In the early hours of our wedding day we were both sitting straight up in bed, happily but hurriedly finishing our written vows to each other.

By two o’clock we finally finished—but awash with excitement, neither of us could really sleep. Sarah took to her audio book while I checked a few apps and made sure all of the ducks were lined up financially before we would write final checks to wedding vendors the next day.

In my scrolling, one thing seemed out of place. A check for $2,800 had just cleared a joint account but it didn’t make sense. We weren’t writing checks from that account. It was just for rent and other monthly expenses. I looked closer at the check image and things started to make less and less sense. The check number was way out of order. It was from Sarah Izen but the return address was in California. The check was made out to a name we had never heard before and the memo was for “Tuition,” something we thankfully haven’t had to pay in many years.

It took me longer than I care to admit to realize that—on our wedding day—we were first time victims of serious check fraud. The fraudster, who undoubtedly used his own very unique name, had numerous mug shots on publicly searchable sites. His rap sheet made him sound like the kind of guy that would definitely steal thousands of dollars from an unsuspecting and nearly married couple without remorse.

The anxiety, logistical loopholes, and sleep deprived confusion kept us up for the next few hours but all of our Googling assured us that something like this would be resolved. We contacted our bank and tried to set aside the problem for now, thankful that the money that was stolen wasn’t the money we had saved and set aside for the wedding. It could have been much worse but at least we didn’t have to sell the farm, dog, or Subaru to make our wedding day a reality.

Sleep finally came but a few hours later the thunder woke us up with a start. Our fear of a rainy wedding day was coming true. Outside of our window the parking lot became a pond.

We accepted the rain. Moving the ceremony under the tent would be fine. At this point we could only charge ahead and make the best out of the day. We somehow got a few more hours of sleep and then our real morning began. All of the adrenaline and last minute task-checking off kicked in.

Staying at the venue with our family and wedding party meant that we didn’t have to transport anything or travel on the day of the wedding. With a whole day to prepare, everything fell in to place. Having a coordinator doing the heavy lifting and sky watching for us was a God send. We can’t imagine our wedding going so smoothly without Lindsey.

And thanks to our amazing photography team from Lauren Page Wadsworth Photography we have many highlights from the day to share with you, beginning with:

Getting Ready

Lydia distracts Sarah from the torrential downpour outside.

Lydia, about to walk outside, notices the most recent downpour and changes her plans. Trying to hide her surprise and disappointment in front of Sarah she asks the perfectly normal question, “Do you like koalas or giraffes more?”