YIKES.  It has been way too long, friends.  For that I am sorry.  These last two months kicked my BUTT.   I have been slammed at work and then there was that thing you know…the WEDDING! Yes it is true, I am a married lady now.  How is married life, you ask?  Pretty much the same as pre-married life, just dandy.  Except I have a new ring on my finger and our savings account is  a lot lower than it was a year ago.

If you have read any of my previous posts about wedding planning, I am sure you will be shocked to know that I am truly happy to resume normal life.  It was very much one of the best days our lives and so wonderful and fun but we are both very happy it is all done.

Despite my over planning, the week of the wedding I was an absolute stress ball and emotional disaster.  Some of that was the anticipation of leaving work and still having much undone, some of that was all the last minute things I did not think of to do and then there was just the typical drama that everyone warns you about; So and so isn’t coming anymore because they are mad they can’t bring a date, or how your money just starts being shelled out as if it was a game of monopoly, or the million and one questions people are asking you (and don’t like your answers)  not being sensitive to the fact that your brain literally has no more room to make any decisions and that you are one question away from an absolute breakdown.   I wish I were exaggerating.

BUT- starting the Friday before… everything changed.  I woke up, got my last lift on with my favorite crossfit peeps and then I had some friends come over to help put together bouquets.  This is when I truly 100% began to feel EXCITED!  I know that sounds crazy, considering we’ve been dating for centuries and engaged for almost 2 years- but that was the point where I could just say what’s done is done and could actually enjoy the moments as they came and spend time with people that I love dearly.

Once the bouquets were done (which BTW was the best decision ever, they were so much fun to put together and cost me a total of $60 as opposed to $500),  we packed up the cars and headed to the lodge to start setting up.  This was when I had the utmost appreciation and love for our friends/bridesmaids (more than I already do)- they just totally took control and rocked everything.  What could have potentially been a stressful time, since there were lots of questions and decisions being made about where to put things- it was so fun.  We were having drinks, snacking and setting up the hall.  I will be honest and say that I was not sure we would make the hall look as pretty as it did.  It was not a fancy banquet hall or ball room, it was simply a little run down lodge in the middle of the woods.  But it all turned out- more perfect than I could have ever imagined.  Rehearsal went great and my bestie and I headed back to hotel to for some girl time before the next day festivities started.

What many had warned me was, things will not go perfect on the day of and to just embrace it and roll with the punches.  There will be unexpected hiccups, it happens.  We were certainly not an exception to that.

What did not go perfect:

• Although we were bug free the whole night before- the gnats and skeeters came out to play on wedding day, I even got bit on my face right before the ceremony AND my face broke out like crazy days before of course (thanks Catie and Suz Pie for your great makeup skills).

• We ran out of seats at the ceremony

• The slideshow I was so excited about- did not work

• At one point in the night, we ran out of vodka and ice

• people showed up that we had no idea were coming

• complaints of music being too loud, and not being able to hear

Was this anybody’s fault?  Not really, things like this happen no matter how much you plan. Positive to this?  I had two lovely ladies (below) who ROCKED and helped to take care of all this and everything else I am sure I don’t even know about 😉  Personal Attendants of the CENTURY!  No seriously.

Days following the wedding, despite having so much fun.  I could not help but think about all these things and wonder if people noticed.  Funny enough, people often say that your wedding day will go by so fast.  But when Shain and I got back to the hotel that night- we both had the same thought.  We both felt like we were suspended in time the whole day.  In a good way and in a bad way.  We constantly had our eyes on others, wondering if they were having fun, what they thought, etc.  So silly I know.  But we ALSO took the advice of many and had many moments of just literally stepping back and watching those who WERE enjoying themselves, THAT was really cool.  Ironically, you don’t go through all this planning and work and money for YOU as a couple, you do it for the people around you who want to celebrate you.  So, of course you worry if friends and family will actually enjoy themselves or what they think of everything.  But as a good friend just told me, people are in charge of their own fun.  And I think it is safe to say the majority had a really good time, including Shain and myself.

Some (of the many) things that did go right…

• We had an awesome ceremony and got MARRIED (was my favorite part of the whole day)

• The weather was PERFECTION

• Shain and I got married

• The food was awesome

• My brother and I danced to an N’Sync song

• Shain and I got married

• People got really really drunk

• Dance floor was packed

• Shain and I got married

All in all, it was a perfectly imperfect day.  So many moments that we have been thinking about this week that just make us smile.  I must confess, we did not pull it off for under $10,000 but we came pretty stinking close.  I am proud to say we pulled it off without going overboard, which was more of a struggle than I thought it would be as costs add up so quickly.  Feeding and boozing 230 people is no small matter. In any case, looking forward to our next adventure.

Stay blessed in the mess 🙂