Now a Mrs.!

Hello blogging world!  I'm back!  Ish!  We have some down time, so I'm going to give a quick highlight post of how the wedding went (and who knows, maybe a couple G-rated honeymoon shots as well).

First of all, OMG. You know how in the movies prom is this magical thing but in real life it's almost always awful or at least way less dramatic than you expect? I sort of expected getting married to be similar...like, after all the stress and planning it would be good, but not great.  Well, mine was great.  So there.  :-P  Everything, down to every last little detail, was EXACTLY as I hoped it'd be.  Every single one of my vendors came through in glorious fashion (even the food was amazing!) and there wasn't a drop of rain to be had (but it was overcast, so no one is squinting in pictures....perfect!!!) Not a speck of drama, and the only "hitch" was when the ring bearer walked down the aisle...without the rings!!  I didn't get to see that, but I'm excited to see the pictures...I hear the look on the best man's face was priceless.  :-)

Without further ado, here's a rundown, picture-style, of how the weekend went:

Thursday night, my brother ("The Boy", or just "Boy") got a little silly with the photobooth props. No alcohol, just sibling sillies.  For his sake, I won't post any more without permission. Suffice it to say, they're going in the scrapbook.  I love that kid.

Earlier that night, we'd had a great dinner with my aunt, uncle, and cousin who I don't think I've seen in about 3 years. Good times.  I'd forgotten how much fun they are to be around. :-)

My dad and father in law (woah), bonding over plane stuff.

The Boy practicing his solo, The Prayer, which he played right after our vows.  It was absolutely magnificent.  This kid is so stinkin' talented, I can't even explain.  He was adorably worried about it, but when it came time to perform it was just breathtaking.  I hope we have a video of it I can share later...he's really something.

Thursday day (sorry, these are a little backwards), we delivered the cake topper to Cosmic Bakery in St. Albans, VT...check them out on facebook, they did great work.

 Friday, we went out for breakfast for my mom's birthday, then they went and toured Ben & Jerry's while I went up to the vineyard and set up a few mock tables for the caterer.

 I also set up directions signs (yes, those are hand-done letters...with stencils, but still.  Hello, marker high! :-})

 Here are the escort cards/favors and the beginnings of the guest book scrapbook.

 All the crap I brought in, laid out on the dance floor.

 Mock up of the centerpieces and napkins.

 After that, Mom and I went to get our nails done. Everyone laughed when I convulsively giggled when they rubbed the bottom of my feet.  Not funny, folks!  Hyperticklishism is a legit medical condition! :-)

After that, we headed to the rehearsal, of which I have precious few pictures at the moment.  There'll be more...because my photographer is amazing.

And there was much rejoicing.  That ribbony monstrosity is my rehearsal bouquet, believe it or not.

 After rehearsal, we went to the rehearsal dinner, which was a great time.  MOTU's sister put together a slideshow of all manner of embarrassing childhood pictures for us.  The eerie part was that we had so many similar pictures...guess we were raised in similar families, in the same era.  :-) After dinner we went to the bar at our hotel to hang out with family who wasn't part of the wedding but was in town.

 I've never seen my grandmother so happy.  This was the first time all her kids and grandkids were in the same place at the same time since her youngest got married, 12 years ago.  It was cute seeing her so thrilled.  :-)

Saturday was the big day. I woke up at 330.  Not because I had to, just because.  I saw the sunrise on our wedding day.

 Finally, after playing with my phone for about 4 hours, it was time to get ready.  As I mentioned, Margaret, photographer extraordinaire as she is, was there to document the whole process.

 Even The Boy being classy.
I had him running errands for me (even going to the ATM with a pin number I couldn't remember correctly lol) like mad, but mostly I was just grateful to have him there for support, from the start. Seriously, best little brother ever.

 Mom got her hair done too.

 This is Savannah, my flower girl.  Cutest damn thing ever.  When she saw my dress, she looked at me and said, "Is that YOUR dress??" I said, "yup!  What do you think?" She said, without hesitation, "You DEFINITELY need a crown then!" Too stinking cute!!  She had a tiara she wore all day.

 Martha, my mother in law, getting all dolled up.  She put this whole thing together, including food (which I was eternally grateful for, but didn't think to get a picture of). I so lucked out on the in-laws front.  :-)

 One of my bridesmaids, Alishia.

 My maid of honor, Anna, getting her hair done.

 Taking glamor shots of my dress.

 Margaret, as always, working her butt off for the best angle.

 Then, suddenly, it was time to go to the church!

Good looking bunch, huh?  Boy, Dad, and Mom.

Savannah and I discussing whose dress was prettier and which flowers she liked best.

Mom and Savannah

Quick glamor shot of yours truly.

The boys all lined up, looking dapper in their morning suits.

After the grand opening of the doors.  Took all my willpower not to race down the aisle and smooch Nick (MOTU).

Boy playing the Responsorial Psalm.

Savannah and Jen, MOTU's sister. LOVE this picture.

Here we go!

Best man ready for his big moment.

Ring #1

Ring #2

You may kiss the bride!  After this smooch, everyone was cheering and I couldn't help myself, so I stole another smooch which no one expected, so no one captured (except on video) lol.  What can I say, I love the guy!

Mr. & Mrs.!

During the formal pictures, it became abundantly clear that my veil had a life of its own, and even the slightest breeze made for a hilarious candid moment. This is, I think, my favorite picture from the whole day so far.

This one (taken by Margaret) is a close second.  I've only seen a couple of the professional pictures though, so it's entirely possible this is the worst since she's the best! :-)

Now on to the reception...here's the cake.

And the dessert table.  Allenholm pies...yummmm.

One of the tables, in full glory.

The guest book table, which turned out better than I hoped!  Everyone really took to the idea, and the whole thing looks amazing.  The pictures were all super fun, and some of the props even ended up out on the dance floor later in the evening.

My cousin Faith and her daughter Libby.

Ringbearer (Faith's son), Patrick.  Too cute!

Man, I'm going through just a fraction of the pics from the reception and it's hard to cherry pick just a few so y'all won't be bored (which, if you're not already, kudos! lol)

We stayed at a B&B just up the road from the vineyard, so we decided to park Helen there and walk back. It was like being a celebrity, there were half a dozen cameras flashing at us as we walked back down the road!

OK,just a couple more:

Flower girl and ring bearer dancing (they're cousins). Too cute.

Dad giving his welcome speech. Isn't he handsome?

First dance as Mr & Mrs.

After a dress change, dancing with my uncle.

Trust me, there will be plenty more pictures later on, but this is what I've got for now.  It was, hands-down, the best day of my life so far.  I've never felt so unconditionally loved and supported as I did that day...it was humbling to see how many people came from all corners of the continent to celebrate with us, and I can't express enough how grateful I am that we're surrounded by such positive influences. We have really great families and wonderful friends, and in the end...that's what makes it worth it. :0)

Oh, one parting picture:

The gift from MOTU's friends.  Shockingly useful.  :-)