C'est Fine!

Well, it's all over. 10 months of planning and it's over in an instant....I'm both sad and relieved that it's done. I can finally sleep again and am absolutely thrilled that I don't have to plan anything anymore but it's a night that I didn't want to end.

It was like people say, as much as I tried to take everything in there are things I didn't even notice during the ceremony...where were the musicians sitting? How did the music trail off once I walked up to the front of the room? Which guests were standing where?

I'll start at the beginning.....I woke up at 7am after a somewhat restless night by myself at the Inn. I waited till 9 to call my mom to see if she wanted to get breakfast because the thought of hanging out by myself in my room for 3+ hours. We left early and got a bagel in Harvard Square before my hair appointment. By the time hair and makeup was done it and we were back at the Inn it was around 3 (the makeup girl was lot, I didn't need that much work!). I was having irrational fears all week after watching Bulging Brides that I wouldn't be able to fit into my dress even though I knew I had lost a few inches between my last fitting and the wedding so I wanted my mom to get me into my dress asap so I could calm down. The dress was fine and luckily I got in it when I did because the photographer had arrived early and was ready to go.

We shot a bunch of pics in the room...really fun. I recommend everyone does a photoshoot sometime in your life! We dared a few in the hallway by the stairs but ran into two of our guests so back into the room we went. The photographer went off to shoot Morgan while he was getting ready in his parents room and my mom went to get ready and then time seemed to stop. I got a few last minute texts from friends wishing me well and then I sat and sat and then sat some more. I practiced walking, I practiced my vows...over and over again. Finally, it was time to go and then things become blurry. The ceremony was exactly like we had planned, we had everyone form an aisle as I walked into the room and then form an arc around us as we did the ceremony. I walked in with one of the tulips from the bouquet and, per my uncle's suggestion, passed it to my mother and she passed it to the person next to her and so on until it was finally passed to M who passed it back to me and then I carried out of the room. Nice touch! I thought for sure I would cry and not be able to get through my vows, especially since we both wrote our own vows and hadn't revealed them to each other prior to the ceremony. I requested to go first so that hopefully I would be able to get through them, but then the second I walked through the door I couldn't stop smiling. My voice quivered during the vows but I didn't cry, but my hands were really really shaky. I saw M tear up and almost lost it for a second, but I didn't allow myself to dwell on that and I was able to make it through. We finished the ceremony in probably 10 minutes and S did a wonderful job as our officiant. We exited one way and met everyone else on the front porch as they exited a different way so that we could form a quasi receiving line.

We had a cellist and a violinist playing for the processional and recessional and then throughout the cocktail hour. M and I were absent during most of that because we were taking pics outside. The cocktail hour seemed nice though with hors d'ouerves being passed around while the musicians played and guests sat at cocktail hours and were served wine. After that we were moved to the dining room and my brother did a wonderful champagne toast that multiple people recorded so I'm hoping to get a file of that from someone. I was expecting a very comical speech but it was very sweet and sincere.

Dinner was good, I had the hugest chunk of prime rib served to me. We ended up doing a few things we said we wouldn't...cutting the cake and feeding it to each other at the prompting of the crowd and kissing when people clinked their glasses. During the reception, Macs were pulled out and the people demanded certain dances that were not planned (I am still in shock that my mother was the ring leader for starting the Beer Barrel Polka, Chicken Dance, Shout, and the Hokey Pokey, but it was a lot of fun and I'd really like to see those pics!)

Suddenly the night was winding down...we tried to get some drinks at the bar but they had just called last call. A few people came up to our suite but didn't stay very long.

Sunday we hosted a brunch for anyone that was still around and that was the official end to the wedding festivities.

The weather was great during the day and I made it back to the Inn in time before the skies broke loose and it started raining. Miraculously before the ceremony, it stopped again in time for us to get pictures taken outside on the front porch and then it started again. Since we had such a small number of guests, the photographer was able to get every single shot we requested and then a bunch of candids as well.

It was a really really fun day, everyone made me feel like such a VIP; from the people at the Carriage House to the Inn staff and guests. My favorite part was doing the vows I think, which is ironic because I was really dreading it because I was worried I would be too emotional etc. I saw M tear up as I was saying my vows to him and his were wonderful to hear. We plan on making a keepsake box, so far we have all of the cards in there, the ring boxes, a copy of each of our vows. I saved the flower that I carried in as well and I'm pressing it in between pages of a guest book that my mom bought us.

Well this is enough for now, there are probably details I'll remember later; I'll post more in future posts.