Viva Las Marriage! (pics inside)

[LizzieC]

Wow, what a weekend!

It was SO much fun... Wonderful food, wonderful drinks, wonderful entertainment, wonderful company and most importantly... the most wonderful person I know became my husband!

I''ve been dying to get online and post pics... but I went straight back to work this week and also am entertaining the in-laws... busy busy busy! Finally stole a few minutes, so here goes! These are some of my favorite non-pro pics... we have some very talented amateur photogs in the family!

First things first... my handsome now-hubby getting ready for the Big Day!

We didn''t want to see each other until the ceremony, so he was sequestered in his hotel room. Poor guy was so nervous he didn''t eat breakfast (which never ever happens)! Not me though... I was cool as a cucumber and had some yummy room service!

 

[LizzieC]

We were driven up to the ceremony site, which was 50 miles away from the Strip. I had my parents and 3 friends in the limo with me and during the drive my friends and I jammed to a mix CD of fun dancy music (i.e. Rihanna, Sean Paul, etc.) and "car danced" the whole way there...

It was much much fun!

As soon as my limo arrived the guests started making the trek up to Arch Rock. It was more of a hike than we expected!

 

[LizzieC]

This is me right after I hopped out of the limo!

 

[LizzieC]

My FI (at the time

) had hiked up at the front of the group, and I was lagging around in the limo waiting for him to get far enough away that we wouldn''t be right next to each other until we were both at the Arch Rock. When I finally came out, he said that the guests who were hiking up behind him started saying things like "there she is!" and so he was very conflicted deciding whether or not to look. But he did... and apparently that''s when he started getting very emotional... such a sweetie.

By the time I got up to the Arch, he was kind of a wreck! I knew that if he cried I was going to cry, and so I tried to diffuse the situation just a little bit by being silly and making him do our secret handshake! At first he didn''t know what I was doing, but after he caught on, I did manage to make him laugh a bit. I''m so glad someone caught a pic of it... I think it''s my favorite.

 

[LizzieC]

I don''t know what exactly was going on here... I was just very excited!

 

[LizzieC]

Here''s a bigger view of how we looked on the rocks. In this pic I think we look like cake toppers!

The Best Man and my MOH looked fantastic!

 

[LizzieC]

A slightly closer view

 

[LizzieC]

Here I am still looking giddy, with FI still looking very emotional!

 

[sunkist]

Lizzie you look beautiful, and so does your husband! Congratulations on being hitched

These pics are wonderful, did you say a friend took them? Are they professional? Great job.

 

[diamondfan]

Lizzie, how adorable! He is a cutie pie and you look sooo happy it is great. The joy on your faces is amazing. What a great spot. How did you chose it? Congrats and blessings for a long and happy life!!!

 

[ocbride2007]

Ooooh, so gorgeous!!! Please post more of the color ones, the red on the rocks makes such a lovely backdrop!! How did your "hiking" shoes work out??

 

[LizzieC]

Thanks so much Sunkist and Diamondfan!

I still have a few more to post... but I''m having trouble getting them to work right now.

Sunkist- these pics are from my sister and my sister in law. Most of the B/W ones are from the SIL. Neither are professional, though SIL does have a fancy camera. It''ll be a couple of weeks before I''ll see the professional ones! Can''t wait!

Diamondfan- we were just looking for an outdoor venue in the Las Vegas area, and happened upon a website of a wedding service that arranges weddings at the Valley of Fire. It was so much more beautiful than I thought it would be! Now hubby and I have a special place to go back to forever!

 

[LizzieC]

 

[sunkist]

Ya! I''m wondering how your fancy hiking shoes worked out as well

 

[flopkins]

what great pictures - is that the red rock place?! what an awesome backdrop...

 

[LizzieC]

Good... it''s working again!

 

[LizzieC]

Here''s FI putting on my fancy wedding band!

 

[flutterby]

WOW! You look so great! SUch great pictures. Tell me more about everythng. How was Steve? How was Canalettos? Did I mention you both look so happy? COngrats!

 

[LizzieC]

Here''s me realizing that FI''s fancy wedding band is supposed to go on his left hand... after I first tried to put it on his right hand! He and the Minister were like "the ''other'' left"!

 

[LizzieC]

I''d been tearing up throughout the ceremony, but after the rings, it really got to me.

 

[LizzieC]

Prepping for the big kiss!

 

[qtiekiki]

Wow, it''s beautiful. Congratulations.

 

[LizzieC]

A nice little glimpse of my rings!

 

[LizzieC]

Yay!

 

[LizzieC]

Here''s one for you msflutter! There''s Steve (the offical photog)... I''ll post more about the non-ceremony stuff sometime soon, I hope... but suffice it to say that Steve is WONDERFUL! Just the coolest most fun guy you''ll ever meet.

 

[LizzieC]

Here''s one of DH (yay! my first time using that) and me wiping our runny noses! Such grace!

 

[LizzieC]

I still don''t know what DH was looking at!

 

[LizzieC]

Us laughing at something

 

[Mara]

Lizzie congratulations!! The pictures look fabulous, you look so pretty!! I LOVE the red rock and you guys against it as contrast, so cool...please fill us in on everything when you have a chance!

 

[LizzieC]

We took some pics with Steve up at the top... then we had to hike down the rocks back to the limos, which proved to be a lot scarier than the hike up! Luckily I had the help of my big strong man, and more importantly, I had my TRACTION shoes on! (

to ocbride and sunkist... thanks for asking

). They were a big hit! Even the Minister commented on them. I can''t imagine walking down those rocks in normal heels. Most of the female guests who had real heels on took them off for the walk down!