Newly Weds At Last!!!!!

We are finally married and can I tell you what a relief it is to be finally done with wedding related planning and STUFF!

I feel great, different somehow in ways I cannot explain but good different.  Our relationship has taken on a new level of importance that is just hard to put into words.  We have been together 14 years and as soon as we said our I do's, I felt a shift in our lives; we are in it for the long haul, as we have proven but this time, there is no turning back.  Marriage lends a sort of definite finality to our lives now.  We are complete as a couple; we have the kids, the house and the dogs and now being married has made it all REAL!

Now, we've been 'married' for some time but are reveling in our newlywed status as legally wed man and wife.  We have settled into our new relationship, as if it is a starting point to our new lives together.  We're more conscious of our actions towards each other and are trying to start off our married life on better footing; no mean spirited fighting (we can hope).  And more mature conversations when we're upset.  At least we have to try for the sake of the kids: my daughter was so happy that after the wedding she asked my husband (wow, what a rush to say that and actually know it's for real):

"So dada, you love mommy now?"
"Of course, I always loved mommy"
"So, you're not going to fight anymore?"

Heartbreaking a little bit, yes.  We're real.  We show our kids the fighting and the making up and all of the love and affection that comes with a normal relationship.  But I think we need better tools to handle our anger with each other and at least not have those drag out fights in front of the kids.

Now, on to the actual wedding and day!  What a surreal feeling it was to finally be a bride and not just a bride to be anymore.  And when I finally became a wife, it was like chocolate pieces on top of a sundae. It was heaven.

We started the day off early.  I had a lot to do the final week leading up to the wedding, and also dealing with family that flew in a few days before that were staying with us (all 13 plus people under one roof: YIKES!).

I had to decorate and set up two halls, ceremony and reception sites, so I took my two brothers and little sister as well as my sister in law and older son.  With so many people on hand, set up was a breeze (minus a set back at the reception site when we set up the wrong tables and chairs and had to re-do set up again AND my sister in law and son having to drive home to retrieve more chair covers).  The ceremony set up was literally 30 minutes (if that).  We set up chairs, the unity candle and table and the cocktail hour tables and linens.  I decided to forgo any other decor as the site on it's own was just beautiful and the pom poms I had in mind was too distracting and not forming how I wanted them to.  The owner volunteered to set up the goodies for us when it came time so we left all the snacks and platter with her.

I was able to set up and decorate to my liking and then we were off.  I had a hair and makeup appointment to go to and was accompanied by my brother.  It took a while to actually get in the makeup chair as the lady was late but I used that time to fix my nails and toes, which got ruined the day before.  Hair and makeup was quick and I was outta there and on my way home.  And as it turned out, was not only on time but was early. My girls were late getting to my house but the photographer was early and used his time well by getting a few candid and detail shots.  While I was relaxing, family arrived for the the bus to drop them to the ceremony and I busied myself with pictures and some video.  I guess I was too relaxed as I let the time get away from me.  By the time I realized the hour, it was time to get into my dress and for the bus to take family and friends away... so we ended up running late.

The ceremony was perfect: but we had a few hiccups.  We were an hour late... more people than I anticipated showed up...  I never got a glimpse or a taste of the cocktail hour snacks...  It was drizzling and I could not find my vows or my sisters reading.

Oh and we had some last minute music consultation as I stood outside waiting in the rain with an umbrella. See, the person in charge of the music never made it to the rehearsal so I had to clue him in on the how to's: he was a pro and did very well.  Also, the morning of the wedding, hubby's cousin had to fix the music for us, which he did with perfection.

In the end, we (or I) decided to skip all the extra stuff and just get down to business.  The recessional was a huge hit with our guests.  Everyone was clapping and hooting as each person recessed down the aisle.   When it was my turn, accompanied by my uncle,  a last minute decision,  I could not hold back the tears.  I got a nice, loud round of applause. And I felt all the love coming towards me from everyone.  It was also the first time seeing hubby that day since the evening before... and he had a story to tell all his own on his chaotic start to the morning.

We kept it short and sweet: with a brief welcome, a short Bible reading by sister in law, the unity candle lighting and the blessing of the rings by my aunt and grandmother.  There were moments of tears and of course, being me, laughter. After the vows, we kissed and the room erupted in applause and shouts of joy.  I only wish I had some video footage but it will forever be held in my memory that is for sure.

Everyone LOVED the ceremony and the space   But we had so much more in store for them later at the reception. We did have an impromptu receiving line and a few pics but not all the pics I had hoped for.  However, the ceremony was exactly how I wanted it and I could not have asked for anything more.

After getting to the reception hall 15 minutes early, we did our entrance to the Party Rock anthem and hubby and I danced our way in, followed by our first dance.  After months of working out a timeline,  I ditched it in the end for a simpler, more relaxed evening.  We skipped all other formal dances, which made for a better time and smoother transitions.  We did have lots of formal and informal pictures at the reception and hope I get all the pictures I have dreamt about for months;  after going over the shot list for weeks of all the pictures I wanted,  I decided to just go with the flow instead of direct the photographer 

The night went by in such a haze,like a dream but I was able to enjoy my night and every moment, especially after my first alcoholic drink (and my last LOL).  The DJ spun some tunes but didn't use my song list very much. It wasn't until my brother got him to put some dance hall did I feel like moving and grooving.  After dinner, which was delicious,  I kind of just turned it all over to the guests and enjoyed the rest of my night.

We had the dollar dance, which was OK (we didn't make a lot of money but it was nice to keep that tradition anyway).  But to my surprise, the gift table was full and overloading. We also did the bouquet and garter toss, which was better than I expected;  lots of single girls and guys who were actually scrambling to get both; glad I did.

After the party was over (and everyone had their fun... for a Sunday night, it seemed like people didn't want to leave), we sent the centerpiece floral arrangements home with guests who could not stop raving about them. Soon it was time for us to clean up.  We cleaned up pretty quickly with the help of my siblings and a few friends and were able to get all our decor, the centerpiece glassware, all napkins and table covers  in an hour and half (the caterers helped clean up too by taking the linens off the table; they also cut up my cake and set up a self serve style station)

All in all, it was the perfect wedding and now I am actually considering going into the wedding planning business.  It is actually fun. And I love planning and decor.  Everyone could not stop raving about the decor, the food, the flowers, the colors, the halls, everything.  I felt like all my hard work had finally paid off.

The icing on the cake for me and hubby: after everything was over, hubby and I got to enjoy a blissful night as a newly wed couple in a super luxe hotel room with champagne and chocolate covered strawberries as husband and wife.