Wedding Preview and the Heretofore Unsavory Process of Changing My Name

 I'm married!  It's true.  And here are the two pictures my photographer's released so far!  (I can't wait for more!)

First impressions:

 The wedding was absolutely perfect.  It looked even better than I had envisioned and planned for.  I feel like my many hours and tears and frustrations and apologies for snapping paid off.  And, now it's all finished!  I'll have beautiful pictures to remember the day by, and I don't have to have the stress anymore!

The weather.  Oh my gosh, guys, the weather couldn't have been better.  Dead.  Serious.  We've had hot, muggy, wet, and cold weather all summer, but on Saturday there was a high of 82° (27.7° C) and, if I remember, just a gentle breeze for when it mattered.

So many people helped and took care of me and the wedding over the weekend!  Our venue was a historic train depot that had no staff, so I hired some homeschool kids to take care of things during the wedding+reception, and then friends, family, the wedding party, and Caleb and I decorated everything the day before and the morning of.  (I made all the bouquets, and I love them.)

I don't like being called Mrs. Sutton right now, unless it's by Caleb.  From others, I feel like 1) I'm old and 2) people are giving me a chance to adjust and transition.  This is odd, I know, and it's a little uncomfortable to talk about just because I know it could hurt Caleb's (or my in-law's?) feelings, but I haven't been the happiest about changing my last name.  I recognize that it's completely my choice, and I admit that I am making this choice to take my husband's last name to be a symbol of unity and commitment.  What taking his last name means is important to me, and it's even more important to Caleb, but it's still a difficult emotional process.  Therefore, I am going to be taking my time.  My Facebook name will remain the same for a while, then I'll be adding my new last name onto the end.  I'm not sure how the official part goes, but I want to keep both my middle and maiden name, so I'm going to lobby for four names, which I do think is kind of cool.

When I returned to work after the wedding, our office manager told me I needed a new name plate and business cards.  Friends have been calling me by my new last name to be sweet and congratulatory.  I hope that I will be excited about this one small change soon, but in the meantime, I am allowed to rest and move forward smoothly and gently.  No apologies, and no guilt.

I love my husband, and we are one.  In the end, names don't matter, but also in the end, we will have the same last name.