My alarm was set to go off at 7:30 a.m.; however, I was wide-awake about ten minutes until 7:00 on the morning of. I’m talking wide-awake. I continued to lie in bed for a few minutes, just bracing myself for the excitement of the day. I could hear mom and dad up stirring… so I decided to hop on up and embrace all that was about to come.
As soon as I was up, Dad gave me a really sweet card, which I will cherish forever. It was a perfect way to start the day, and then mom gave me a sweet card… and then Harley said he didn’t think about it but if he had he would have gotten me a really sweet card too. (I didn’t hold it against him).
Once up, mom and dad chatted with me for a bit before they announced that they had things to do. Dad made signs, upon my request, to direct guest to the reception venue which needed to be put up and Mom had to head to Five Star (reception venue) to oversee some finishing touches.
And there I was alone on the morning of my wedding… but not for long. I decided to hop in the car and head to my grandmothers. I knew she would be great company and I was right. As soon as I walked in door of her house, I could smell the bacon, eggs, and homemade biscuits in the air. She was just finishing up breakfast and about to sit down and enjoy all her hard work. This worked out perfect, as I got to have breakfast with my grandmother on the morning of my wedding. I will always have that memory.
After breakfast, I decided to head back home and gather my the items that I would need to take to the church… i.e. DRESS, shoes, make up, rings…
On my way home my friend, Lacey, called to see how I was feeling about the big day. I decided to stop in and visit with she and my pal Katie to pass the a little more time. Lacey’s mom kept saying she could get over how chill I was being… but I genuinely was not nervous. Excited- yes. Nervous yet- no.
After a quick visit I knew it was time to get going. I met my mom, gathered my items and headed to the church. Upon arriving at the church I realized I had forgotten my engagement ring. We sent a family friend to retrieve it and then it was time to start prepping for the day.
As we entered the church the florist was prepping the sanctuary, my hairdresser was just arriving, and a friend of the family was tying bows…. It felt just like a scene out of Father of the Bride.
Around 12:30 I started getting ready to go. I had my hair done, then I did my own make up (but I had a tutorial weeks prior from the girls at MAC), and then my bridesmaids started to arrive.
This is when it got exciting. Bridesmaids everywhere, family stepping in to say hello, guys stopping by the bridal suite to ask questions, and photographers snapping away… I was loving it.
When the group pictures began it got a little tricky. Ryan and I had elected not to see each other before the ceremony so anytime I was in one place people would immediately start saying, “Where is Ryan? Is he downstairs?” or “Oh no, there’s Ryan right there… oh wait, that just Clay (his brother)” It was a continual game of... I go this way--Ryan goes that way. It was kind of like hide and go seek with the bride and groom. But I have to say it was all worth it. I love that we had that moment when the church doors opened and at the end of the aisle Ryan was waiting for me. I wouldn't change one thing about it!
After taking most of the group pictures my bridesmaids and I settled back in to the fellowship hall for a quick snack. All I wanted at that point was a chicken finger with ketchup. But if you know me then you know ketchup and a white wedding dress do not mix. So what did we do? We slipped that dress off and I was able to enjoy a quick snack. It just one of those memories of the day that I will always have…. Surrounded by my best friends and family, taking off my wedding dress, so I could eat chicken fingers and ketchup. It’s such a random moment from the day… and so typical. I don’t want to forget those brief moments
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| Just finishing up with our snacks... Time to put the dress back on! |
As we lined up, I asked everyone not to mention how many people were arriving at the church or to even talk about what was going on around the corner, for that matter. I did not want to know. I wanted to go into the ceremony without knowing just how many people were there because knowing would just add to the nerves… (which by the way decided to show up at about this time). Of course my friend, Lacey missed the memo and started say things like, “There are sooo many people” and “Jess, it’s a packed house!"
This is when it really hit me. I started to tear up…. But I couldn’t cry… not before my big moment. Not at that moment. My make-up would be ruined. So my friends did what any good friends would do—a couple of them turned away because I was about to make them cry, Deidra insisted that I drink from the water fountain right then, and Bess began fanning me with a program. It was comical to see them ban together for the sake of my make-up and well being… and it was just what I needed to bring me back from the edge.
Alas… the music to queue to grandparents and parents began. It was about to go down. Next, it was the wedding party's turn. At this point, I was tying to peak out to see what everyone was doing but I kept getting shunned back so that Ryan would not see me.
After everyone entered the sanctuary, it got really quite and the church bells began to toll. After chiming five times to mark the hour the music began to play to queue Dad and I. I took his arm and said, “You ready?” to which dad relied with a quick “Yes.” And we were off.
At the end of the aisle the first thing I said to Ryan in a whisper was, “Hey Ryan!” It cracks me up that that’s what I went with… “Hey Ryan”… like it was any ole day, but once again… it was perfect.
...and it was time to head to the reception...
Part III: "Down, Down Do Your Dance" coming up tomorrow!
1 comment:
what a beautiful wedding dress!
My husband and I chose to see one another before the wedding. He had his back turned and I snuck up behind him and said, "Hey." haha...so I definitely know how you feel :)
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