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Guys, guys, guys! I finally get to share our wedding with you!
Everyone kept telling me what a blur the day would be, but I so wasn’t ready for it to be true.
For our venue, we rented a local park’s back area which skirted a lake and included a pavilion and gazebo. We had reserved it for two days. On Friday, my father pulled into the park trailering my vintage VW Beetle. He quickly made friends with the park rangers who came to admire the bug, and they accommodated us by allowing us to stay late and do most of the draping of the pavilion that night and by permitting an early entrance on the day of the wedding. My parents were there by 6:30 AM to finish setting everything up.
Meanwhile, I woke up at 5:00 AM that morning as I usually do, only I couldn’t fall back asleep. Unfortunately, I woke up the two bridesmaids who were sharing my hotel room. We tried to fall back asleep but with little luck. Eventually, we called it a loss and got up for the day, making our way to the lobby for some pumpkin spice coffee.
I was very serious about my timeline, but everyone did their best to calm me down and keep me away from my phone or anything with a clock.
My photographer, maid of honor (MOH), and hairstylist kept me calm by keeping me plied with coffee and meditation music (and then the Harry Potter soundtrack, because, why not?) I am SO grateful to those three women for keeping me together.
My MOH is a makeup freak, and she did my makeup for me. I have never been more relieved to not have to put my own face on in my life. I just sat there, and we chatted and listened to music, and it was very relaxed.
We took some photos with the girls as I gave them their gifts. This is one of my favorites.
I wish I could’ve spent more time with the girls getting ready, but there really was no room in that itty bitty bathroom for them, and we didn’t have a lot of extra time to hang out. After the photos, it was time to struggle into the dress.
We have had a bit of a situation with the dress. When I went to the salon to pick it up and try it on, the sales lady didn’t button me completely into the dress, and two weeks before the wedding she told me it would need let out. I called the seamstress who they said would handle my alterations, but she was booked. I ended up driving to my home town to a lovely lady who altered my sister-in-law’s dress. She took the time to fully button me in and told me she’d never seen a wedding gown that didn’t need alterations before, but mine fit like a glove.
Needless to say after that, I was nervous about the dress and praying to God it still fit. It did. My father and mother came in for a first look at me in the dress; then while Mama showered and got ready, my father drove me to the park for photos.
One sweet moment that popped out was in the hallway of the hotel as I was leaving. I realized I wasn’t wearing the Fellow’s (the Husband? Hmm . . . I’m going to need to think about that one . . .) grandmother’s pearls. “C” the MOH’s fellow ran to fetch them for me, and actually put them on as I couldn’t manage it amidst all the dress tulle piled around me as I entered the truck. “C” was actually phenomenal ALL day. He went to the park to set up in the morning, helped with photos, fetched and carried things for me all day, made me a plate of food and ensured I ate, found my flip-flop for me at the end of the day, and even took off my wedding shoes (which I couldn’t reach in all the dress), and put my flip-flops on for me.
We made it to the park where the fellows were finishing up their photos, and the girls helped me carry my dress across the road from the parking lot for our “first look” photos.
Here is where I made a mistake. It was SO hot (86 degrees at 12:00) that I was sweating and starting to burn. I didn’t get full wedding party photos with both the girls and guys. I got them separately, but not together. I figured I’d get them after the ceremony, but that didn’t end up happening as the family photos took longer than I anticipated. Soon it was time to make our way to the ceremony sight. More to follow soon.
