Hello Ladies!
First, let me say congratulations to everyone that's had their big day and to everyone that's had some major checks and timeline milestones while I've been away! I've been with you in thought!
I've missed you all and I have been frantically trying to find time to get back on the boards to tell you all about my day! Recaps were some of my favorite posts so I wanted to be sure to pop back in so you would all know how your support and ideas helped to make my day memorable! I'll pick up where I signed off the Saturday before the wedding. So here goes:
Saturday evening my mom hosted a meet-and-greet at the hotel for our families and out of town guests. My two teenage BM's and I checked into the presidential suite for the night. The gathering was very nice and everybody had a great time. FI and I were able to relax and enjoy our guests as the evening wound down. My family moved the after party to one of their rooms but I couldn't get caught up in that because I had a really early morning and I wanted to be well-rested to look my best. It was hard not to hang out with them, but I really did want some down time with my daughter before all the hoopla started the next day. I couldn't believe I almost cried when I said goodnight to FI in the parking lot. I was acting like I wasn't going to see him for a long time, even though I knew he would be standing at the end of the aisle the very next morning. I guess I was so used to doing everything wedding-related with him, that I was a little misty when the time came for my solo act.
As we were getting ready for bed, my daughter gave me a bracelet to wear for my something old/something borrowed. It was one that I had given her when she was very little, with two dangling heart charms that represented the two of us. She told me how happy she was that I had found somebody to make me happy because I had always put everything into making her happy and now it was my turn. She said she was proud of how far she and I made it, because we were both very sad when her dad and I divorced and neither of us would have ever guessed I would have room in my heart for someone else again. Let's just say that I was a mess, crying and all. That girl is my heart!
I gave her the infinity necklace I'd bought for her as a reminder that, even though I was getting married, my love for her is endless. We cried some more, and after I made sure I had everything packed up for the morning, we went to bed.
I had a pretty hard time falling asleep because, even though I was tired, I was excited. I woke up at 4:30am even though my clock was set for 5:50. I checked email, surfed the net, and read TK posts until it was time to get moving. My DOC had scheduled my wakeup call for 6am, so I texted her that I was up and got in the shower at 5:50. I got the girls up shortly thereafter and we checked out and headed to the venue.
We arrived right on time at 7am. The florist had been there the night before and put out some of the centerpieces, so I was able to get an idea of how things looked. The control freak in me was happy about that.
I was so calm that everything seemed surreal. My makeup artist was the first to arrive and we got started. My hair stylist called about 7:05 because she had missed a turn and wasn't sure how to get to the venue. I didn't panic because she wasn't far away. She got there by 7:15 and started on the BM's hair while the makeup artist finished with me.
My DOC was constantly checking in with me and sending me pictures of how things were coming together. That was great! She let me know when all my vendors had arrived and everything went very smoothly. The florist had a few extra flowers and wanted to know if I'd like them as a cake topper, so my DOC brought me a photo of the cake as it was, and a photo of the extra flowers so I could decide. I decided yes.
That was the only thing anybody had to consult me on while I was getting ready and if anything went wrong, I didn't hear about it. The vibe in the room was calm and I was ready for the photographers with plenty of time to spare.
I sent FI his gift (engraved cufflinks) by the DOC and she returned with one for me (diamond earrings) along with the sweetest card I've ever read. I'd had a hard time deciding on which of three pairs of earrings to wear but I knew once my hair and makeup were done and the birdcage was on which ones were the right choice. Now y'all know when I opened those earrings I was expected to put them on right then. Everybody in the room said I should, and I know he was expecting me to, but the ones I already had on were perfect for my vintage look and even though the ones he gave me were beautiful, they didn't fit with my look. So I kept the ones I had on and rolled with them. It was a good choice. I did feel bad, and I was hella worried that he would be disappointed but I was feeling like a million bucks once my look came together so I decided to chance it. Of course, he wore the cufflinks I gave him, despite my message (through the DOC) that I didn't expect him to switch out the Swarovskis that he'd chosen for those. Again, I felt bad and worried, but wasn't swayed. lol
So the photographer was supposed to start photos with FI and his mother at 9am. FMIL was running late and had not arrived (wth?) so they spent a bit more time with me. That was fun. After photos of the girls and I, we returned to the dressing room to find one of my friends/coworkers in there. WTH? She was being nosey, claiming to have been looking for the restroom. There was NO WAY she could have stumbled upon that dressing room as it was on a whole different floor from where the guests were. So she saw me, but whatever.....
The weather was beautiful! We couldn't have asked for a more perfect morning! Here's the view for the ceremony:
From the time I got ready til the time the ceremony started, it seemed like things were moving in slow motion. I had lots of time to spare, and I kept wanting to peek.
I didn't realize how much I LOVED my dress until I had everything on and moved around in it! I couldn't wait for FI to see me! Every time the DOC would come to check on me or give me an update, I would think she was coming to tell me let's go. lol And finally, it was time! My daughter escorted me down the aisle. Here we are:
And here's my baby:
He was wiping tears by the time I got to the altar. I wanted to hug him right then, but I stuck to the program. lol
The ceremony FLEW by! I planned it to be short, sweet, and simple, but when I was in the moment, I wished time would stop!
The only snags were that the preacher mispronounced my name the entire time (it's pronounced Tonya but it's spelled Tanya, so even though he knows me, I guess he'd never seen my name in writing and he called me TANya the whole ceremony)....CRINGE!....and after the kiss, he didn't present us so we were just standing there for a few seconds. Like this:
I looked back at him and he looked like he was done, so we bailed. lol
Something that I didn't notice at the time was all those empty chairs. When people started sending me photos, I was like WTH? Everybody that RSVP'd showed up except for five people and we had the exact number of seats, so what's up with the empty chairs? Turns out about 15 of
y'all's people were late and had to watch from the veranda above. I was determined to start on time, so at 9:59, the DOC shut it down and anybody that came after that couldn't get downstairs. We had to pay for those chairs so I wish I would have known there weren't going to be butts in all of them.....lol
So anyway, after that, we took photos on the patio with the wedding party and immediate family and then hubby and I left in a golf cart with the photographers to take our photos on the course. I posted the photographer's sneak peak, but here's one page from the course:
And don't forget the shoes:
After photos, we were ready to get on to the reception. The kids (our WP) had a little choreographed entrance to This Is How We Do It and FI and I came in to 4Evermore. Everything was beautiful and I was so happy to see how it all came together! My daughter (MOH) gave a tear-jerker speech, FI's son (BM) and cousin gave really good speeches and FI's BFF gave a heartfelt toast. FI thanked everyone, including our parents and kids, and then surprised me with "Last but not least, to my beautiful bride....." He thanked me for taking a chance on him and said he is a better man because of me..... and some other stuff I can't remember because I was concentrating on not having the cry face. lol
Here are a few highlights:
Da Wobble:
Follow me (I showed out on this song....surprised my own self...lol):
All in all, it was a perfect day! We did try to stop periodically to take it all in and steal a few private moments, but it really does fly by no matter how you try to slow the time. Even though the party was jumpin', guests left kind of early and the reception ended long before we had planned. I had to have the DOC call the hotel and have them cancel the return shuttles because the guests that had come on them had gotten a ride back to the hotel. We had the place until 4 but it was over by about 2:30. I guess people wanted to enjoy the rest of their Memorial Day Sunday afternoon. We hadn't planned a special exit anyway so we said our good-byes and got ready to leave. I was really sad to leave my daughter and felt kind of guilty for not planning to return to the hotel to hang out with our OOT guests later that evening. But I got over it and we were outta there!
We checked into the Westin for the night, and went out for a nice dinner at Delta's downtown, to which I wore my new diamond earrings!
I sure hated to take my wedding dress off though! lol
We left for our honeymoon the next morning. We stayed 7 days at Iberostar Grand Bavaro in P*unta Cana, Dominican Republic, which was da bomb.com, but that's a whole different post and lots more photos than you all probably care to see. lol Can't resist sneaking in a few of my favs though:
So thanks for reading this far and letting me relive my perfect wedding day! I've been feeling kind of sad that it's all over and writing this has helped me snap out of it! lol I'm going to make y'all proud of me by not asking the 5 no-shows for my money when I see them, even though I want to be like whassup with that?? lol
I can't wait to catch up on the posts I've missed while I've been away! And again, thanks to all of you for listening to all my vents, helping me find the perfect shoes (which I wore almost the entire reception), giving me good ideas, and helping me make decisions! You all are invaluable and I wish you the very, very best bountiful blessings in your marriages and in your lives!