What a crazy past few days!!! I took off of work from Wednesday until today (Friday) thinking that would be more than enough time to be able to get all of the last minute details completed before today. Well, little did I know the craziness that awaited me. I literally ran around from Tuesday afternoon (when I left work) until today, non-stop. Hillary and Mom helped me with the centerpieces (which seemed to take forever) on Thursday night and then we tried to finish up the favor jars. I was planning on just using red candy in the favor jars but I ran out and could not buy identical candy that I had bought before. Mom and I brainstormed for a while and then decided to do black, white and red candy in the jars. At this point, I really did not care one bit. Hillary stayed up very late with me to help me finish them. Doug was a HUGE help this week, even though today was the only day he had off of work all week. I think he is just as exhausted as I am, if not more. Even with all of the last minute things I needed done, I promised myself that today I would try to relax. I woke up early this morning and went to the hairdressers for a wash and blow-out. I wanted to have a good hair day at the rehearsal dinner and I knew it would be chancy trying to do it myself. I felt so relaxed after the salon and much more energized than I did the day before. Doug and Luke picked up Jasslynn from the airport and brought her over to the house just in time for her to change her clothes and come to lunch with us. Mom, Hillary and Kristin met Jasslynn and I for lunch at the Back Porch Café in Skippack. It is this tiny little café right in the heart of Skippack. The food is AMAZING and it is so cute and quaint! While we were eating lunch, it started snowing! I was so excited to see the snow and have been keeping my fingers crossed that there would be a blanket of snow on the ground for tomorrow. I’m still keeping my fingers crossed…you never know!
After our amazing lunch, we all went next door for manicures and pedicures. There happened to be a masseuse working and he did a mini back massage for all of us. It felt wonderful and was the perfect pick-me-up (again) for the evening. We had about an hour to get dressed by the time we left the nail salon. I decided on wearing a red dress that I bought a few days ago from The Limited. I loved how it fit and I found the most adorable shoes (red covered in black lace) for only $15!!! Doug was coming by the house to pick up Jasslynn and I, and to top off his crazy day, he ended up getting locked out of the house!!! He had to break into one of the windows to let himself in. When he finally showed up to pick us up, he was about 25 minutes late. Luckily, everyone was running late. There was horrible traffic on the turnpike and a few people had to sit for HOURS before even getting on! Doug and I felt stressed at this point but promised each other that we were going to enjoy this night. We will never get to do this again and we wanted to take in every single second!
When I walked into the Church, I was speechless! The coordinator had all of the candles up and had decorated everything just beautifully…without me having to do a THING! There was a huge Christmas tree to the left of the Church and it was just so beautiful! We started the prayer and Dan (Doug’s Uncle from Austria) started going through the rehearsal and our vows. Doug and I both were fighting back the tears the entire time we were rehearsing. It doesn’t seem like a lot to remember when all you have to do is repeat what the Pastor is saying…but it is!!! Doug and I messed up a few times but just laughed it off! J It was so magical and so surreal!
After our rehearsal, we all got in the cars and headed over to the Joseph Ambler Inn for dinner. We had cocktail hour from 7-8 and this gave us all a chance to mingle and take in the beauty of the location. There were two HUGE fireplaces blazing and the ambience was better than I could have hoped! It was so cozy and everyone was in such good spirits. Honestly, once again, I couldn’t have imagined a better rehearsal and dinner.
After dinner, we were treated to a few speeches. Both of Doug’s Brothers gave very heartwarming speeches and brought tears to many people’s eyes, including ours! My little sister, Hillary, even got up to toast us. All in all, it was a magical and unforgettable evening!
Doug dropped me back off at the house around 11:30. Unfortunately, neither of us could go to bed as there was so much to be done still! Thank God for our bridesmaids and groomsmen! They really stepped up and helped both of us out! The boys all stayed over at the house with Doug and really pulled together to help him get all of his last minute tasks accomplished. Jasslynn and Ashley finished up everything for me and by doing so, allowed me to get some sleep. I ended up getting to bed around 2:00 am, completely exhausted. Despite all of the exhaustion and overwhelming emotions, I had these tiny little butterflies of excitement deep down in my tummy that would not go away! :)
After our amazing lunch, we all went next door for manicures and pedicures. There happened to be a masseuse working and he did a mini back massage for all of us. It felt wonderful and was the perfect pick-me-up (again) for the evening. We had about an hour to get dressed by the time we left the nail salon. I decided on wearing a red dress that I bought a few days ago from The Limited. I loved how it fit and I found the most adorable shoes (red covered in black lace) for only $15!!! Doug was coming by the house to pick up Jasslynn and I, and to top off his crazy day, he ended up getting locked out of the house!!! He had to break into one of the windows to let himself in. When he finally showed up to pick us up, he was about 25 minutes late. Luckily, everyone was running late. There was horrible traffic on the turnpike and a few people had to sit for HOURS before even getting on! Doug and I felt stressed at this point but promised each other that we were going to enjoy this night. We will never get to do this again and we wanted to take in every single second!
When I walked into the Church, I was speechless! The coordinator had all of the candles up and had decorated everything just beautifully…without me having to do a THING! There was a huge Christmas tree to the left of the Church and it was just so beautiful! We started the prayer and Dan (Doug’s Uncle from Austria) started going through the rehearsal and our vows. Doug and I both were fighting back the tears the entire time we were rehearsing. It doesn’t seem like a lot to remember when all you have to do is repeat what the Pastor is saying…but it is!!! Doug and I messed up a few times but just laughed it off! J It was so magical and so surreal!
After our rehearsal, we all got in the cars and headed over to the Joseph Ambler Inn for dinner. We had cocktail hour from 7-8 and this gave us all a chance to mingle and take in the beauty of the location. There were two HUGE fireplaces blazing and the ambience was better than I could have hoped! It was so cozy and everyone was in such good spirits. Honestly, once again, I couldn’t have imagined a better rehearsal and dinner.
After dinner, we were treated to a few speeches. Both of Doug’s Brothers gave very heartwarming speeches and brought tears to many people’s eyes, including ours! My little sister, Hillary, even got up to toast us. All in all, it was a magical and unforgettable evening!
Doug dropped me back off at the house around 11:30. Unfortunately, neither of us could go to bed as there was so much to be done still! Thank God for our bridesmaids and groomsmen! They really stepped up and helped both of us out! The boys all stayed over at the house with Doug and really pulled together to help him get all of his last minute tasks accomplished. Jasslynn and Ashley finished up everything for me and by doing so, allowed me to get some sleep. I ended up getting to bed around 2:00 am, completely exhausted. Despite all of the exhaustion and overwhelming emotions, I had these tiny little butterflies of excitement deep down in my tummy that would not go away! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment