Our Dream Wedding

When we first started wedding planning and knew that we had a really tight budget, I knew we would be doing a lot of things ourselves. I got really excited and thought it would be really great to be able to write a blog post about how to have the wedding of your dreams on a really tight budget. And our wedding day turned out to be more perfect than we could have imagined. The weather was perfect, the venue was gorgeous, and the food and dessert were delicious (and very beautiful). The flowers were much more than I had imagined, the decorations were stunning, and the dancing was amazing. Not to mention Phil and my wardrobes, and my hair! But I can’t write that blog.

Our amazing bridal party! We are so blessed with these friends and family!

Because we can’t take credit for ‘a gorgeous wedding on a tight budget’. The reality is that we could never have done what we ended up with on our budget. I am almost in tears thinking of how much incredible help we had. Our wedding day is probably one of the biggest moments when I realized how many people love Phil and I and how much they care about us. Not only because of all the people that took the time to come out and celebrate our union, but also because of all the people that went above and beyond (many who we never asked but instead offered their assistance) to help our day become our dream wedding. 

Sometimes it is easy for me to get caught up in our financial stresses, even though God has always provided for me. Now when I feel stressed out I think back to our wedding day. Wedding days are pretty special, but they are just one day and I never understood why people would break the bank or go into debt over one day. I didn’t see the actual wedding day as super important for God to provide for...because honestly I would have been okay with getting married in a church or (for those of you who were around me the 6 months leading up to the wedding, you know) even just eloping! But God proved me wrong. 

He provided in so many ways down to the tiniest detail from the perfect venue to the weather (it was 100% chance of rain!), and from the people who volunteered to help to the people who donated or made things for us to use. God has reminded me that not only does He care about the details of our lives, but he also cares about the little details of one day that was gone in the blink in the eye. Not only that, but apparently God knew I needed a reminder of all the amazing friends, prayer warriors, and encouragers that Phil and I have in our lives. 

My friend since about second grade, Keziah (KeziahRenee photography) took the amazing photos and perfectly captured all the details and beautiful moments of our wedding. Through the photos you can just see a few (not all are mentioned) of the ways that God provided for us and some of the ways people contributed to our day. At least to me, our wedding looks like something straight off of Pinterest, but don’t be fooled because many, many people made it possible and God brought each of those little details together. So enjoy Keziah’s amazing photography and some fun moments from our special day :) 

The venue for both our ceremony and reception took place at Lakefield Weddings

in Manheim, Pa. Perfect weather, courtesy of God :) 

My dress is from Country Threads by Gail in Manheim. Not only were the prices affordable and the dresses gorgeous, but Gail actually altered the entire back of my dress and did a fabulous job for a very reasonable price! 

 

My shoes were a gift but we found them at DSW on clearance (for under $20)!

My friend, Amanda Lewis, did a wonderful job on my hair and 5 of the other girls. 

Lauren Harder, front second from the right did my makeup.

And Etsuko front right, came the whole way from JAPAN for our wedding!

Bridesmaid dresses were purchased off of Amazon (without a hitch to some people's surprise).

The Groomsmen suits were bought Moda Gentleman, a store in the Exton mall. They were purchased for less than most places rent groomsmen suits and the Phil got his suit for free. 

Flowers were purchased from Etsy and Costco, and my amazing Matron of honor, Janelle Meador, took care of all things flowers, from our bouquets to the groomsmen's boutonnieres, to the table settings and our gorgeous arbor!

Both the Arbor and photo display were built from scratch by my Dad, Daniel Heitzman. 

Our pastor from Cityline Church, Jason Hsu, did the honor of leading the wedding ceremony.

Centerpieces courtesy of Eileen Sadik.

Centerpieces and tables put together by bridal party!

All signage and many of the decorations were done by my lovely sister-in-law, Danielle Denner.

We were beyond impressed with how our taco bar turned out! Wonderful friends from church took care of the meal-Brian George made the chicken and pork. Jan Bechtold put together the rest of the meal and was in charge of the day, with help from 3 other wonderful church ladies.

Phil's Uncle Marc Wayne, was an amazing MC and our friend from church, Allen Tam, DJ'd for the dinner and dancing. 

My amazing Mama, Pam Heitzman made all of the cupcakes and our wedding cake!

There were many other things that both of my parents helped Phil and I with both leading up to the wedding and on the weekend of the wedding.

Andrea Denner, Phil's mom helped so much with planning up to the wedding even driving out from Illinois on two occasions to help us with planning. Both Andrea and Joe put on a fabulous rehearsal dinner, post wedding brunch, and helped with countless other thing leading up to the wedding!

I know there are even more ways that God provided for our special day and other people that helped to make our wedding week and day so special. We can't even express how great are gratitude is. So no, we can't write a blog on how we had a Pinterest wedding on a super tight budget, but this is even more special. We had our dream wedding...even more beautiful than I ever imagined, and even more special because each little detail was crafted in love, by someone we love. <3

Our magical day ended with a sparkler send off.

Returning Home

I have been home for a little over a week now and I am having a bit of trouble writing this blog. It comes as no shock to me, I’ve been here before. Every time I leave the country, whether for missions or to visit friends or a new place, it’s hard to transition back. I have definitely experienced my share of reverse culture shock-it is difficult to figure out how to merge the new world that I have experienced with the one that I live in. I have learned recently that it is okay for processing to take a long time. When I look back on my YWAM experience, I now realize it took me 4 or so years to finish processing and apply my experiences to the person I was becoming and the life I now lived in. I have no idea how long it will take for me to fully process my time in Greece.

But that’s okay. I want it to take as long as it needs to. I know I’ll never be quite the same as when I left, but the truth is that I don’t want to be the same. I want each experience that God puts in my life (whether home or overseas) to change in shape me in a drastic way, as I desire to become more like Him. I don’t ever want to forget the stories I’ve heard over the last few weeks, the faces engraved in my mind, and the little sweaty bodies that have climbed all over me. I want these images and memories to be what motivates me to keep pushing forward to know God better, to love others better, and to help the world better. 

All of that being said, this trip wasn’t just about me. It wasn’t about what I learned or the people I helped or the people that helped me to grow. This is so much bigger than me. There are thousands of people being effected by this crisis. There are families that have been torn apart. There are people that need food, water, clothing, homes, and safety. There are hundreds of volunteers desiring to help serve others and better the world. And above all there are many, many people that NEED Jesus. And that’s what this was about-Jesus. None of this even matters without God and without what Jesus chose to do in order to save us. 

I met many volunteers that knew Jesus and some that did not. I also met some POCs that knew Jesus, but I know that the majority of them don’t know Jesus. Something I have learned though is that sometimes food, clothing, and housing need to come first. I have heard Christians that think that the job of missionaries is to strictly evangelize and share the gospel to all people. And, Yes, that is true...Jesus tells us to go into all the world and share the good news, but He didnt stop there. He didn’t just preach, but He got to know the people around him, he healed and fed them (met their needs), and He showed acceptance (for them-not for their sin), and agape love. 

God does command to share the gospel in all the world, but we can’t ignore other commands that He has given...like feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, giving a home to the homeless, caring for the sick, and visiting those in ‘prison’. And when Jesus gave that command He didn’t ask us to pick and choose who to do that for. During my training, something that blew me away was when the speaker said something along the lines of....People often ask me if there are bad people in the camp? And I say, ‘Well yes of course there are...but Jesus didn’t say I could pick and choose who my neighbor was. He said to love my neighbor. And it is not up to me to decide who is deserving of that love. It is my job to obey Jesus and feed, clothe, and care for regardless of who that person is.’ 

Wow....that is so true. And He doesn’t tell us just to clothe and feed them if they already know Jesus. Truthfully, I didn’t get to share the gospel very much (we could only share if asked) while I was in Greece, verbally anyways. But actions really do speak louder than words. And our actions can be the very thing that help put the truth behind the gospel for people. My job was not try and make everyone I meet follow Jesus, but to sow seeds. And ultimately to obey God. And during this trip we obeyed God by following His lead, loving on others and forming relationships as He presented them, and helping to meet physical needs of POCs both in and out of the camp. 

So how do I carry all of that home with me? How do I make sure that my everyday life is lived in radical obedience to Jesus? This time of processing is about better learning how to do that and allowing God to root in me the changes that He desires. Obviously, I can love my neighbors around me and there are people right here in the United States that need Jesus and there are poor, hungry, homeless, sick, and imprisoned people. God is continue to work in my heart to show me the life He desires me to lead.

But it doesn’t end there. Coming home I don’t just want to focus on the needs around me and forget about the people, the stories, and the situations that I encountered in Greece. Or in Ethiopia or Costa Rica or anywhere that I have spent time in the past. Because God doesn’t call us to just care about the people right around us, but He commands us to go into all the world. (You and) I don’t have to be a long term missionary overseas to care about the refugees in Greece, Turkey, and other countries. And we don’t need to be long term missionaries overseas to do something for the refugees, hungry, and those without Jesus anywhere in the world. 

As I continue to transition back into my life here (for now), I am in a time of reflection, allowing Greece and it’s people to be embedded in my mind in heart. While at the same time finding my place here and how God desires for me to live both right here while continuing to reach out and care for other people in the world. And ultimately, as I learn to obey Him more radically in both the small and big moments. As I merge my time in Greece into my time here, I pray that God will change me in major ways and that I will in turn grow more deeply, passionately, and fearless in love with Jesus and live that out in all areas of my life. 

Matthew 25:35-45

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.' Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' He will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' "