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[12 Sep 2004|11:18am] |
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i think we've decided on this picture for the official "portrait" of the day. what does everybody think?
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[07 Sep 2004|09:27am] |
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ok, here i am to rant a little more about weddingy stuff. yes, it's been over three months. but, have courage - i'm almost finished talking about it.
now, where was i? ah yes, the dancing. well, there had been something of a glitch with the music the night before the wedding. i had put a playlist together that was just a half hour or so short of being long enough for the evening. since i wasn't home the night before the wedding, brandon was to go into it and add a few more songs to make it ready for the reception. well, apparently when he tried to find the playlist to edit it, it was gone. it just wasn't there anymore. i don't know what happened, but i know our computer had to be formatted shortly after we got back from florida due to its being riddled with viruses, so anything's possible. what was unfortunate was that he wasn't really able to rebuild the setlist, so he just put all the songs in our "music possibilities" file onto cd's, in no particular order. so we had almost six hours of music for a three-to-four hour event. all that meant, though, was that every once in a while i had to wander over to the stereo and skip a song or two. it was pretty low-tech, but hopefully people didn't mind too much. my biggest regret as far as that goes was that i accidentally skipped a song i'd really been looking forward to playing. crap.
anyway, the party was excellent; i had a complete blast. obviously since we picked the music i loved all of it, but i was so glad to see that other people liked it too. i danced to practically every song, and i had plenty of company. i'm not sure i've ever been in a better mood than i was that night. i was so relieved that it was done and that there had been no major disasters, that i was on the other side of the wedding and would never have to worry about it again, i'm pretty sure my feet didn't touch the floor all night. that was the part of the event i had been most looking forward to, and it didn't disappoint.
i have a million anecdotes from the reception that i could tell. there were a few songs that were definite crowd favorites that led to hilarious singalongs and group dancing, and there were a few friends and family who made copious use of the open bar which made for some added comedy, but it's hard for me to decide what to tell. i guess i'll just pick a few, what do you say?
one of the highlights for me was when we played "i believe in a thing called love" by the darkness. brandon and i went through a phase where we played that song a lot at home. we used to bounce around to it like morons, but we weren't sure if anybody else really liked it. we more or less put it on the playlist for kitsch value. well, when it came on my friend varga (from high school) and his girlfriend reacted the exact same way brandon and i did. they were bouncing around and singing and doing air guitar; the whole nine. it was hilarious. so we had this ridiculous moment of four dorky kids being loudly dorky in public. i can't even explain what was so fun about it, but i was busting a gut laughing and having a blast. i later told varga i want him to marry that girl.
next: daniel. from the first moment we told him we were getting married (and that he was to be the best man), daniel promised he was going to sing to us at the reception. he loves neil diamond, so he always said he was going to sing "forever in blue jeans" (perfect for us). so we put the song on the playlist, but in the crazy playlist mishap it didn't end up being played until close to the end of the night, by which time daniel was... well, chemically altered. he went into the reception hall where the podium with the mic was and started belting it out (while leaning on the podium for support). he forgot the words halfway through (liquor'll do that to ya), so the gathering crowd was singing along to support him - i think we would've done neil proud. it was definitely one of the most entertaining and memorable moments of the night. unfortunately, we've gotten all the disposables developed and collected most of the pictures from the wedding that we know of, but we haven't found a single picture of daniel singing. we know people were taking pictures, so if any of you reading this have any snaps of that, please send them along!
toward the end of the evening "barrett's privateers," an old canadian folk song, played, and that was also a fun one. i think pretty much everybody who was left at the party by that point got in a big circle and danced. i really enjoyed that, it gave me a good sense of family and identity, so that meant a lot to me. that was followed up by the gourds cover of "gin and juice," which was the last song of the night. fun was had by all when that song played, i can assure you of that.
so that's the abridged edition of the reception dance ("this is abridged?" you say). i was absolutely delighted with the whole thing. i got to sing and whoop and dance with all my friends, and i got to slowdance with my dad, my husband, my brother and my godfather. it couldn't have been more perfect as far as i'm concerned.
well, crap, i was going to finish the whole thing out in this entry, but i've just written about the reception and it's incredibly long. there's still the after-the-reception stuff, plus gift opening and honeymoon.
i'm going to be writing in this thing forever. yikes. but i guess i'll be grateful for it when i'm old and can't remember anymore, right?
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[05 Sep 2004|10:28pm] |
hello hello. well, i've heard rumors that some people feel that the wedding journal ended too abruptly, and that we need to give it a more proper conclusion. i agree, but i had been feeling a little self-conscious about still telling wedding anecdotes months after the fact, which is why i stopped writing in it at the end. so, apologies for that, but i do plan to write some kind of wrap-up entry within the next few days. in the meantime... here are some more pictures!
( pictury-goodness. )
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[05 Jul 2004|12:05pm] |
what could be more thrilling than more wedding pictures? here we go...
( click here to proceed... )
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[29 Jun 2004|03:40pm] |
so. after the dinner was over (or, before it was quite over, actually), i went out into the dancing room to help megan set up the music. we figured it out and got it going, and called everybody else into the room. then, brandon and i had our first dance (the song was "if it be your will" by leonard cohen, sung by jann arden).
the dance was lovely, of course. i was nervous (as i had been most of the day) about having so many people looking at me, but it ended up not being so bad. we actually talked most of the way through the song, and that made it a lot less nerve-wracking for me. after that i danced with my dad (to "tough little boys" by gary allen - not sure if that's spelled right or not). i knew that one was going to be tough, and i was not disappointed. i don't know why father-daughter dances always have to be so weepy, but it just ends up that way! i had hoped to keep my reception sob-free, but that is just not possible, it seems, when there's a father-daughter dance going on. i had been doing ok, but then i caught eyes with my friend jeffa, who was all weepy and wiping her eyes, and then it was all over for me. of course it was very sweet, though, and i enjoyed it. i'm glad i got so many nice pictures of us dancing. after that it was brandon's turn to dance with his mom, and i think they had a very similar kind of experience, but i'll let him tell you about that. their song was "woman" by john lennon, which i thought was very sweet. so - sweetness all around! when the solo dances were over we had the "family dance" where everybody danced with their counterpart - maid of honor with best man, etc., and that one was to "into the mystic" by van morrison. another lovely slow dance.
following the slow dances, we had the rest of the reception traditions. first, i threw my bouquet. after some scuffling (and many torn-up petals fluttering to the floor), the winner ended up being my sister. then brandon threw the garter - well, not really a garter. since i had lost mine and had instead walked down the aisle with blue tulle tied around my leg, he threw that. and since it had long ago fallen off my leg, he didn't get to take it off me - he just pulled it out of his pocket and threw it, and his brother ended up catching it. a few people cried family favoritism, but we had nothing to do with it! just a coincidence, people. let the bouquet and garter fall where they may.
you know what came after that? my favorite part. the party.
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| the saga goes on... |
[22 Jun 2004|11:01am] |
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it's our one month anniversary, hooray! i can't believe the way the time is flying. honestly, i thought the space-time continuum would regain some of its prior balance after the wedding was over, but i was wrong - time is speeding past me just as quickly (and, if it's possible, more so) as before. i guess i'm just going to have to get used to living at this speed!
anyway, onto the dinner portion of the reception, which was just... well, i was so pleased with it, i don't even have words. i had been eager to just get through that part so i could get to the dancing, but in the end i was more than happy to sit and eat and visit and listen. the food was even better than i thought it would be. we had this baked brie with raspberry jam that was delicious, and these little crab cakes that would blow your mind. there were a few other little seafood items that were great, too. and the waiters actually circulated some of the items on trays, which (i think) made it seem all kinds of high-class. heehee.
by this point, i'd already established a rapport with our bartender. i told her the formula for the perfect drink for me (at this point it has no name, it's just a recipe), and she made it perfectly. from then on, she called it "the bride's special," and remembered it. whenever i needed a new drink, i'd go to the bar or send somebody, and as soon as they said "erin needs a drink," she knew what to make. it was kind of fun.
anyway, after brandon and i finished eating, we circulated a bit in the room and tried to touch base with everybody. i think we managed to greet all the people who were there - i certainly hope so. if we missed anybody, i apologize a billion times. it was such a relief to be done with the ceremony and on with the fun that i had a great time just stopping by tables and shooting the breeze with some family and friends. in fact, from this point on i was pretty much on cloud nine - all the stress was over, and i was cheerful as could be for the rest of the night. praise!
after that interlude we had the cake cutting, which was a pretty funny moment in itself. first of all, we forgot to buy a knife for this particular event, so we had to borrow one from the kitchen. then, when we cut the cake, everybody and their brother decided to take fifty pictures, so it was like paparazzi - brandon and i stood there with our fake "picture" smiles plastered on for a good couple minutes while the flashes and clicks went off, and finally dissolved into laughter as the ridiculousness of the scene dawned on us. so there should be a pretty fun and diverse spattering of "cake cutting" pictures scattered across two countries now. then we fed each other the cake - with no face-smashing, as i'd stressed many times that i found that to be totally tacky and i wasn't going to waste a professionally done makeup job on something like that! brandon agreed, but i was a little nervous anyway, until it was finally done.
while we waited for the caterers to cut the cake we had the speeches, which were all fantastic. but before we could get on with the toasts, we had to open the champagne! so we had a fun few minutes of loud popping noises, and laughing and screaming (and one notable and audible curse word from the back of the room!). i can't imagine why anybody would have the caterers open their champagne when it's so much fun to do it yourself!
anyway, mark went first, as the m.c., and made a very strong start. i loved his speech. i have a copy of it on paper, i'm thinking i might copy it down here as another little detail from the event, if i find time. it was funny and touching and personal, i couldn't have been more pleased. after that came dad's speech, to which i can only say "ditto." they were both great toasts, and i teared up a bit during each one - but i didn't cry any more than i laughed, and that's a sure sign of a well-balanced speech! after that daniel got up and spoke as best man, and i have to say this was the one i was most worried about. i had asked him repeatedly to write his speech down, and apparently he had - but he'd forgotten it in his other pants at the hotel! so he stood up without notes and started talking - and gave as great a toast as i ever imagined he could. it was hilarious, for starters. my favorite line was "as a sign of what good friends these guys are, i have a million great stories about them - none of which are appropriate to tell at a wedding." truer words were never spoken! so i was immensely proud of him after that. then paige and lauren spoke a few words, which i didn't expect, but i was really touched by. of course, paige has been so important in my life that i was especially touched when she spoke, and a lot of what she said was made all the more meaningful to me, knowing that she knows pretty much all there is to know about me. so, that was all great.
just about then the cake was served (it was delicious - we had two layers of thai iced tea flavored cake, which was sweet but a little spicy, and one layer of chocolate rapsberry - what could be better than that?), but i didn't get much time to sit and enjoy it as it was time to get the dancing room ready for the next stage of the reception. more on that to come!
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[17 Jun 2004|01:40pm] |
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i've gotten way too far behind on this thing, i know. it's three weeks (almost four now, i think), and i haven't even gotten to the ceremony yet. maybe we should've just gotten it out all in one long blast - oh well, too late for that now.
by the time it was six o'clock and we were due to walk down the aisle, i was so flustered with everything else that i couldn't really believe it was actually happening. so i just directed the girls to march when it was there time, and then dad and i went. it wasn't until i stepped into the aisle and saw all the people there that i had the "holy crap," moment. but i was so grateful just to have made it that far, that i didn't falter at all. the biggest regret i have is that my stupid strap wouldn't stay up on my dress (i blame the lady who altered it, it was too big and bothered me all night), so in all the pictures of me walking down the aisle, i have one strap down. oh well, nothing to be done about that now.
the ceremony went well. it was a little crowded and a little warm, but i think that was ok, it just made it cozy. father fred was great, as i knew he would be. our readers were great, too - tanya and teana and kate all did fantastically. in all the fuss, we hadn't had a chance to memorize the little "pre-vow" paragraph we put together, so we had father fred feed it to us instead. it was a lot longer than it looked! it more than doubled the length of the vows, but it was fine - i was glad to have it. it made the whole thing more personal, in my opinion. so, after that, we smooched, and it was done. time to party.
i was so glad to see all my friends and family, everybody who'd driven so far to see me on that day. i greeted as many as them as i could right away, and then headed out for pictures (taking breaks now and then to run into the reception room to remind people to stop eating, as people had started attacking the buffet as soon as the caterers had set it up, despite the fact that brandon and i had not yet arrived!). when the pictures were done, i headed back to the brideroom to take off my veil and get bustled, which megan and paige took care of for me. it was good to stop having to drag that skirt around, i'll tell you! when that was done, i met up with my husband and we entered the dining room for the reception.
( ceremony details. )
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[13 Jun 2004|01:04am] |
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ok folks, i've finally got some pictures up on the web, ready for your viewing pleasure. here we go!
( click here for weddingy goodness. )
there are many, many, maaaany more pictures. you can find them here. hope you enjoy them!
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| wedding day insanity. |
[09 Jun 2004|01:12pm] |
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i woke up the morning of the wedding at around 7:00, if i recall correctly. mom said "happy wedding day," and i had a really hard time believing it was true - it was shortly thereafter that i started to feel sick. i had a headache, my stomach was doing sommersaults, and i was fairly certain i was not going to make it through the morning without heaving. then i couldn't stop sneezing. megan brought out her trusty maid of honor emergency kit (thank god for that!)and gave me some claritin... at least the sneezing stopped after that. we went to the hotel lobby for the continental breakfast. i decided i should probably eat something, even if i was afraid i might be sick, i figured throwing up would be better than passing out. so i had an english muffin. after breakfast we met up with meghan barry and headed off to the salon (which was in annapolis, quite a little jaunt) to get our hair and makeup done.
the salon was really nice and the people there were great. despite the fact that it was really pricey and kind of out of the way, i was really happy with the choice of salon. the girl who did my hair was great at what she did and easy to talk to, and i was grateful for that. halfway through the process of getting all that done, i was pretty much at ease and didn't feel nauseous anymore. i loved the way my hair came out. i also loved megan's - it really flattered her, i thought. the makeup guy was also fantastic. i told him what i wanted, and he did it. so, thumbs up to the salon. we ended up being there for quite a while, i don't think we got out until after noon. that's when the trouble started.
megan and mom and i thought we had more time than we did. we went out looking for the manor to see what the best route would be from the hotel. we found it, but we should've gotten right to work instead of exploring. i had to go into baltimore to meet up with jason, gather up the flowers and and pick up some other things - most importantly, the stuff needed to decorate the manor. it was supposed to be just a real quick stop, then back to the manor to start setting up. well, the bouquet proposition ended up being quite a bit more complicated than i initially had thought, so by the time i got back, they weren't finished. that was mostly my fault, for underestimating the job and not supplying helpers like i'd promised i would - i think i'd given a lot of people the day off, when i needed more people helping! so i had to help finish everything up, and then load up the car. it was about 90 degrees, no joke. i felt like my face was going to melt right off, i wondered why i'd even bothered getting my makeup done! we were scared to even take the flowers outside, sure they'd wilt as soon as we walked out the door. but there was nothing to be done about that, so we just cranked the ac and hoped for the best. i was already frenzied by this time. i was supposed to have been back at the manor by 2 or 2:30, and it was already 3 and i hadn't even left the house yet. plus i knew i had to stop for gas on the way, and then make my way through downtown traffic.
here's a sweet story, though. on the way to the highway, i stopped for gas (veil and all). of course the pay-at-the-pump option was "out of order" (it was that kind of day) so i had to go up to the window to pay. when i got back, jason was pumping my gas for me. he said "nobody should have to pump gas on their wedding day." aw, so sweet!
anyway. so, back on the road. i get three or four frantic phone calls while i'm on my way (how i cursed my cell phone that weekend) from various family members asking where i was ("i'm getting there as fast as i can!") that they couldn't start decorating till i got there with the flowers ("i'm getting there as fast as i can!") and that the caterers hadn't arrived yet ("WHAT? did somebody CALL them?"). it was crazy. when i arrived, i was met by a bunch of family and friends milling around, looking nervous. plus, the cake guy was there with our cake, but he couldn't set it up until the frigging caterers got there and put down the linens. we called them again. they said they weren't schedule to arrive until 4:00, they had told us they'd be there by 3. fantastic.
so, they finally arrive (at around 4:10 or so), and we can finally start decorating. thank god i had so many people there to help, because there was no way we could've gotten it all done without them. as it was, i had to take a couple breaks to be alone and let out some frustration, because i didn't think it was going to get done. i was positive i'd just spent the better part of a year planning an event that was going to be a complete failure. people were going to start arriving in just over and hour, and we were just now putting the tablecloths on! but, with all the scurrying, we did manage to get something like a reception hall set up, and it was gorgeous. the whole thing, the tables, the cake, the flowers, it all looked beautiful. thank god.
so, around 5:20 or 5:30, the girls and i head back to the "bride room" to get dressed. we're having a good time, putting our jewelry on and chatting and taking pictures and all that. then i realize i don't have my garter. i can't find it anywhere. so i sent meghan out to look for it (she was so great and helpful over the course of all this madness), and i also get the lady who owns the manor on the case. meghan comes back; nothing. it's not in the car, it's not anywhere. the manor lady (nancy) comes back with a brown paper bag that she'd found, it's full of wedding-looking stuff. she says "could it be in here?" i look in, but it's not in there. then i see a bag that says "littman's jeweler's" on it. i say "no, it's not in here, but these are the rings." meghan says she wants to take pictures of them, so i hand them over, saying "ok, but when you're done, make sure these get to daniel." (the best man)
so, the garter is nowhere to be found. kind of sad, sure, but no tragedy. i get a piece of blue tulle and tie it around my leg for good measure. as a wedding gift brandon gave me his mother's pearls (isn't that such a wonderful gift?), so i wore those as my something old (not exactly ancient, but they would have to do!), and i was all decked out for a wedding.
we're just about ready to go when my mother comes in looking like she'd met an army of the undead in the hallway. she says "i want you to stay calm." (not a good sign.) "i'm just about to make an announcement that we're putting the ceremony off until 6:30. brandon left the rings at the hotel, we're sending somebody to get them." so i say "what are you talking about? meghan has the rings, she's taking pictures of them right now!" oy vey. so there was another crisis averted. brandon had forgotten where he'd put the rings, and they got here in one or another shipment of wedding stuff, but he thought he'd left them at the hotel. thank god nobody was sent to get them before we figured out the chaos. interesting note, though: if i hadn't lost my garter, we never would've found the rings!
so, shortly thereafter, we marched! and that's a story for another time.
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[07 Jun 2004|01:48pm] |
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yes, i've been slacking off on this whole wedding journal thing. a million apologies, if anybody is still reading this. i'm getting the feeling the readership has dropped off since the event is over, but that's perfectly understandable. this thing will still be an excellent way to record our memories, whether we're the only ones reading it or not.
so, on to the rehearsal dinner.
it was lovely. once we got past all the initial madness, it was a delightful evening. all the food was on an asian theme: we got lo mein, pad thai, sushi, veggie rice, and cucumber and cabbage salad. the food was excellent, brandon and i picked our favorite dishes from our favorite restaurants in the area (which is why picking up all the food was such a pain), and it worked out just great. i was so relieved that everybody liked it so much. and, despite all the nay-sayers, the sushi was devoured! yes, all of it - there was none left. not even the raw fish was left over. i was pleased to see that. plus, brandon's mom made some delicious cakes, and brandon himself had made two cheesecakes with raspberry sauce. all were very well received, i don't think anybody left that meal unsatisfied.
anyway, brandon made a short speech and we handed out our thank you gifts, which was fun. it was neat to give some stuff out to the people who really made our wedding happen. i was so glad they all liked their presents so much, it meant a lot to me. so then there was a lot of mingling and taking of pictures, which was lovely, of course. after a while we finally rounded everybody up for the actual rehearsal.
father fred doesn't really believe in rehearsals, he'd told us, so we went ahead and passed instructions on to our parties without him there. our musician (jen) came and practiced a bit, and we did a little processing down a fake aisle and all that kind of fun rehearsal stuff. the pictures from that part of the event are great: lots of images of me gesturing and trying to explain things to people while they look at me like i'm losing my mind. which, to be fair, i probably was. however, we finished up the rehearsal and people started trickling away. i said my goodbyes, went back to our house and packed up a bag, rounded up the folks who were coming with me (con, paige, zach and lauren), and we took off for the hotel.
the drive back was interesting, we had a very loud and crazy singalong in the car, which was really just what i needed then - to be silly. so, i was feeling pretty good by the time we got to the hotel. then we met up with some other people who were staying there (varga and his girlfriend, kate and pete, and then jason came in from his hotel) and hung out for a while. it was great to just sit and talk a bit and chill out, i really didn't want to be alone and be left to stew and worry over wedding issues, so it was really the perfect thing. when people started wandering away to their respective beds, i spent the rest of the evening hanging out with jason and chatting, which was great because i hadn't expected to have any quality time with him. it was nice to catch up, since i hadn't seen him in almost two years. i went to bed around 1:30, i think, and much to my surprise had no trouble at all falling asleep.
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| Brandon Chimes in |
[06 Jun 2004|02:41am] |
I'll start off small, with a little note about my "second-to-last-night-as-a-single-man" party. I had a great time. I was a little nervous at first since I knew it was going to me me and a few close friends and then family, both new and old. The family part had me worried because I wanted it to be fun and entertaining for everyone, but I had only met some of these guys once before...some not at all, and I wasn't sure how the two groups would get along. However, as soon as all of the women were gone (and I say that with a straight face since Rachel is like a slightly more level-headed version of Daniel and Teana is and has always been one of my boys)everyone started drinking, some faster than other, and within minutes it was just a group of loud, laughing people. I also enjoyed the fact that I only lost $1.50 at poker. Kenny ended up robbing my buddies Teana and Adam blind, and I think Dave got away with some cash as well. To tell the truth it was over way too soon for me. All of the men left a little later than they planned and my Dad went to the bedroom and passed out right after. Then it was just me and my bro and a small group of friends hanging out and talking and it kind of felt like being back in college again. The funny thing is that Erin was always a part of my group of friends. I admit that she only really hung out with Teana once back in the day, but when Daniel is around it always feels wierd without Erin there too. The three of us were a very real unit back in Stillwater, and while Erin and I both have fun with Daniel alone the group dynamic really kicks in when the three of us are together and that's when the best fun happens. I respect the rules of the bachelor party and all of that, and I had a really, REALLY great time, but I never forgot that my best friend of all was not present.
Also, as a side note, I pretty much gave up drinking after that night. I had been holding out for the party because I know that you have to drink on that night, but I think that from now on I am sticking to a one drink maximum. In part it is because I am no good at drinking and it is also to protect myself in the future. Erin has told me horror stories about people who have married into the O'Toole side trying to keep up with the family and failing miserably. Heck, I can't even begin to keep up with Erin, so I never want to find myself trying to hold my own with her family. After the wedding, though, I think I could keep up with Tanya and Kim.
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[05 Jun 2004|03:05pm] |
hey everybody! i'm finally here with the pictures i promised. here are a few, and there will be more to come (they're slowly trickling in!) click the link below and enjoy all the weddingy goodness.
( pictures within. )
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[02 Jun 2004|10:53am] |
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well, i've got about an hour before lunch and nothing much to do, so i thought i'd take the time to write down another little wedding story. unfortunately our computer at home is sick and can't get online, so brandon hasn't been able to post his bachelor party story. but, he'll get to it eventually (and hopefully put his two cents in on whatever else i may have mentioned). now, onto friday.
i woke up ridiculously early on friday, after being up ridiculously late. the reason was that we had to be in delaware that morning for my bridal shower. originally there hadn't been one planned, but i'm glad that one was pulled together in the end. i hadn't wanted to say anything, but i was a bit bummed out about not having one! so paige, lauren, megan, tanya and i piled into megan's car, all groggy and sleepy-eyed, and drove in to my mom's house for the shower. it was necessarily short, but lovely nonetheless. my mom had gotten some trays of sandwiches and a cake and lemonade and iced tea, and we (being myself, paige, lauren, megan, beth, kim, bernice, grammie, patti, patti's mom, tanya, and mom) sat around and enjoyed those goodies. after that, the real goodies came - at least for me! i opened my gifts, and they were all great. i got a lot of stuff off my registry that i was very excited about, as well as some really great kitchen gadgets and things like that. my grandmother gave me a church cookbook from her parish (well, the family parish, really) in miramichi, and i was especially excited about that. i won't go down the whole list, but suffice to say i was more than satisfied with everything. in fact, i'd been to enough wedding showers to expect a shower of pyrex and corningware (two things i never use), but i didn't receive a single gift i can't see myself using and enjoying for years to come. i am so grateful to everybody who was there, both for the thoughtful gifts and the plesant morning.
unfortunately, my bridesmaids and i had to leave right away to go get ready for the rehearsal dinner. also on the schedule for that day was the arranging of the flowers, which i had idiotically thought i would have time to do myself! thank god i had such capable bridesmaids, though, because without them i probably would've had a nervous breakdown (well, a worse nervous breakdown) on that friday. i still had shopping to do for various this and thats, plus the flowers (as i mentioned), and the food had to be picked up (from three different restaurants - what were we thinking?), and on and on and on... every time i thought i had a grip on everything that needed to be accomplished that day, my frigging cellphone would ring again! i swear, my cellphone was lucky it didn't get smashed into a wall that weekend. so i ran out to towson to do some last-minute shopping for thank-you gifts and various wedding accessories. on the way home, brandon called and asked me to pick up beer for the rehearsal dinner, so i'm off to the liquor store. when i finally get home, i find that paige and lauren have arranged the flowers and they look GREAT! i was so happy about that, i can't tell you how much better i felt knowing that was taken care of, and taken care of so well. so i settle in to wrap gifts, and my cellphone rings again. brandon wants me to drive to downtown baltimore to pick up some food at red maple (one of our three restaurants), because he can't make it in time. trouble: he has all the money for the food, and he's all the way in columbia. so i take up a collection of everybody in the room and manage to come up with the funds (thank god there are some people in the world who still carry cash, and they happen to be my very generous friends and family!), i ask paige to finish wrapping my gifts for me, hijack lauren and we're off downtown. we get the food, and by the time i get back people have already started arriving for the dinner. i haven't showered, i'm a complete mess, and my nerves are as frazzled as my hair. people keep running in and saying things like "we need sugar! sugar for the coffee! where's the sugar?" and "do you have sweet n' low? is there any sweet n' low?!" and "DO YOU HAVE A CAN OPENER?" all while i'm trying to put my dress on and get the heck over to the party. it was madness. but, as became the theme for the weekend, everything turned out fine. i got to the clubhouse and saw to my surprise and delight that it was beautifully decorated, the food was all there, the tables were set, and it looked just great. i wasn't the only one working hard that day, that's for sure! i was called on to mix some drinks and arrange some food, but overall the stress stopped once i walked in the door. thank god.
i feel like (and i'm sure you do too) this chapter is quite long enough, so i'm going to stop here. details on the rehearsal and dinner to come.
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| episode one of many, i'm sure. |
[01 Jun 2004|04:19pm] |
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well, as we promised, the wedding journal is not dead. we plan to write memories and stories as they come to us, rather than just write everything we can think of in one big long entry. it's as much for us as anybody else (probably more for us, really), because it'll be nice to record things as we remember them, so that we can look back on it later, and maybe the images from the wedding and honeymoon won't fade away like they might if we didn't make a record of our recollections. so, that said, here goes.
i might as well start with the bachelorette party, which was the first really "weddingy" event, and which was great. it turns out all megan's scheming and sneaking around worked perfectly because i had no idea what the surprise was, and was completely shocked when i walked out my front door and saw a snazzy black stretch limo waiting to whisk us away! and let me tell you (as i've told everybody else who's stood still long enough to listen), it was a rock star limo, not a businessman limo. it had dim lights and little stars on the ceiling, and glasses and ice and a bar. and leather seats! myself, tanya, megan, paige, lauren and con all made ourselves comfortable in the back and had an excellent time on our way to the party. the plan originally was to go to jillian's, this bar/arcade/all-around fun spot in a mall near the hotel, but that didn't work out. megan and meghan could only get in in if we got there before 8:30 (being under 21), and since the limo driver was late picking us up (and took the long way), we didn't make the deadline. some people suggested that the over-21's go in and meet up with meg(h)ans later, but i would not do that. after megan had worked so hard putting the whole thing together, there was no way i was going to ditch her like that. plus, i knew that either way we'd have a good time, so we might as well stick together! so we all piled into our cars and headed back to the hotel. the room was decorated in a tropical theme, and we all wore leis and drank coconut rum and pina coladas out of hurricane glasses, it was really a good time. we played a few games, listened to some music - it was low-key, but nice. i was so appreciative of everybody being there for me that night, i couldn't have been more satisfied. so, yay for that. after a while people started trickling out, though, or needing to go to sleep, so paige and i sat outside for a while and chatted, which was also a great time. it was good to have a little qt with her, and talk about how i was feeling about the big day fast approaching. i felt very good about things in general by the time i fell asleep a little shy of three a.m.
brandon has his party with the boys the same night, and i'm told they had a very good time as well, but i won't comment on that. he'll have to make his own entry!
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[23 May 2004|02:03pm] |
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hey everybody! brandon and i are off to florida for our honeymoon. upon our return we'll be updating this journal with all kinds of stories and pictures, so stay tuned! love you all, bye! :)
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[19 May 2004|10:42pm] |
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holy crap, the wedding is really soon! the day after the day after tomorrow!
there is so much stuff still to do, my head is spinning. it's like everywhere i go there are five people waiting to ask me ten questions each about this or that wedding-related thing, and i want to hide in a closet and say "no! you do it!" i know it's my day and everybody just wants to help and make it perfect for me, but it's really not my style to make all these decisions, and it's stressing me out to be the one who's supposedly in charge of this whole production. i can't even decide what i want to do with my hair. i just want to drink and dance and be married.
and when i get too stressed, i just have to remind myself what everybody i've spoken to in the last month has said to me: it'll be great, it'll be beautiful, remember to take it all in, don't get too stressed out, it'll all come together, etc, etc, etc. it doesn't really help that much, but i tell myself anyway.
the one really nice thing is having all this family around. i like having a full house like this, and visiting and talking and all that. i am very grateful that so many people made the long trip to be here for me, it makes me feel very special. and i know it will make the day all the more special too, if i survive to see it!
the reception music is coming along. we've picked out the songs but not the order. brandon got the wedding license. i spoke with the caterer today and made final arrangements. i spoke with the lady at the manor and made arrangements with her, too. i still haven't filled out the seating cards. daniel refuses to write down his speech, and it's freaking me out. i have to pick people up at the airport tomorrow. megan won't give me any idea as to what's going to go on at the bachelorette party, she's acting like 007! but i'm sure it will be great. the flowers are due to arrive tomorrow.
stuff and stuff and more stuff!
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| five days! |
[17 May 2004|09:38am] |
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well, it's wedding week and the wedding madness has officially started. brandon's mom and aunt claudette arrived on saturday night, daniel and his girlfriend are due in today, and tanya, peter, ken and bernice are due in to my parents' this evening as well. we've had a crazy weekend. on saturday morning i had my final dress fitting, and i'm more than satisfied with the dress. i've finally gotten to put it on when it fits! i think it looks lovely, and i hope everybody else will too. i just love the train; it turns out i'm more of a girly-girl than i thought. anyway, after the fitting my mom and megan and i went out shopping, which was great too. i got a few outfits for the events surrounding the wedding, and i really like them (it's hard to wait to wear them!). i also got the supplies i need to make flower arrangements (and the supplies jason needs to make bouquets and boutonnieres and corsages), and some more decorating stuff for the venue. and i got some disposable cameras to put on the guest tables. i want lots of pictures!
sunday i spent the day with brandon's mom, which was lovely. i'd never really gotten a chance to spend much time with her before, so it was nice to hang out and bond. we went out to lunch, then did some more shopping around for wedding stuff. it was a good day, overall. today, she and claudette and brandon are going to go do some more of the same, as well as get out to the courthouse in howard county to pick up the marriage license. that's kind of important.
there's still lots to do and now that i've got company i'm getting more worried about finding the time to do it in. if you can believe it, we still haven't got the playlist for the reception together, and i still haven't filled out the seating cards. we also have about a million little things to tie tulle bows around, plus we have to put jordan almonds in little organza bags and things that seemed so cute and fun at the time but now are just one more thing to do! but of course in the end i'm sure it will all look lovely and i'll be glad we found the time to do it all.
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[14 May 2004|04:19pm] |
well, i'm going to delaware tonight. tomorrow morning, i'll get up early to take jake for a doctor's appointment and grooming, and then it's off to my final dress fitting. i'm excited about that. after the fitting, it's shopping time. i have to get some clothes for wedding events and honeymooning, but i also think i want to pick up some more decorative stuff for the event. brandon and i went to the manor last night to do a final walkthrough and plot things out more definitely, and we decided we definitely have more room for decorating than we thought. we need more tulle! so i'm hoping to get something along those lines.
i guess i don't need to say i can't believe it's friday, but i really can't.
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[12 May 2004|04:02pm] |
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i believe this is something by journey. "separate ways"? |
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ten days until the big event. brandon's mom arrives in three. on that same day, i'll have my final dress fitting. we have a few things to get done between now and then, but i think it will be fine. i'm sure it will.
i'm just a little weirded out about it. the whole thing. i start to feel a little woozy when i think about waking up and thinking "it's my wedding day." and looking in the mirror and saying "this is what i looked like when i got married." and seeing what the weather is like that day. and what kind of mood everybody's in. putting on my dress for real. i'd never thought about concrete details like this before. the weekend after this one, i'm going to wake up and spend the whole day noticing things i'm going to remember forever. when i'm old, and my kids or grandkids are getting married, i'll say "the day i got married, blah blah blah..." and those details, which are to happen very soon, are indelible. honestly, it makes me feel dizzy. i can't explain the feeling any better than that. i guess i have to keep focusing on filling out the seating cards and coordinating things with the cake guy and the caterer, because if i think too hard about the actuality of the day, i'll lose my mind.
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[11 May 2004|04:23pm] |
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well, we've had a productive couple of days. i'm starting to calm down a little bit (for now), and i'm thinking maybe we will get everything done after all. i ended up doing the seating chart last night, and it's more or less finished. i have to do a little bit more switching around before i'm completely satisfied, but overall it's coming along. hopefully by the end of tonight i'll be able to start writing up the seating cards. it's tricky trying to get everybody seated with somebody they know, or if they don't know anybody, at least seating them with people they'd get along with. it's been a neat process, trying to imagine how these people will all interact, but i think it should be ok. i don't expect any drama.
also, we went to father fred's last night, which was great as always. we went over the ceremony and made sure we were all on the same page. that was really important to us, because we have to pass on those instructions to everybody involved in the wedding, since we're not having a rehearsal. we reviewed the whole thing, and i'm sure it's going to go smoothly - it's nothing too complicated, anyway. and i finished writing our vows and prayers of the faithful yesterday, too, so that's one more thing crossed off the list.
i think now the focus (for the next day or so, anyway) is going to be getting the house cleaned up for company, and assembling the favors. brandon made some important calls today and settled a few things, so most of the things i had been concerned about are taken care of. i've been able to chill out a bit today, and just think how fun it will be when i've got so many family and friends visiting the city where i live! i can't wait.
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