I really can't believe it. A month and two days ago Raz and I got hitched. In front of 160 of our favorite people. In my favorite place in the world. Chelan.
And you see? My dad was there too.
 |
| He's that beam of light in case you missed it |
In spite of all the stress, the eye twitches, the linen choices, the Carolzillas (side note: somewhere along the way, she decided the term "Carolzilla" "didn't protect her heart" so she renamed herself "Carolvilla" and hair flipped every time she said it), everything came together. Would I do it differently if I knew what I know now? Absolutely. Was it perfect in spite of it all? Definitely. Big ups to my mom and aunt for making it happen.
 |
| I realize this is grainy and low res. It was taken from our photog's instagram account. I, like you, can't wait for more. |
Didn't my dress by Des Hartsock turn out incredibly? #KilledIt. More to come from Andria Lindquist.
 |
| Extra points if you can spot the tiny gold anchor upon first look. |
It took a while to load the car from Grandma and Papa's, so my mom and I were a few minutes late to getting our nails done with my bridal party. I had screen shot a design similar to what I wanted and when I walked in to the salon my bridesmaid Lindsey was already getting it! I knew I picked my people for a reason. One fewer decision I had to make. "I'll take that one," I said, pointing to Lindsey's mani, "but let's add a gold anchor on the ring finger." Born a DG. Die a DG.
There are a lot more details of the day I'll share once I have professional photos, but this pretty much sums up the reception.
 |
| The guy flexing in the middle? That's Jared. He had just had a champagne bottle removed from his fists. Raz is on the ground with his best man. Yes, I do know what I've gotten myself into. |
We have barely any photos from friends and family. We asked and have gotten the impression they were *obviously* having way too much fun to pick up their phones or cameras. At least, that's what I'm telling myself. But I made sure we had plenty of booze, some lawn games and a great playlist, so I know it was at least okay.
At minimum, our day - the day Raz and I painstakingly put together over twelve months - was incredibly powerful for us. The ceremony was as perfect as I ever imagined. Our preacher wore cowboy boots under his robe and wrote a unique sermon especially for us. I abused Charlotte's Fritish (French + British = Fritish. I really want to make Fritish happen) accent by having her read a letter I wrote to my dad. If you'd like me to, I'll share it with you.
It was a glittery, gold whirlwind of a day and I'm glad it happened.
Because two days later, we flew to Tahiti. Neither of us had taken a day of vacation in a year. It was necessary.
 |
| The Popas celebrating the 4th of July in Moorea. On the deck of our bungalow, nbd. Positively gleeful. |
 |
| Because you can never have too much America (or rose) in French Polynesia, amirite? |
We spent much of our honeymoon lazing, chatting, reading, drinking, floating, adventuring. We went off-roading and I drove our yellow dune buggy up a mountain. No joke. It was beyond.
 |
| Notice the new camera strap? Raz got me a fancy camera as my wedding gift and we went nuts with it. |
And I fell even more in love with this incredible man who chose me to be his forever. I'm not saying we didn't have a highly dysfunctional kayak session around our resort or that I didn't get eaten alive by mosquitoes, but what I am saying is that from the moment I met him I was immediately comfortable with him. I always wanted more. When he put his hand on the small of my back and led me into a room full of his friends, I knew he'd always protect me and take care of me in a way no one else could. I knew he'd yell at me for scratching my bites and also spray me down with bug repellent. Because that's what people who love each other do.
 |
| My h-h-h...bro. |
We bickered on our kayak in our dorky little orange life jackets. I squealed my balls off with a bunch of stingrays in the Pacific Ocean. We walked our sweaty butts to the grocery store to buy Tahitian Cheetos and baguettes. We had a Popa party for two on our bungalow balcony every day.
And I felt an overwhelming sense of calm. Not because we finally got rid of our nightmare wedding planner. Not because Carolvilla jetted off to Canada without Internet or cell service. Not because we had just been surrounded by more love and support than we'll probably ever have in one place again. But because of that infinite loop around our fingers and the vows we took binding us together. And more than that. Something bigger I can really only feel and can't explain.
Whether he forces me to watch sports or I force him to watch Bravo, we have achieved a new level of oneness (not including sharing my ice cream) the Spice Girls obviously know a lot about. There's no other way to describe it aside from saying it's a real trip. One worth taking.
Just don't ask me to say "husband." Still getting used to that one.