Tuesday, November 30, 2010

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Tuesday, November 23, 2010

The Wedding That Was - Part IV

After photos, we headed inside. Most everyone was sitting at their tables, chatting but they started to clink their glasses when we walked in, requesting a kiss (we obliged of course!).

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The appetizers had been pretty slim pickings I heard later and didn't last long but soon enough, everyone was being served wonderful salads and hot rolls. Then it was time to eat from the buffet. Our personal server plated out our food and set it at our sweetheart table....mmm, the food was very good! Chicken breasts in a basil pine-nut cream sauce, buttered fettucini noodles, rice pilaf and steamed veggies. There was plenty to drink too (lemonade, tea, coffee, sangria, orange juice and champagne). I could have eaten more, if I'd not been laced so tightly into my dress!

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When everyone was finished eating, my sweet new sister-in-law sang to us one of my favorites, Rascal Flatt's Broken Road. Danny and I got up mid-song to dance. That was something we'd not really practiced and it was quite a challenge to dance in a floor length dress and three inch heels!

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There was a bit of an issue with the cake (I'll discuss that later) but it really did taste wonderful. We had a top layer that was chocolate with a mousse and ganache and a second layer of white cake with lemon curd and raspberry layers.

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Absolutely no cake smashing for us!

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The design on the side of the cake is a photocopy of the flowers on my invitation done on sugar. Cute but not quite what I was told it would be (piped flowers) so fortunately his aunt was able to fix it up with one of our hydrangea blossoms.

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Towards the end of the reception, The Girl had convinced me that I needed to toss my bouquet. I wasn't willing to part with my flowers but she was happy to have me throw just one single white rose.

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Her odds of catching it were good...she was the only eligible lady on the dance floor!

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Next, family, friends and the little details.

The Wedding That Was - Part III

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After the ceremony, we were whisked outside where the rain had (of course!), miraculously stopped coming down.

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My brother and cousin's wife, our perfect photographers for the day were there to snap away, posing us under the arbor, on the stairs by the gazebo and on the open lawn.

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It was wet and slippery but at least for a brief moment it had stopped raining and we were able to take advantage of the beautiful grounds.

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The kids under the arbor I was originally supposed to walk through.

After about 25 minutes of photo taking, the sprinkles started up again and then raindrops and we moved under the eaves and then inside to enjoy our reception.

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Monday, November 22, 2010

The Wedding That Was - Part II

The kids had already walked down the aisle before I'd been led into the hall.

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I stood next to my dad and we waited for the coordinators to open the double doors. She told me to stand there for a moment before walking in. I could feel everyone turn and stand but I was looking straight ahead to Danny. His face was serious and even from across the room I could tell he was trying to hold it together.

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As I approached him, I placed my hand on his arm and he just kept staring at me. I really couldn't get the smile off my face, I felt very serene and out-of-body, but surprisingly calm. I could see Danny's reflection in the mirror, as he looked up to the ceiling, trying not to cry.

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When we turned to face each other and repeat vows, I could feel Danny's hands shaking and his voice quivered a bit. Hearing him and touching him just made me more calm and squeezed his hands a little tighter and just stared right into his eyes. And he stared right back intensely.

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It all went so quickly. I tried to remember to pause and remember the details, like how sturdily straight Ian was standing next to Michael as he watched everything proceed, and how Danny choked up as he put the ring on my finger and how after we kissed as husband and wife, he wrapped me up in a tight embrace.

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We swept down the aisle, all smiles and exited in back. Danny admitted how nervous he was, standing there before the ceremony and anticipating the event. He couldn't stop telling me how lovely I looked, couldn't stop holding me and I felt like I was walking on a cloud.

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He has absolutely swept me off my feet!

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Tomorrow, in the rainsoaked garden

The Wedding that was -Part I

Ahhhh...it was here this weekend and came and went so quickly. I had to stop myself many times during the day to remind myself to reflect, stop and breathe and take in the moment because I wanted to remember everything. During the reception, I kept thinking, "Oh, this is a great party" and then reminding myself, "Hey, this is OUR party!"

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The day started off with me getting my hair done at 7am. Was a little concerned because the curls were quite curly but the hairdresser said not to fuss with them and that in three hours they would be tamed and could be brushed a little. She was right; by the time it was time to put on my dress, my hair looked perfectly wavy.

Went home, gave The Boy a bath, put on my make-up, he and I wrapped the bouquets with some white ribbon and waited for my parents to finish getting ready. We had put together the flower arrangements the day before in the milk glasses; lovely light green hydrangeas with white roses.

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My dad and brother loaded up the cars with vases, votives, the wedding dress and favors and soon we were off to the venue. The sky was dark and gloomy and we had some sprinkles and mist. When we got there, the coordinator promised that they could wait until the last moment to set up the chairs and we could determine about 10 minutes beforehand where the ceremony would take place (either outside at the gazebo or inside the reception room).

I went with my mom and cousin (matron of honor) to the little dressing space they had set aside for me and they worked on getting me laced into my dress. Just as we were putting on the finishing touches, we received a call from the reception room. It was a friend, saying "We have to move it inside, it's raining again".

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Oh well, really it was okay. I wasn't crushed because I always knew that this might be an option. The coordinator came over to get me and she draped her jacket over my hair and shoulders, held an umbrella over my head and with one person on each side holding up my dress, we made our way over to the room in the rain.

In another reception room, there was a group of ladies setting up for a baby shower. They graciously let me stand here so the coordinator could arrange getting the rest of the bridal party set up. There was a lounge inbetween our two reception rooms so she gathered up my fiance, matron of honor, best man, Ring "Bear" (The Boy) and Flower "Bear" (The Girl) and moved them into our reception room while I waited on the other side of the wall.

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The coordinator came around the corner and waved me over. I walked through the lounge (where a group of men were watching football!) and stood behind the double doors next to my dad.

Tomorrow, the ceremony!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

2 days - Wedding Countdown

Today all the lovely ladies at work threw me a wedding shower. Tostada lunch, Diet Dr Pepper and yummy marble cake! Mmmmm...

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Me with the marble cake

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Oh, breakroom lighting, you are quite unflattering!

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Not sure what was so darned hilarious...Apparantly gift opening makes me appear to laugh hysterically (see this weekend's photos!)

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What will I make first in my cast iron skillet? Fried chicken? Corn bread?

Worked late and then met Mom at the bridal shop. Tried on the dress, then realized I have a fresh scratch right across my chest (where did I get that?!). While the tailor resteamed the dress and bagged it up we went next door to the men's dress-up shop. My guy has been thinking about wearing a bow tie so I picked out a silk black one and also a regular silk light blue and light gray tie in case he wants to try those out and see what he likes best.

Mom & I stopped for dinner then on to the craft store to get those green "frog" things to place inside the vases, then came back home. The flowers had arrived this afternoon and my dad had unboxed them and put everything in water. The hydrangeas are so pretty, a nice soft green. And there are Ecuadorian white roses, 50 long stems that are really tight buds now and should be slightly opened by the day of the wedding. We'll be putting all the arrangements together tomorrow night.

Things that WILL and WILL NOT happen in the next two days:

1. I will get over this cold. I've been sneezing and sniffling for 3 days. Starting to feel much better today, a lot less fuzzy-headed, despite the lack of sleep.

2. I will go to bed before midnight tonight. Was up till nearly 1am last night, working and then matching socks (my least favorite chore, why did I decide to that?!) and packing a bit.

3. I don't really want to eat any more junk food for the next two days. I am feeling so bloated and icky from getting home late, not grocery shopping and relying on fast food for lunch because I've been too busy to pack anything. However I'm not going to say I will NOT do this because it's now nearly 11pm and I don't have anything to pack for lunch tomorrow so a fast food lunch is quite likely.

4. I will not try to do everything myself and I will delegate. I really have a very hard time letting go! I had intended to do place settings and had to let this idea go. I was planning on setting up the reception tables myself but realize there is no way I can do that and still get ready so I'll have to delegate that job to my helpful cousins and sister-in-law. I know they'll do a beautiful job without me and I'll be less stressed.

I had also planned on creating music cds for the ceremony and reception but just didn't have time. So I asked my brother if he would do that for me and he said he would. And he does have strict orders that The Chicken Dance, Electric Slide or Macarana NOT be included in the playlist!

5. Lastly, IT WILL NOT RAIN. This has been the weirdest year "weather-wise". For the last two weeks the weather has been picture-perfect. So clear and bright and blue! But of course starting tomorrow, it's expected to bring in 3 storms with rain showers that will begin Friday and last through Saturday, right through the time we are planning our outdoor garden ceremony!

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I was planning on getting married HERE, not in a reception room!

Truly though, what can I do? Nothing, except create a Plan B. I've contacted the venue and they have assured me that they do have a Plan B in place should it be raining during the ceremony. If it's raining and we can't do the ceremony outside, they will set up the chairs in an alternate reception room so that will be okay. It's not a garden, but it will be okay.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

4 days - Wedding Countdown

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Lovin' these favors!

Picked up a big bag of Sixlets at the candy store in the mall. They fit perfectly into the bottles. In fact a little too perfectly because they tend to jam up at the opening when the bottle is tipped to empty...oops!

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Labels on and ready to fill

But the colors are so bright and fun, I couldn't resist. People will just have to work at it if they want their candy!

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Big bag of Sixlets

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One down...more to go!

Decided not to have assigned seating, otherwise each person's name would have been written on a card and slipped into the slot on the cork. Oh, well.

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All done and ready to go on the tables!

Tomorrow evening I'll be arranging the music with my brother that will be played on the CD player during all parts of the ceremony & reception.

Still need to compete the ring bearer pillow for my son and also fix up his suit a bit. Just a tad bit long on the sleeves & pant legs. Oh, he is going to look SO cute!

Thursday we pick up the dress. My mom is coming this time so she can see me in it.

And Friday night we'll be fixing up these lovely milk glass vases with the hydrangea and roses that will be arriving on Thursday. They are already so pretty, I know that filled with the flowers, everything is going to look heavenly!

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All the vases for the centerpieces

Sunday, November 14, 2010

6 days - Wedding Countdown

HOLY GUACAMOLE!

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I think I've finally somewhat recovered from my Bachelorette weekend!

My throat still has the ill-effects from shouting over the band's music but other than that, I think I've turned the corner and am now exiting "Hangover-Ville".

The weekend started innocently enough (picking up the wedding rings) and ended with me pressing the air out of a plastic inflatable man that was left in my backseat (thank goodness he wasn't anatomically correct!).


Saturday:

Drove up to the outlet and picked up the wedding rings.
Bought stockings at the Hanes outlet, the cool ones with cut-outs at the toe so you can wear them with open-toed shoes. Not that my wedding shoes are open-toed, but I figured at least then I'd get a second shot at wearing the stockings, so long as I don't snag them.
Drove a 1/2 hour back down the hill and dropped off the apartment applications for the credit check.
Went to the Home Depot and got paint chips to coordinate with the invite and then took them to the bakery so she can match the colors on the wedding cake.
Home to shower and change and then off to my wedding shower!

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If you had x-ray vision you'd see a cupcake carrier inside, with a box of cake mix and frosting too!

My cousin (and Matron of Honor) and her sister-in-law (who will be in charge of photography at the wedding) hosted the party. There were some cute games, yummy cake and some wonderful gifts that I can't wait to put to good use in our new place!

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Who knew mixing bowls could be soooo hilarious!

As you can see from the pictures, I was tickled by the great company and had a perfect time, thank you to everyone who was able to come! I deeply appreciated it.

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And that a chip and dip set was soooo shocking!

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And that bow makes me downright giddy!

That evening four of us (Four Blondes and a Brunette) headed up to the casino for a wild night of drinking and dancing. We'll to be honest I wasn't expecting SUCH a wild night. I thought we'd have a drink, dance a little and be home by 11pm.

HA!! Boy, did I underestimate my evening companions. They met me with the "Bachelorette Box" which included a sash for me and a maribou feather trimmed tiara with a veil in back and glittering phallic symbols on bobbling wires over my head. After a drink...and a shot...I completely forgot I was wearing it...woohoo!

Unfortunately me and apple martinis don't like each other and even though I really did only have one drink and one shot I was feeling the effects. I certainly don't have that same reaction to margaritas or even whiskey sours. In any case, we weren't driving any where that night and my future mother-in-law was happy to come and pick us up at 1am. With a side trip through Jack in the Box for tacos and fried mozzarella sticks (except for me, I wasn't in the mood for adding anything greasy to my nausous stomach), we were home by 2am. I did take out my contact lenses and put on sweatpants but went to sleep with a full face of make-up for the first time in my life.

Sunday:

And this is why they say NOT to have your Bachelorette party the night before the wedding. My throat is so raw and scratchy, I've been guzzling water all day to rehydrate and took a nap this afternoon, not usually my forte.

Neighbor Boy was amused by the stories of last night, delighted in looking through his sister's camera at the photos of me dancing in the fluffy tiara and posing with the inflatable man that my cousin brought in my car. It was all harmless fun, a little (okay, a LOT) more drunken than I've ever been in my life, but it was really the wild night that a Bachelorette party should be!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

9 days - Wedding Countdown

Random thoughts over the last two days...

Went to the candy shop today to find something in a reasonably small size to fit into the favor bottles. But I got there 30 minutes before they opened for the day and since I was on lunch break from work, there was no waiting around. This will have to wait until Monday.

Neighbor Boy was talked out of suspenders and he went with his mom to buy a suit. It looks great, I can't WAIT to see him in it!

Got my hair cut and colored and highlit (highlighted?) tonight. I don't know how women do this every 6-8 weeks?! It took over 2.5 hours. Seriously, am I just ansty and don't know how to enjoy being pampered but that just seems like a big chunk of time. My hair does look great though. I love the highlights and the color is very natural. And she blew it out so it looks so very silky and soft!

Finishing up painting the table number blocks tonight. I bought a cork board to use for the seating chart and the venue will have an easel set up for that.

I have gathered all the vases and cake stands that we'll need for the centerpieces. Each one is just a little bit different so they'll give just the right vintage elegance that I want. We'll be filling them with green hydrangeas and white roses. I actually bought them in silk so we could pose them in the vases and see how it will look and they are already so pretty I know they'll be stunning with the real thing! Thinking I may also collect up all the clear votive holders I have too and put in the light blue and lime green votive candles that I already own. Those would be so pretty on the tables. And they are Partylite, so they smell nice too!

Coming up for the weekend:
Picking up the rings
My wedding shower, hurray, that is going to be so much fun!
Possibly going out dancing?
Getting a hair cut for The Boy, he's way overdue.
Following up on the RSVPs, since I have to give a full headcount on Monday. Not that we didn't give everyone A TON of time or anything *wink!*

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

11 days - Wedding Countdown

Teeny tiny bottles, with openings just this much too narrow for an M&M...darn it! So, I have another idea that I'll need to go with instead. Going to visit the bulk bins at the candy shoppe!

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After a few test trials, I got some of the labels to print nicely. See that? With the words inside the sticker? Those were GOOD!

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See this one, with the writing outside the sticker? NOT GOOD...naughty printer!

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And this one, with the entire sheet of stickers that got eaten up and stuck inside so that I have to take the printer apart? Naughty, NAUGHTY printer!!

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So when life hands you lemons and your printer doesn't want to cooperate anymore, you compromise...

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...and pull out the Sharpie and finish the labels by handwriting them instead!

And here is a quick pic of my nails. My wonderful aunt did this gel French manicure for me to give my nails a chance to grow for the next week. I'll have the manicure done again next week just before the wedding, along with my toes.

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