We were married Sunday and the whole day was a complete fairytale. Woke up around 9:15 and spent the morning working on finalizing our slideshow with my feet up. My mother arrived at 11:30 to take me to lunch and then to the salon. The salon (Josephine's Day Spa on Eldridge) was very calm and serene, which helped me stay calm and kept my headaches and nausea at bay (I've been super-sick and on bedrest since July). My hair and makeup went perfectly, just what I wanted. Svetlana, my hair stylist, was amazing - very reassuring and created exactly what I had envisioned.
My bridesmaids all arrived on time and were awesome! All I had to do was pretty much sit and relax and they did EVERYTHING! The evening flowed smoothly from there. Photographer did our first look inside on the grand staircase as well as lots of BM shots. Then he took the groomsmen outside for their goofy pics. I was a bit bummed later not to get outside pics of us but, realistically, it was much better for me to rest. I sat down in the dressing room while his mother, stepmother and others came in to visit and my BMs ran around making sure everything was set up properly.
The ceremony was great. My son, the Ring Bear, was so excited. He raced up and gave his new stepfather a huge hug at the altar before the ceremony started. My Dad and I were both super calm walking down the aisle and the vows went very smoothly. John and I were both so happy and it was incredible.
We did have a few no shows but it worked out because there was an extra seat at each table for me to sit and mingle without having to be on my feet all night.
Honestly, other than getting a little sick out in the sun after the ceremony and having to cut post-ceremony pics a bit short, the whole evening was magical. The food was incredible. All of our guests mingled (hooray for buffet!) and seemed to be enjoying themselves. They danced a lot and I was able to move around and sit at almost every table to visit for a little while. I only had to take one pain pill during the reception.
Our venue coordinator at Pine Forest Country Club helped keep everyone in line. The DJ (Jason from DJs Unlimited) was fantastic and did everything we wanted, including turning the Best Man down when he requested a song on our "do not play" list. Yay! And our photographer (Abdul - Kreative Angle Photography) dogged us throughout the night without intruding in the slightest. Everywhere we were, he was nearby to catch a hug, a laugh or a smile with one of our guests without forcing posed shots. I can't wait to see all of his pictures!!
In the meantime, here are a few pictures of the evening shared by some friends.
Ring "Bear"
I'm just grateful we made it through and baby stayed in. We went to OB today and, barring any emergencies, induction is scheduled for Friday, October 22 (38 weeks). I am on pretty strict bed rest until then.