We did it! Saturday was our big day, and it went off with only a few tiny bumps (more on that below). Like everyone says, the day FLEW by. It was an incredibly busy weekend, and now I am back at work for three days before we head to Mexico.
Highlights:
Our photographer. He is AMAZING. He put together a slideshow on his iPad of photos he took earlier in the day, so people could look at them. Everyone was in awe. This guy was running around all day (including chasing after the guys in golf carts while they were golfing), climbing on train cars... He captured some amazing shots, and we only saw a few of them! I cannot wait to see all the photos in 5-6 weeks. I'll be posting his photos here once we get them.
The bartenders, and our caterer, were just amazing. Super nice people, really attentive.
Father-daughter dance: My dad didn't know what song I picked (Will You Be There by Michael Jackson, we used to dance around the living room to it when I was a kid). His face the moment he realized what we were dancing to was priceless.
The weather was perfect! Low 80's, a slight breeze, and it cooled off to the 60s after sunset. (the reception was indoors, though, so I guess it didn't matter).
Our cake. H's mom is a mastermind. We gave her creative control, with the one caveat that we didn't want fondant, and she just went to town. Our photographer said it was one of the best cakes he has ever seen and photographed.
I'm MARRIED! It was a fabulous day, and a very busy weekend. It was super cute watching H fiddle with his wedding band all night; he's not a ring person, but I LOVE seeing the ring on his finger And people have told me that while you may think being married will feel the same as being engaged, it totally feels different - and they are right. It's pretty cool.
So, our few teensy speed bumps:
1. Our venue is right on the Union Pacific train track; because of national security, they do not make timetables available. RIGHT when the bridal party was lining up to walk in to the ceremony, I heard a train horn in the distance. My dad and I were standing there, cracking up, because it was literally the worst time a train could come. Luckily it was not super loud and didn't blast its horn right by the venue, and my dad (officiant) was mic'd and loud enough that it wasn't a problem. I actually thought it was pretty amusing, in an ironic sort of way.
2. We completely forgot to get mint and simple syrup for mint juleps, one of our three cocktails. The bartender came up to us at the start of cocktail hour to ask where they were, and H and I just looked at each other and said, "Oh, fuck." So they crossed it off the menu, and we went on with the party. We heard from BIL after that he just figured the mint juleps were so popular that they ran out quickly.
3. On Thursday night, H and I had a bunch of friends over after our bachelor/ette activities. One of our friend's dogs ate part of the chocolate layer of our cake, so MIL had to re-bake that layer on Friday. But at least it was only one layer, and not the whole thing!
And so we're done! Off to Mexico in 3 days, and I am SO looking forward to life getting back to normal after that. Photos attached, and I promise to post more when we get the professional ones back.