2.22.22

Surfside Beach, Texas

Photographer: Adrienne Neiman // Hair + Makeup: Kensey Nall // Floral: Kensey Nall // Tan: Luminance by Laini

Holy guacamole, ya’ll! Let me just say that I was a little worried we weren’t gonna pull this off. Ok, a lot worried. My concern grew with every moment we got closer to the wedding. 

Of course, two weeks before the wedding, we lost Truett’s dad. There’s a big empty space where he used to be and we miss him terribly. 

Then, we all ended up with the flu. And, no, not like the man flu, the actual flu. Truett’s fever got up to 105F and medications weren’t touching it. Finally, after cool wet towels and the AC blasting, we got it to break. Then Garrott got it, and I lucked out and only had a day of not feeling well. 

The day before we left, we had the car packed FULL and had to run a couple of last-minute errands. As we were driving home, we pulled up to a stoplight where an accident had just happened. As an RN, if I’m the first to see an accident and first responders haven’t arrived yet, I have a responsibility to render aid. If it’s a fender bender, I’m probably going to go about my day, but if I see something that looks severe, I’m probably going to stop and help as long as it’s safe for me to do so. So, I slowly roll past this accident and see a woman whose eyes are closed and a little girl, so I’m thinking they need help right away. This is where it gets a little ridiculous… I pull into the next parking lot, grab my med back and run across a busy intersection. You may be picturing a heroic sprint across six lanes of traffic, but that was far from what actually happened. I didn’t put a bra on that day because I was busy packing the car and had to spray tan later, and I hate bras. I was dressed in a t-shirt, sweat pants, socks, and clogs. No makeup, no bra, hair a hot mess. So, I’m trying to run across this enormous intersection while also trying to keep the girls tame and keep my clogs on my feet. It was a sight for sore eyes, lemme tell ya. Anyway, I finally finish my crosswalk of shame and get to the accident. Thankfully, everyone was okay and the first responders arrived within a couple of minutes. Ok, cool, you saw an accident and were awkwardly the first on scene. And? Oh, it gets worse. 

The next morning, everything went perfectly. Everyone was on time and we left five minutes before we were supposed to. We made it halfway and stopped for lunch. The second half of the trip was eventful, to say the least. About 45 minutes in, we saw smoke. Like, a lot of smoke. And then we saw flames, these massive flames, just about a quarter-mile from the highway. People were stopped on the side of the road because there was zero visibility through the thick smoke billowing over the road. The wind was also blowing at like 40mph that day. I took one look at that fire and said “Nope!” and rolled through the smoke. We made it to the other side, but I have no idea if they were able to stop that fire. 

Another hour goes by and we’re passing through a city. We approach a stoplight and all of a sudden, BAM! A huge collision in the middle of the intersection. The car that was hit spun around twice and ended up on the curb. The truck that hit the car was smashed to pieces. All of the airbags deployed. And I was, again, the first on scene. At least I had a bra on this time. I called 911 and rushed over to the accident. Some had moderate injuries, but everyone was okay. First responders arrived and I got back in my car. As I’m pulling away, my neighbor, who was watching our dogs, calls me. I can hear Tellulah in the background barking her dang head off. She wouldn’t go near my neighbor and wouldn’t go outside. Eventually, she was able to get her out with a trail of cheese and I called a friend to take over. 

Finally, nine hours later, we arrived at the beach house. Everyone got there safely, thank goodness. 

Our sweet photographer, Adrienne, helped my mom make dinner for everyone. We ate and drank and enjoyed the night. We played the game Incoherent (if you haven’t played it, you should). Garrott and his sister, Jenna, are freakishly good at it. I did my press-on nails because I have sworn off acrylic and shellac nails. As we were trying to decide which set of nails to go with, Garrott’s mom said “Either way, he’s going to love you a lot… probably.” PROBABLY! So, it became the motto for the wedding and we decided we need to get “probably” as matching tattoos.

The next day was almost perfect. We didn’t have any food because the scheduled grocery run didn’t happen on time, but my long-time bestie took one for the team and got all of the groceries we needed that morning. My mom cooked breakfast burritos and I was walking around with Truett’s sleeping bag over my head so Garrott wouldn’t see me in the Airbnb twelve of us were staying in. 

My other bestie supported me all morning by bringing me food and mimosas. The weather was touch-and-go and we were nervous about rain and wind. We also didn’t really have a plan for where this was all going to happen. We ended up moving the time up half an hour and I’m glad we did. My friends shielded me from Garrott so I could assess the situation for where to have the ceremony. Adrienne and my mom ended up coordinating all of it and it couldn’t have been more perfect. 

I read a letter to my late daddy with my mom and brother while my brother held his ashes. I read a letter to my mom. My bestie put my veil on and gave me a big hug. My other bestie and I did a first look since she hadn’t seen the dress yet. My stepdad walked me down the walkway of the beach house and then down the sandy beach. Garrott reacted in the sweetest way possible – he started cheering and clapping when he saw me. It was the cutest thing I think I’ve ever seen. My veil collected A LOT of sand and I thought it was gonna come off, but it hung in there, thanks to a lot of hairspray and some teasing. My curls didn’t make it, though. Of course, I was crying right away. I think my stepdad cried too, although he’ll never admit it. Garrott’s vows were exponentially better than mine. He really knocked it out of the park. My mom officiated us and did an absolutely beautiful job. Garrott’s brother, Jacob, played his guitar and sang for us. Just as we began our vows, the sun peeked through the clouds and came right down on us. We did a sand ceremony with Truett and exchanged rings. It was absolutely perfect. 

We played in the sand and water for a bit after the ceremony and then went back up to the house. I changed dresses (so glad I did because sand was EVERYWHERE). I told Garrott to come in to see the other one. He walked in and said, “Oh, that’s cool”. His excitement for things kills me. We spent a few minutes together and then Adrienne announced us to the room. We ate Dominos pizza and the homemade red velvet cake my mom and sister-in-law baked. And, yes, of course, we fed each other a slice of pizza. Our friends and family gave some amazing toats and we had our first dance. We celebrated with champagne and sparklers out on the balcony. Poor Truett got showered in champagne, and then accidentally got hit in the noggin with a bottle (by me, Mom of the Year). So, he now knows how to party. Poor dude. We danced, ate, drank, and enjoyed everyone’s company. 

Here’s the gallery so far! We can’t wait for the rest. Adrienne is a total badass and amazing sport to put up with all our calamity.