green beans (one of my favorite things Jessie cooks), potato salad, and a TON more were offered. Oh and did I mention the Grooms cake?! Coolest cake EVER!!! Jeremy didn't even cut it for 2 weeks. It was just too perfect to mess up. It was tasty though!

Grooms cake! (photo credit: Themba Imagery)

Grooms Cake! (photo credit: Themba Imagery)

Grooms Cake!

Speeches were given my Jessie, my Mom, and my BFF Greg (he and his wife couldn't make it to the wedding so they came to the Rehearsal/Dinner). I wish we would have recorded what they all said! I want to replay it over and over and over again. They spoke kind words of inspiration, hope, and love.

Mama S! (photo credit: Themba Imagery)

Mama L! (photo credit: Themba Imagery)

Greg! (photo credit: Themba Imagery)

The Bride and Maid of Honor, Nickie (photo credit: Themba Imagery)

The Groom and Best Man, Reuben (photo credit: Themba Imagery)

As a thank you to everyone, Jeremy and I put together a little video thanking them for making us who we are today. They seemed to enjoy it and we hope you do too! Take a look at the video below!

There you have it! Sorry this was such a long post. I really hope you were able to read it all because it means SO much to me. We thankfully had a day in between the Rehearsal and the Wedding. I don't know how most couples do the wedding the next day because I was EXHAUSTED afterward! Thank goodness for the run-through. I was able to get all my crying and nerves out. It was almost just as good as the wedding! ALMOST. 


For more photos of the Rehearsal, please visit http://thembaimagery.zenfolio.com/ashajeremy