i now present to you mr. and mrs. . . .

Being presented as man and wife for the first time ever . . .

At first we were trying to find a peppy version of" Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us."  But that just didn't seem to exist.  Lawrance wanted something happy, so we tried to find an "Ode to Joy" we liked.  But, have you ever really listened to "Ode to Joy" without the words?  We had a hard time finding a recorded version that was well . . . joyful.  (I am sure that with a live musician they could liven up the tempo.)

Lawrance wanted something totally fun and celebratory to walk down the aisle to together.  So, I played the "If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life" song for Lawrance and told him I'd love to find a song like that that we could walk down the aisle to.  Finding nothing, we eventually decided to just go with the best "Ode to Joy" I could find.

Then, it hit me.  Children's songs.  "I've got the joy, joy, joy down in my heart!"  There had to be a version of that song that we could use.  We are, after all, both kids at heart.

So, I started my search and soon found this song by Go Fish, an acappella children's group. (If you or your child likes their songs, what preschooler wouldn't, you can download some of the songs being given away here at the official MOPs site.)

Lawrance absolutely loved their "I've Got the Joy" song.  So, I spliced it together with about 10 seconds of a very formal "Ode to Joy" beginning.

We made it a "surprise."  The program said "Ode to Joy."  The music started to play "Ode to Joy."  But, then it switched to this and we proceeded to dance down the aisle.  It was a blast!

Also, a few seconds after we started walking, the wedding coordinator at the inn began ringing the chapel bell.  We had no idea she would do that.  It was great.  So, we actually had wedding bells ringing on our wedding day . . . how cool!!

Yay!!  We are married!!

P.S.  In honor of keeping it real, I will now tell you the part of the story that I asked Lawrance to stop telling because I don't want to dwell on an "uh-oh." 

I told our wedding coordinator at the inn all about the surprise ending, but she forgot to pass the word on to the lady doing the cds.  When the music switched she panicked a little and turned down the volume.   

However, in my head the music was loud and celebratory, and even with quieter music the two of us still had a blast. . . and that's all that counts, right?