My "Pinterest-free" wedding

Today I'm sharing a few details from my "Pinterest-free" wedding over on Jax's blog as she prepares for her own big day this Saturday!!! Yay! You can check it out over here!

4 years as a WIFE!

Today Drew and I have been married for 4 years. Holy cow people. So today my post is dedicated to my sweet husband.

Dear Drew,
I really can't believe that I've been your WIFE for 4 years now. In the 4 years we have been married I have grown to love you even more than my little heart ever thought possible. You know me and love me despite my many flaws and I can never thank you enough for that.

I love being your co-captain in all our adventures. Whether it's hiking in the Rocky Mountains or playing Mario Party on the couch with a frozen pizza, everything is an adventure with you. I know we have so many more amazing adventures to come!

I love the traditions we have made in our 4 years together. Chipotle Mondays, Tacky Sweater Parties, Derby Parties, Christmas mornings and birthday pancakes are a few of my favorites.

I love doing projects with you. You are always so patient with me and always willing to undertake one of my crazy pinterest projects or house renovations. I love making our house a home together.

Whenever I'm a grumpster, you know how to turn my day around. Whenever I'm discouraged, you find a way to uplift me. Whenever I'm ready for an adventure, you jump on board!  I love our little family so much and I promise to never take for granted that I have the honor of being your wife forever and always. Thanks for making me the happiest girl in the world. I love you!

Love, Your Allie Girl

I posted this video last year, but I love it and will probably post it every year. A sneak peak at our wedding day 4 years ago...best day of my life!
Allison and Drew's Wedding Day from Jeff Hill Video on Vimeo.

3 years!

3 years ago today I made the best decision of my life...to marry Drew Renner. I can't imagine my life without him. He makes me so incredibly happy. I am completely myself around him and he makes me want to be a better person. He makes me laugh, he is constantly surprising me with his handiness and thoughtfulness and he is a dreamer, which is inspiring. He loves animals about as much as I do and he loves to help others. He is a "looker" yet he is so humble. He takes care of himself, is disciplined and is very stylish. When I am sad he can turn my blues around in an instant with a look, a joke or a silly voice. We make a great team and I know God made this man just for me. I am forever thankful and honored to be his wife. Thank you for an amazing 3 years hunny...you make marriage easy!

And here's a little video sneak peak of our special day...
Allison and Drew's Wedding Day from Jeff Hill Video on Vimeo.

For even more of our wedding details you can check out our Wedding ABC's.

Our Wedding ABC Style

2 years ago today I married my best friend. I thank God everyday for bringing us together. He is my sunshine. Here is a recap of our wedding day ABC style. Enjoy!

Attendance: We had about 185 guests at our wedding. What an amazing feeling it was to have all of our friends and family from various stages of our lives there with us to celebrate!

Our DJ called everyone out on the dance floor for a group photo and then while everyone was on the dance floor the music began and the party got hoppin!

Bridesmaids: I had 8 fabulous bridesmaids. My sister was my Maid of Honor and I had my 3 sister in laws, 2 friends I had had since childhood and 2 college friends.

Catering: I barely got to eat anything, but I heard the food was great. We used Jack's catering and instead of traditional food we went for kabobs on the grill. It was perfect. Our cake was from Patricia's. MMMmmm.

Dress: I was (and still am) absolutely obsessed with my dress!

Engagement: Read about it here.
Flowers: I love daisies so the bridesmaid had colored daisies. I wanted my bouquet to be simple and elegant so I stuck with white flowers in my arrangement.

Groomsmen: What a great group of guys! My brother, cousin and brother in law are among those strapping, studly men.

Honeymoon: My husband is such a kid at heart and he had never in his life been to Disney World. When we were discussing honeymoon destinations I knew we had to go there! We spent a week near Sarasota as beach bums and then we headed to Disney for a week. It was amazing!

Invitations: I bought my invitations at Target and a friend helped me with the printing and design. I also had a family friend who did the calligraphy.
Justice of the Peace: Our pastor who had baptized both myself and that hubby of mine did our ceremony.

Keepsakes:We had a candy bar for our guests to divulge themselves in, which was a huge hit.

At each guest's seat was also a flowerpot filled with moss with a tag saying "Thanks for watching our love grow."
Ladies Night: Since everyone in our bridal party knew each other and were friends we decided instead of separate bachelor and bachelorette parties, that we would do a bridal party bash. I would not change it for the world. It is one of our most memorable nights with friends.

Music: I loved picking out meaningful music for my ceremony and reception. My friend's dad who is also our worship pastor sang "Glory in the Highest" by Chris Tomlin while we took communion, my bridesmaids walked down the aisle to "Anne's Song" from Anne of Green Gables, which was perfect because that movie has such a special place in my heart. Our first dance was to "Love Never Fails" by Brandon Heath.

 Newly Weds: I know we've been married two years now, but I still feel like a newly wed. My grandma said in her wedding advice to us to "always act like newly weds!"

Old, New, Borrowed, Blue:Old-my wedding band belonged to Drew's great, great grandmother from Germany!  New-my dress, shoes, jewelry...Borrowed- my grandma's bracelet Blue-my VS Bride panties had blue writing and a blue trim

 Photography: Since my dad is a wedding videographer with connections we had several photographers at our wedding who managed to cover any and every aspect. I was so happy with my pictures!

Question Popping: Isn't this the same as Engagement? Hm. Read about it again here.
Reception: Our reception was held at a lodge inside a park. We wanted our guests to be able to enjoy the outside patio and gazebo and the amenities inside has to offer on a summer evening.

Shoes: simple, adorable, so comfortable. I danced in them all night.

Trash the Dress: While I find this idea entertaining I just don't think I could do it! If I did I would want to jump off a dock into the ocean with my dress on!
Unique: When we exited the church all the guests threw lavender...it was beautiful and smelled amazing.

We also saw each other before the wedding. GASP. We wanted to have a special moment together alone and it was so special. We had a private rendezvous in the woods. Then we had all our pictures finished before the wedding and were able to head straight to the reception!

Vows: We said the traditional vows and I cried...this was such a special part of the day for me.
Wedding Woes: I wouldn't change a thing. I only wish Pinterest had been around when I was wedding planning and looking for ideas!!!!
X-rated: This is about as x-rated as you are going to get. I crack up every time I look at these pictures from our bridal party bash.

Young kids: We had Drew's cousin's adorable little girls as our flower girls! We got married the year after my 1st year teaching so I invited my kindergarten students to my wedding ceremony. A few had to leave before the picture, but I love this picture and have it framed in my classroom

ZZzzzzz:We stayed at the Embassy Suites near our house that night and were exhausted after such an amazing day. We headed to Sarasota the next day and talked about our wedding the entire drive there and back. We couldn't have imagined a better ending to our fairy tale wedding.