Once all the toasts had been made and the cake was cut, it was time to hit the dance floor.
Ryan and I shared the first dance of the evening to “Everything” by Michael Bublé. 
While we were dancing we talked about how excited we were to actually be married… and how goofy we felt having all these people look at us! I laughed as Ryan threatened to dip me.
One random night before the wedding, we decided to “practice” our first dance. Ryan twirled and dipped me in our living room. He dipped me left and I dipped. He dipped me right and… uh… I didn’t. Turns out, I can’t dip right. This became quite the joke between the two of us, and I made him swear not to try to dip me to the right during our big dance.
After our right-dip-free first dance, it was time for my dance with my father.
We headed onto the dance floor as “Little Miss Magic” by Jimmy Buffett began to play.
We cried, smiled and swayed, listening to the special words of the song.
Then, about 3/4 of the way through the song, I surprised my dad by having the DJ fade the song out, while simultaneously fading in the song “Danger Zone” from Top Gun.
He was totally shocked, and the upbeat song gave us a chance to break it down! 
Once our funky dancing was done, it was time for Ryan and his mom to share their special dance to “A Song for My Son” by Mikki Viereck.
I absolutely love the above photograph of Ryan and his mom. She looks so incredibly happy to be sharing a dance with her son. 
The genuine smiles and laughter Ryan and his mom shared during their dance were truly special to watch.
Once the formal dances concluded, our DJ kicked the music up a notch and everyone hit the dance floor.
The dance floor was packed the entire night! 
Yes, that would be my dad, gettin’ low. :D 
Love that picture of my parents! 
Dancing went by so quickly! We had such a blast dancing to oldies, classic rock, hip hop and top 40 jams.
Though the dance floor was full, we had to abide by our contract with the venue and conclude the evening amidst all the fun.
Two fun traditions, tossing the bridal bouquet and the garter, were the last two events of the night. 
It took me three tries to throw my bouquet! The first time, it went straight down, several feet in front of the waiting women. The second time it got caught in the chandelier! 
We could not stop laughing!
Luckily on the third throw it landed in the hands of my friend Cherayne.
Ryan threw his garter and it was successfully nabbed on the first throw. 
And with that, our wedding was over. 
Though I’ve detailed our wedding through numerous wedding recaps, I know I did not come close to truly capturing the magic and emotion of the day. I feel so incredibly blessed to be married to the most amazing man. Ryan and I will never forget October 30, 2010 and all of the people who helped make the day so special for as long as we live. Past Wedding Recaps:
- Getting Ready
- Bridesmaids
- Groomsmen
- Behind the Door
- Flowers
- Details
- My Father
- My Mother
- Ceremony
- Reception: Part I
(All photos courtesy of Gina Leigh.) 
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I love everything about this, especially:
1. the bright yellow dress your friend sports. it’s so gorgeous, and my favorite color to wear!
2. are you and your sister doing the robot? 😉 you’re so my style.
3. your last pic. looove!
The dress is from Cache 🙂
Love “Everything” by Michael Buble! Such a great song! Your photos are awesome. Looks like you had a great time!
What an amazing photographer you had! She must have been ducking and weaving around the room all day to have captured such great moments. I love the picture where it looks like Ryan is about to smack your ass – very cheeky! It reminded me of the couple who danced to Baby Got Back for their first dance 🙂
you are so beautiful!
Where are your from in Illinois? My Boy is from Naperville 🙂
So beautiful! Thanks for sharing!!
Another beautiful recap post. Your photographer is amazing!
I keep meaning to comment on these wedding posts, so now I am. You looked gorgeous – love the dress. Looks like you had your dream come true moment ;).
Your photos are absolutely beautiful! and I love your first song! My boyfriend of 6 six year and I don’t really have a ‘song’ but I made him a slideshow last Valentine’s Day and used Everything and was secretly thinking it’d be a great first dance song!
LOVE the wedding recaps, thank you so much for sharing the details from such a beautiful day. I am just embarking on the wedding planning journey and it’s a little daunting, but I’m super excited – posts like this make me even moreso!
ok.
number 1 – “everything” is what plays on my phone when my husband calls me. LOVE THAT SONG!
number 2- i ALSO had to try more than once with my bouquet! the first time it hit the rafter in the ballroom and came straight back down. i caught it and re-threw it 🙂
You’re absolutely beautiful!!! Sounds like this will be a night you will never forget. 🙂
Hey Julie! I’ve been reading for a while but never got the chance to comment yet. My husband and I just got married in May and our first dance was to “My Everything” as well! Such a fun, up-beat yet still emotional song 🙂 Congrats on everything, your wedding was gorgeous and you looked stunning! Looking forward to reading more in the future!
I love the picture of your dad getting down- and I love that Buble song, how perfect!
Oh my goodness. I just discovered your via (via J’s everyday fashion) and just read all your posts on your wedding.
I’m not one to post comments on blogs (so feel special, haha 😛 ) but the photos of your wedding literally made me tear up (ESPECIALLY the picture of Ryan the first time he saw you as you walked down the aisle). You looked so, so beautiful and you and your husband so in love. I hope whenever I get married that I can capture at least some of the radiance and love that is so evident in your pictures and words 😀
So it’s a bit late, but congrats on your amazing wedding and thank you very much for sharing all these amazing memories and pictures!
Now that my random, gushing comment is over, I looked forward to exploring the rest of your blog! It couldn’t come at a better time – I have been looking for some exercise motivation for a while (it’s even harder now that its winter here – I’m in Australia – but no time like the present! So they say….)
Thanks so much! So glad you found me!