It seems like the wedding was ages ago, but it is Valentine's Day after all, so maybe pretty good timing to post some photos from the actual wedding.
We had a relaxing morning with friends - Herr J caught up with a friend over some more barbecue and I joined the Dallas crew for a good southern breakfast before heading off to the salon. This time with a request for less hairspray and hopefully no repeat of the prior night's massive tangles.
(All further pictures by the talented Marni Rothschild)
Getting ready in the church library, with all the challenges of laces and bows to tie!
It was so much fun to see the final product of everything we'd selected. We did it all over the course of a few days in May, so we weren't quite sure if everything would turn out as we had in mind. But everything was perfect, including the bouquets with hops and edelweiss and other green and white flowers. 
And of course hops boutonnieres for the men. Herr J and I so enjoyed our trip to the Hallertau Hopfenland that we wanted to include some hops in our wedding flowers. It was a good thing we had a September wedding, as our amazing florist, Sara, was able to find them in season from somewhere in the US. Interestingly, the US (Oregon or Washington) hops have much larger flowers than the Hallertau hops. Not sure if it was just the different variety, or if decorative hops typically are larger than beer hops.
And there's an edelweiss flower thrown in there for some good Alpine measure. They were available, so why not?
We hurried to take some family and bridal party pictures before I had to be sequestered away from Herr J's sight. My mother was on lookout duty, trying to spot the groom's car. 
Yet another thing we guessed on and worked perfectly was Herr J's tie. I had in mind that it was the right color, but couldn't really compare the two when we bought his tie. And I couldn't explain to him why I thought pale blue and white were good colors without telling him how my dress looked. 
relaxing, and waiting.....
...and finally it's time to head to the sanctuary. My maid of honor is trying to deal with the huge train. 
Getting my game face on!
What I found out later was that while my father and I were waiting to be told it was OK to enter, Herr J and his brother were waiting at the altar, wondering if everything was going OK. I guess we came in a verse late on the processional. Oops! Sorry for the added stress, Herr J, but I hope you knew I wouldn't miss it!
While Herr J and I were pretty happy that day, I'm not sure anyone was more happy than my parents!
And the first husbandly duty is to carry that heavy train!
Two of my gorgeous bridesmaids!
And the new in-laws.
The wedding party
I love my bouquet! The funny thing is that we attended a wedding the following weekend in Germany. They had edelweiss in their flowers too - it was only because of seeing them in my own bouquet that I could answer everyone's question of "What are those alien-looking furry flowers?" I guess I'd only seen drawings of edelweiss, not the real thing. I knew the shape, but thought they were smaller and definitely not furry!
After the ceremony, we headed back into Charleston to get ready for the reception. We took a few photos around the historic district. 
And a Bavaria-meets-Charleston one
Then we headed back to the hotel for a quick change before the reception. More fun, more Bavaria to follow!
Until then, wishing everyone a happy Valentine's Day!
- Herr J and Frau A
