Meet the Shaneyfelts

marriage

Our Rehearsal Dinner

(I’m going to be doing a few recap posts on the wedding so that I can go back and read years from now!)


Our rehearsal dinner was special in two ways–not only were we celebrating our upcoming wedding, but we also celebrated Dustin’s 29th birthday!  He so graciously allowed me to plan our wedding date for the day after his birthday, so our rehearsal dinner doubled as a birthday celebration.

Earlier that day, I spent the morning with my bridesmaids relaxing by the pool for my bridesmaid luncheon.  It was heavenly!  The weather was absolutely gorgeous and my BFF’s mom made my favorite for lunch–chicken divan casserole!  We then feasted on a butter pecan cake from a local bakery.  So good!  I gave my mom, Janie’s mom, and the girls’ their gifts and we parted ways to get ready for the rehearsal that night at 6.

You know they always say that something will go wrong on your wedding day?  I think that everything that could have gone wrong went wrong during the rehearsal–thank goodness!  The music on my CD wouldn’t work with the church’s sound system so we had to practice without music.  I was kind of worried since I wanted to walk out to a certain part of the song used in my bridal processional but oh well!  The guy who worked the sound system gave me knew blank CDs to re-download my music on to, and I just prayed that they would work on wedding day!  I’ll do another post on my music later because each song had a meaning behind it.

After the rehearsal was over, we headed to the old train depot for dinner!!  JW Steakhouse catered and I had arranged to surprise Dustin with an Alabama cake for his birthday.  (This post is lacking on pictures because all of them are on my mom’s camera and her computer, so my iPhone photos will have to work.)  Then we played two HILARIOUS games that had everyone laughing!!  Dustin then gave his guys their gifts; I surprised him with his gifts, and my mom gave him a present, too.  
Mary Beth, me, and Janie

Later that night, I went back to my parents’ house to spend the night.  Mom had written me a letter and wanted to read it to me.  Cue the tears!  Me, Mom, and Rachel cried the whole time she was trying to read it–well, cried and laughed.  We kicked my step-dad to the couch and all three of us girls slept in their king-size bed.  I hardly slept!!  I was so excited to marry Dustin the next day!!!!
This picture is REAL LIFE, y’all!!!  My eyes and face are red from all of the crying I did, and as you can tell, we all did quite a bit of crying 🙂  They were tears of happiness, of course! 

Back to Back Weddings

If you would have asked me 5 years ago if I would have thought that June through November of 2014 would be filled with the weddings of my best friends, my sister, and myself, I would have laughed.  Even in college, I never thought that Janie, Mary Beth, and I would be getting married the same year!  I always thought it would be a given that Rachel and I would get married years apart since we’re 4 years apart in age.  Who knew?!

Recently, I was the matron of honor in Janie’s wedding and Rachel’s wedding–two Saturday’s in a row!!!!!  Ahh!

Janie’s Wedding

Janie chose the perfect date to get married–October 25th (and also my 27th birthday).  Her wedding was beautiful!  It took place at a gorgeous house in Birmingham with an outdoor ceremony (perfect weather) and an outdoor/indoor reception.  It’s evident how much she and Chris love each other, and I loved watching Chris watch Janie walk down the aisle.  He was beaming with joy!
I had to steal this photo from Janie’s Facebook!  Look at how cute!!

The food was great and the band was so much fun!  Dustin and I loved dancing all night!  It was a great end to a fun birthday!


Fun tidbit:  When Dustin and I arrived home late Saturday night, my mom had decorated our entire apartment for my birthday!  This is something she’s done every year of my life, and in college, Janie would decorate!  I loved coming home to balloons, streamers, and “Happy Birthday” signs everywhere!

Rachel’s Wedding

Rachel got married the following Saturday after Janie.  Can we say exhausted?  I loved every minute of it, but I’m also happy to put all wedding events behind me!  Now on to babies……in a few years 😉 

Rachel was married at First United Methodist Church in Hartselle, and it was the same church that Dustin and I were married three months earlier.  It definitely doesn’t feel like it’s been that long!  That day, lots of people kept telling me that it felt like they were just there for our wedding a few days before.

The weather for Rachel’s wedding was COLD!!!  The sun was shining but the wind was blowing, so I’m pretty sure it stayed around 40 degrees that day!  Pictures outside were brutal!  Rachel was an absolutely gorgeous bride and so calm!  It was so special to stand next to her after she had done the exact same for me just a few months earlier.

They are happy to finally be Mr. and Mrs. Nick Howard!

Rachel and I during her rehearsal dinner!

Lessons in Marriage

Coming up next Saturday, Dustin and I will have been married for THREE WHOLE MONTHS!!  That sounds so crazy to think about when just a little over a year ago, we were still long distance.  God really has a funny way of reminding us that His plan and His timing are always perfect.  


I really thought in high school that I had my life planned out perfectly.  I knew I would meet a boy in college, date, get engaged my junior-senior year, and get married the weekend after graduation.  Then we would have about 3-4 years before we started having kids.  Did my life turn out exactly how I planned?  Absolutely not!  And when I actually reflect back on my life and how it could have gone, I see that God’s way is always better.  Just tonight as Dustin and I were doing dishes after dinner (how lucky am I to have a husband who does the dishes after dinner??), he made a comment about how he wished we had met a long time ago.  I know that sounds ideal because we could have spent more time together, but I know our lives would not be where they are today.  We would not be the people we are today.  What would our relationships with God look like?  Would we still be actively seeking Him?  Would we be serving in our church?  These are times when you rejoice in God’s sovereignty over all things!

Okay, so now to my title.  In the 81 days that I’ve been Mrs. Shaneyfelt, I have learned SOOOO MUCH, and I thought I might enlighten you to these lessons 🙂

1. I need grace more than I ever knew.  Wow.  Can I say that after we returned home from the honeymoon and we started establishing routines and things like how the towels are folded and put away a certain way (OCD a little??), I quickly saw my need for grace.  And because I saw my need for grace in my marriage, it really stood out to me how much God’s grace really means.  I may mess up about 1798464284957 times a day, and He still gives grace freely.  What a humbling lesson to learn and continue to learn day after day.

2. Things can’t always go my way.  Because I am a teacher, I am used to being in control 8 hours a day.  I know how important classroom management is for a productive and efficient learning environment, so I always command control of my classes.  How many times have I come home and treated Dustin like a student?  Put your boots there.  Wipe up that counter.  Wash that dish you just used.  I’ve learned to definitely let go on some things, and I know Dustin has really tried his best in keeping things clean since he knows how much better cleanliness makes me feel!  Yes, I’m still a work in progress, but the Holy Spirit is definitely working in me to release some control so that I glorify Him in all things.

3. I really did marry the best guy out there!  Sorry, ladies, but the best guy has already been taken!  I married someone WAY more forgiving than I am.  Forgiveness is something I constantly struggle with and I happened to marry a guy who gives out forgiveness like Halloween candy.  (Like that simile? ha!)  I am constantly grateful that God placed us together.  We really do make an awesome team!  
How lucky can I get?

By the way, I’ll be doing a few wedding recaps so I can try to capture all of my memories from the day.  More wedding pictures to come!  (And then I’ll be done posting wedding photos!)