I'm the kind of person who over-anticipates. I build things up in my head until there is no way the reality can match the imagined. I get fired up for birthdays and other celebratory occasions only to find that they are never quite as exciting as I think they will be. So for the wedding I tried to prepare myself. I tried to tell myself that things would go wrong, but they'd be okay. I tried to remind myself that I don't live in fairytale world and am not a multi-millionaire, I tried to be realistic.
But really there was no need for that, because our wedding was absolutely perfect. It was amazing, fabulous, and even better than I ever could have imagined or dreamed. Even if I had been a multi-millionaire, I wouldn't have changed one single thing about it. It was that good. And nothing went wrong. Or if it did, I didn't know about it, or didn't think of it as going wrong. It just happened and it just was. So one of the chandeliers was missing a globe. And so it was a little hot out on the dance floor. But I didn't care. And that means a lot considering I'm obsessive-compulsive and tend to harbor on the negative. Seriously, I had the time of my life.
I could gush on and on, but I'm just going to take a little time and let you know what I thought made it so fabulous.
1. When else will so many of the people you care about be in the same place at the same time? I had friends from home, from Rice, from my year in Greece, and from other places in between, along with family, there to celebrate with me. Jeff had friends from his years in Hawaii, from growing up in Bainbridge, from school, and from Sweden, along with family, there to celebrate with him. There were a few people who couldn't make it that we would have liked to have there (and we missed you), but overall we were so lucky to have so many people we cared about in one place at one time. And by keeping it small, we were able to have it be the people we really did care about and not just every Tom, Dick, and Harry we've ever met. So know that if you were there, we consider you to be particularly special.
2. We got to have three days of celebration. I love that our wedding wasn't just one quick day that was over before we knew it. I loved celebrating with our wedding party at the rehearsal dinner on Thursday. Everyone had me rolling with their stories, and the atmosphere was amazing. My dad roasted Jeff good. My brothers had a ball making fun of me - and saying some really nice things. Kate and D even sang. Then on Friday, it was fabulous to be able to spend time with everyone at my parent's house and at the ball game. The day was relaxing, and we were able to actually talk to and hang out with the people who had traveled so far to be there for us. Plus, it was really great to get to have so many of our diverse groups of friends come together and get to know each other. It made our lives seem a little more connected.
3. Our wedding ceremony was personal and reflected us. We asked only our closest friends to stand up with us as bridesmaids and groomsmen. We chose readings that reflected our beliefs and feelings, and we had dear friends read them. We found a minister who took the time to get to know us and reflected that knowledge in his comments. We picked out music that suited our tastes rather than sticking to the stock choices. We had the wedding outside in a location that felt perfect for us.
4. We made decisions based on what we wanted and not on what was expected. We had pictures of our parents and grandparents on their wedding days on our cake table. We had a cake with chocolate icing. We served only beer and wine, but put a lot of thought into our selections. We didn't do a bouquet or garter toss. I didn't do the old, new, borrowed, and blue thing. I wore a simple, non-strapless dress (gasp...yes there are a few of those still in existence these days). Jeff wore grey.
5. We, along with most everyone else, got to dance all night long. One of the things I really wanted was a packed dance floor, and that's what I got. I had a blast dancing with Jeff and my friends and family. The Proud Mary rolling dance was absolutely hilarious, and if you didn't see my dad tearing up the dance floor, you missed out.
6. I have a fabulous family who made my wedding perfect. My brothers and dad all pitched in and took care of many things, especially when it came to set up, and they never complained. Well, they gave me a hard time about my schedules, but never complained. My mom did more things than I can name, making my gorgeous veil and my table runners, cutting out nearly a thousand pages for the programs, finding and contacting vendors, and helping with absolutely everything. It was a whole family effort, which could not have been pulled off without them.
7. Jeff and I got married. That was the whole point of this afterall. Even if it had poured down rain, the DJ been terrible, and the cake fallen over, this would still have happened and the day would still have been successful (though not nearly as fun). And now, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, we've got each other for all the days of our lives. What more could I ask for?
