jadecat | The Big Day

I had trouble sleeping (go figure) in part because I had a few lines from Evanescence's "Imaginary" stuck in my head. Then the day dawned, slightly chilly and overcast. Argh! Ah well, we'd make due! We got up, and of course were rushing around. I did manage to grab a bowl of cereal for breakfast- having read many, many warnings about brides who didn't eat. I gathered the pictures for my hair style, then we headed over to the hotel my parents were staying at. Luckily the hair place I had chosen was just up the road. A note to self would be something along the lines of 'you should have spent the money and checked the place out first.' Live and learn, though I don't think I'll need a bridal up-do for myself ever again... :)

Dad and Steve headed out to do their errands in the minivan (and apparently had enough time to stop at Big Boy for breakfast...) while Mom and I went to do ours. Got to the hair place and was a little discouraged because the chick was so young. But I bravely went forward. Unfortunately she couldn't do the styles I liked, so I went for a simple bun with two small braids coming from my temples and going backwards. She did try to do the bun, and in the end it wasn't really stable enough in the back, and the braids were french braids, which I didn't expect. But everyone said they looked great. :)

After the hair it was time to run to Kroger to buy some extra flowers. It was fun running around in a white oxford, pajama pants and my hair all done with the veil stuck in the top. :) They didn't quite have the flowers I wanted, but I found a bouquet to rip apart to decorate the cake and cake table. So it was all good. Then off to the apartment to get clothes and make-up, plus mom was going to change there.

While there Steve called from the florist- they didn't have our order. Not that it hadn't come in- it had never been placed. See, they moved stores from the time we ordered and our wedding day- they went from one location to two, somehow our order got pushed into the back of a drawer and missed. There was a delivery guy there who happened to remember us, and found the order. Luckily Steve was there and not me because I would have lost it, he got them to agree to get the arrangements together (though they had to go to their other branch) and delivered to the Turner Dodge House, with a discount. Which was good, because initially I was crying about it. Stress makes me teary... They weren't sure they were going to be able to get the purple roses I wanted. The phone calls came up while we were heading out and I was driving over to Turner Dodge. My mom was trying to cheer me up, telling me that she had to look at her wedding book to even remember what her flowers looked like- since she couldn't have the Lilies of the Valley she wanted (they would have had to have been flown in from Hawaii or something).

Phone calls flew back and forth between Steve and I, and in the end I left his tux at the apartment. Which was silly, because that meant he had to go back there and it was out of his way. It's safe to say that I wasn't really thinking clearly. In any case, while I drove I was playing with the penny I was going to put into my shoe. It helped to calm me down a bit, and to realize that this wasn't a huge disaster. When we got there Steve's sis and her hubby, and

losgunna and her bf were there- but Steve and dad weren't. So we put them to work best we could while I ran upstairs to do make-up and dress. Though I was delayed by everyone asking me questions I didn't know the answers to. Then Steve and dad showed up and all was good. I left Steve to handle things and my 'girls' and I (plus mom!) went upstairs to the 'Bride Room' to get me ready. Mom would have preferred that they help more downstairs, but I was glad for the company. Our official photographer Dwight (great guy!) and the unofficial photographers

royal_jester and hubby, took photos of the getting ready process.

We were ready, but the weather was just barely sunny. However, a decision was made to do the wedding outdoors anyway, right in front of the water fountain like we'd wanted. We'd been dithering about that all morning, early afternoon. I was getting a bit jittery- though not nervous. I was excited. It was time to head downstairs, and my sister and I had a moment after everyone else left. She wanted to tell me how proud she was of me, and how much she loved me. Very nearly made me cry (but I was ready with a hanky in one hand!). :) Then she left to join everyone else. I took a couple deep breaths and headed downstairs, then another pause to breathe before going outside.

There was no processional music, so it took people a moment to realize I was walking down the aisle, all by myself. I saw the Judge (Sis-in-law M's dad) standing there, and then there was Steve, looking so handsome in his tux, waiting for me. I smiled, and just didn't stop smiling for quite some time. I stood there, smiling, staring at him, listening to the Judge- kinda. (It's a good thing Steve's bro-in-law was videotaping the ceremony because I have no memory of what was actually said). It was funny, we had asked the Judge to refer to us by our full names, well he got me right but just called hubby by just his first name- Neil. This did throw me a little. I had a hanky with me, just in case, and it was a good thing I had it- Steve started to cry. I didn't, cause he was. If that makes sense. I gave him my hanky, and the Judge declared it wasn't a wedding if no one cried. When I needed my hands I just put my hand, with bouquet, behind me and asked someone to 'take this' without even looking. Luckily someone (

mightyafrodite I think) was there, and snagged it.

Then there was the exchanging of rings, and the kiss.

Joy bubbled up in me, it felt like champagne. Pictures had to be taken, I lifted the hem of my dress, as I hummed flight of the bumblebee under my breath, and walked on the damp grass. It was a good thing I was supposed to be smiling- I couldn't seem to stop. So many pictures were taken, and I just kept humming and laughing and smiling. Then the rest of the guests arrived.

We were inside, and somehow my new hubby and I got separated by people who wanted our attention. I was calm and secure, and so happy, that I didn't mind not having him right next to me. Why should I mind when I had forever? Those that know us well are probably very amused at how giddy we were. I finally took a moment to sit in a corner near the buffet to grab something to eat, and to just sit for a moment. Hubby found me and came to say a few words, a scene the photographer Dwight captured very well. In the photos it looks like Hubby is trying to convince me to come out from hiding in the corner.

There was cake cutting. It was so cool, my Sis-in-law M let me borrow her 18th century cake knife. Very amazing. We nicely fed each other- there were threats about the messy feeding thing. That whole smashing the cake thing is beyond not cool to me.

mightyafrodite assisted in the cutting of the cake for everyone else. Though she didn't get to use the antique cake-cutter, I took it and washed it for me. Yes, me in my pretty, pretty princess dress did 'dishes.' I was highly amused. People talked, I talked a lot, I smiled more that day than I ever had before, and my feet began to hurt.

Before I knew it, people were slowly heading out, the day was coming to a close and it was time to clean up the T-D House. The presents (people were so generous!) were loaded into my car, and my parents'. The original plan for for the newlyweds to head right to our wedding night hotel from Turner Dodge. But I hadn't packed the overnight bag or anything (who me, procrastinate?), so instead we had to head back to the apartment, feed the kitties, and then head off for the wedding night. My parents came with us since we ran out of room in our car for all the presents... Many people helped clean up and the Turner Dodge employee was given one of the centerpieces (small cactii) and a piece of cake as a thank you.

On the way to the apartment there was a slight disagreement between the newlyweds! We were driving back home, with my parents ahead of us, and Steve realized he forgot to tell my mom about a turn, and they didn't really know the route back to the apartment... Luckily she had her cell phone and so did I. I tried to give directions over the phone, but didn't know what I was saying, and was trying to talk to her and Steve at the same time. Which only caused more confusion. Steve then annoyed me by running a nearly red light and then stopping for a yellow! But neither one of us wanted to be upset with the other- on that day of all days. So I did the smart thing and gave the phone to him so he could talk to my mom directly. We all got to the apartment safely. One of the first things I did was to change into comfy shoes. Then we trudged up and down the stairs to unload the presents. I, by the way, was determined to say in my wedding dress until we got to the hotel. Saying goodbye to my mom and dad was rather emotional, and she called me Mrs. Nelson, nearly making me cry.

Our wedding night was at the Sheraton. We weren't completely sure where exactly it was, and we drove by it the first time... oops. When checking in we saw another wedding couple enter- though they looked far more stressed and wiped out than we were. Which meant Steve and I had to chuckle about having lower key wedding than the other couple likely had. We got to our room and Steve had arranged for a wedding basket to be there. There was champagne (sparkling white wine if you must), cheese, crackers, some chocolates... I changed into a 'for Steve's eyes only' nightie and we had some champagne (first alcohol of the day! there wasn't any at T-D) and cheese and crackers. We laughed, we talked...

They say only 1 in 4 couples actually has sex on their wedding night. What can I say, he liked the nightie... ;)