Hi, friends!  My name is Madeline Turner, and I am super pumped that Sara asked me to be a guest blogger!  Let me just tell you, I am taking this guest blogger job very seriously! Before I jump into talking about The Turner Wedding, I am going to tell you a little bit about me:

I recently married my best friend on March 3, 2018, when Sara shot our wedding, and let me tell you, married life is freaking amazing (am I right, or am I right?)!  I love Chip and Joanna Gaines and want to go to Waco, Texas, so bad!  I also have a sweet puppy named Piper, that just turned 2, and my husband and I live in a tiny one-bedroom apartment that I adore because it screams a cozy farmhouse!  Three words I would use to describe myself are spontaneous, joyful, and intentional. 

I read a book about living an intentional life a few years ago.  Jesus calls us to live a life full of more than a “day-by-day routine.”  He wants us to live a life full of community, growth, and purpose…INTENTIONAL.  If you look up what the definition of “Intentional” means, it means done on purpose.  Let me say a little disclaimer:  Intentional does not mean perfect – HELLO (slap in the face).  It means that whatever we are preparing for or what season of life we are in; we are doing it with a sense of purpose, knowing that we are precisely where we are meant to be. 

 

On April 2, 2017, Shaun got down on one knee and asked me to spend forever with him as his wife.  In that exact moment, my prayer from that day forward was that I would live with purpose… Intention.  This is also meant to be intentional with WEDDING PLANNING!  A wedding day is the best day of your life, and we wanted it to be remarkable.  Everyone kept telling Shaun and me that our wedding day would be a blur and gone in the blink of an eye.  But we wanted to ensure that didn’t happen and that we would make the most of every moment.  We wanted to be intentional. 

 

-So here is a glimpse into our intentional wedding day-

 

Exchanging of Gifts-

Shaun and I exchanged gifts while we were getting ready.  Shaun gave me a sweet card and an MK watch that was “something blue.”  My gift to Shaun was something I had been preparing for since we started dating our Sophomore year of college.  I gave Shaun a book with everything from over the years… I mean everything!  It had golf scorecards, petals from the first flowers he ever sent me, pictures, love notes, and prayers I had prayed over him.  It also had the necklace he gave me in 8th grade (holla) when he asked me to be his girlfriend. 

Fun Fact:  Shaun was my first boyfriend and broke up with me after 12 hours.  #Winning #LookAtUsNow 

I was so excited for the day that I could give Shaun this gift.  I also had a tie clip made for him that had the coordinates of where we would say “I Do.” 

 

First Look with Dad: 

This was something I had wanted to do since I was a little girl!  It was such a special moment and one I will forever cherish!  Ladies, write your dad a sweet letter and do a first look with him.  He is one special man that is giving away his little girl! 

 

First Look with Shaun:

Right after my first look with my dad, my parents walked me down to where I saw Shaun for the first time that day.  It was my favorite part of the day (I will probably say that again)!  Shaun turned around, and at that moment, everything seriously stood still… It was just me and Shaun!  We got to hug, kiss, cry, and laugh for a few sweet minutes, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.  We wanted to do communion, but we didn’t want to do it during our ceremony.  We wanted it to be a very intimate time without having to be in front of “an audience.”  At our first look, we did one of the most memorable things, which was my excellent husband’s idea.  We had a table set up where we took part in communion and really prepared our hearts for the day and our marriage.  My dad performed the communion ceremony, and we all got to pray.  Seriously, the most memorable part of the entire day. 

 

Unity:

During our ceremony, we knew we wanted something that would be very special to the two of us.  We wanted to worship what Jesus blessed us with, and that was each other.  We did our Cord Board, and after we finished it, we had a time of worshiping and praying over each other.  We picked the song, How Great Is Our God/Our God/ How Great Thou Art, by Caleb and Kelsey (After you read this, listen to it because it will rock your world)!  Jesus has been so, so good to us, and in that moment, we knew we were right where the Lord meant for us to be.

There are many other things I could talk about in detail but if I keep going, it will be a novel over here lol.  I have listed below some other things we did, and I hope they can be some ideas for your future wedding or just living an intentional life.

-I took pictures in my mom’s wedding dress prior to our wedding day and had the picture displayed on a canvas at our reception.

-Prior to our wedding day, we had marriage counseling sessions that I highly suggest all couples do.  It does help you prepare to be a husband and wife.

-Wrote our vows.

-Took random times during the day to reflect on what was happening.  To be present and in the moment (a SUPER important part of the day)!

 -My bouquet had a piece of my moms’ veil that she wore at her wedding.

-Played our parent’s first dance songs at our reception to be a special moment for them.

-Instead of the Ring Bearers walking in with a pillow or a sign, we had them walk in with a bible with flowers.  The Bibles were my mother’s and my grandmother’s.

So there you have it, folks!  I can’t believe I got all my thoughts on this blog post…My first-ever blog post.  Here is some advice for you:  Add God’s purpose to the season of life you are currently in, sow and tend to the seeds the Lord has instructed you to plant and live with a servant’s heart.  Remember, intentional doesn’t mean perfection; it means to be purposeful.  *Drops Mic*

Madie Turner Wedding Planning | Guest Blog Article | Sara Touchet Photography | All Rights Reserved