Saturday was the most amazing day ever! We really lucked out with weather (thanks for the vibes) and almost everything went exactly as planned. There were a few minor hiccups during the day, but if the biggest thing that went wrong was the coordinator starting the music 4 minutes early, then things went pretty smoothly.
The day started at the salon with all but one BM. I had breakfast while my hair was being done. Everyone was done almost an hour earlier than planned, which was great. Unfortunately, we lost 40 minutes of time when there were some challenges paying at the end. I stood there for over a half hour while the owner had extreme difficulty figuring out how much I had to pay her (I had paid $70 deposit and had proof but she just couldn't get it). I knew how much I had to pay her, and I was getting incredibly frustrated because I wanted lunch before putting my dress on, but she just didn't understand. Finally, one of my BMs stepped in and got nasty on my behalf because she could tell I was getting anxious about the time.
The getting dress process started later than I wanted, which caused my mom to not be dressed when the limo got there. She ended up making us leave 10 minutes later than planned, which cut into pre-ceremony picture time. It was so bright where we had planned to do pictures that we gave up and finished them later at the reception.
As soon as the limo got up to the top of the hill, I had to shoo the BMs and my MIL out of the limo. Come to find out, my coordinator had started the prelude music at 2:26 instead of 2:30. I had timed the music exactly so that the BMs processional song would start at 3:00, but it started early. We all ended up walking down the aisle to my song. Oh well. No one knew the difference but probably wondered why my BMs all walked down the aisle pretty quickly/close together.
The ceremony was beautiful. Neither of us cried. We actually had to do everything in our power to not crack up laughing. There's something about staring at someone for an extended period of time that brings out the giggles in me. We did most of the formal pictures after, but ended up leaving a few for the reception so H and I could get going with our pictures. Before we left, my mom and DOC bustled my dress...AND FOUND A TICK! Thank god the DOC found that...made up for starting the music 4 minutes early that's for sure!
The reception was a blast. The coordinator at the reception venue is AMAZING! The food was fantastic and H and I shared our dinners so we could have both the chicken and the pork. The cake was delicious as well...I'm about to go have a leftover piece for breakfast! I danced all night long, and my family did not disappoint on the dance floor. I was a little bummed by how early a lot of people left. By 8, it was mostly family and the WP that remained. I was also a little disappointed that so many people didn't say bye.
I received so many compliments about the day. Family members were gushing about it, friends said they were blown away by how perfect everything was and how we had thought about every little detail, we heard compliments left and right. Our candy buffet was a HUGE hit. That was a surprise for everyone! The BMs wife, who has celiacs, and my RB who has a tree nut allergy, were thankful that we had marked candy that they could eat.
At the end of the night, the staff helped cart everything up to our room, where we found some fruit, cheese, and a bottle of sparkling wine waiting for us. After showering, we sat on the floor and opened gifts while enjoying the snacks.
