This will probably be my last post on the wedding, but I’m sure I’ll have much more to report on being a newlywed. After nearly a year and a half of planning, the big day came and went faster than I ever imagined.
*Warning – this post is a long one, get comfortable.
As in every wedding, things went “wrong.” We found ourselves without a fourth bridesmaid dress and had to make an emergency run to David’s Bridal the day of the wedding. My heel got stuck in a crack as I walked down the aisle. My mom’s puppy ran loose through the dining room during dinner. Oh, and half the bridal party got sunburned the day before the wedding (including me!) BUT…none of that got me down. In fact, those things were what made it such a unique event, and despite everything, I was untouchable that day. I can honestly say that it was the best day/night of my life. In my eyes, it was perfect. I wouldn’t have changed a thing, and as a result, I have some pretty entertaining stories.
If not for anything but to relive all of it myself, here is a summary of events, including all the fun and fancy details.
July 2nd – The Party Begins…Bridal Entourage Get-together at Mama’s
After making sure the dress was fixed (and yes you could see completely down the top of my wedding dress up until days before the 4th) family and friends came to wish me luck. They all brought smiles and cute lingerie, and my best friend (Best-y) figured out my wedding hair and makeup.
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| My Gals |
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| Gift from Mom |
July 3rd – Rehearsal
The bridal party met at La Venta at 11:00am. The excitement in the atmosphere was clearly visible on each and every face. Little babies ran through the courtyard squealing with glee. I think this was about the time I took the stairs up to cloud 9. The rehearsal lunch was a blast. Both families got to mingle before the final event. The food was buffet style and tables were set up on a private patio overlooking the ocean at the Terranea Resort. Little did we all know, the sun was lurking behind the clouds, secretly turning us into lobsters.
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| Rehearsal Time |
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| Terranea Resort - Rehearsal Lunch Location (& The Casita) |
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| Lunch |
July 3rd – Night in the Casita
My saint of a mother-in-law had the good sense (and generous heart) to book the bridesmaids a Casita at the Terranea Resort the night before the wedding. My four girls and I gasped in unison when we saw the two bedroom/two bath mini house with a full kitchen, living room, entrance, and balcony overlooking the ocean. I continued to float on cloud 9 and my girls wafted up to join me.
Things were perfect, so when my best friend and sister sat me down with the words, “We have something to tell you…” I was actually unfazed.
Best-y spilled her guts.
“So I went to get my dress altered, and the tailor said to pick it up on Sunday. She said even Monday would be fine. I went there yesterday and they are closed until after the holiday.”
“Here’s our plan,” my sister interrupted, hoping to catch me before the tears (only, to everyone’s surprise, there were none. Cloud 9 made me invincible – I was super hero bride). “We already called David’s Bridal and had them pull all of the Pool colored dresses.”
Being 5 months pregnant and mother of a 2-year-old, my sister’s protective mommy instinct kicked in.
“We were thinking since I’m maid of honor, and pregnant, it wouldn’t be so weird for me to be wearing a different dress anyway. Best-y will wear my dress and I’ll wear the new one. It’s actually pretty common for the maid of honor to wear a special dress.”
“Sounds good to me,” I said with a shrug.
Wedding Snafus – 0 Jessica – 1
July 4th – Wedding Day
The day started with one major feat to accomplish—find a bridesmaid dress similar in color and style to the rest that would fit a pregnant belly.
God bless David’s Bridal for being open on 4th of July morning.
We literally walked into the store, and bought the second dress she tried on. The “special dress” was perfect. Different, yet similar.
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| David's Bridal to the Rescue! |
Wedding Snafus – 0 Jessica – 2
CEREMONY
The photographer came by and snapped photos of the dress and shoes. My mom arrived, and friends came by to take part in the chaos. My mother-in-law showed up in a limo, and we all piled in.
The group of us set up camp in the bridal cottage, while the guys hid out in the groom’s den. We toasted with champagne, the girls opened their bridesmaid gifts, and we snapped some pictures.
When the wedding coordinator announced it was time to line up, I almost didn’t believe her. Time was flying!
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| Cheers! |
I waited patiently around the corner as I heard the crowd cheer for my 2-year-old niece. She had been practicing chucking flower petals at people as if she were throwing a game winning pitch. I wanted to peek so badly. One thing I never realized was when it’s your wedding, you don’t actually get to watch the procession happen. All I could do was listen, and when it was my turn, the only thought in my head was, already!
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| Guestbook Station - Grab a Card! |
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| Custom M&M's (Mr. & Mrs. Therrien) |
Here are some of the fun details:
The Wedding Party:
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| Cadence - The Flower Girl |
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| My Handsome Groom |
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| My Lovely Ladies |
| The Guys |
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| My Mama |
I scanned the crowd wearing a ridiculous smile and announced, “My heel is stuck!”
I became an instant comedian. We laughed together as I wrenched my Jimmy Choo from the crevice, threw my shoulders back and kept on with confidence.
Wedding Snafus – 0 Jessica – 3
Thankfully the Priest was a riot, and my moment of physical comedy was the perfect opening to his performance. The ceremony was full of audience participation, jokes, and a lot of laughter. Just our style.
Cocktail hour meant picture time for the bridal party. Our gang of friends is awesome, so we had our fun, and made sure to get in some silly faces. Jillian Bisinger isn’t your typical photographer though, and after 30 minutes, she had Brian and me trekking through brush to a secret tunnel of pine cones for some epic shots. My heels sunk into the dirt, I had my wedding dress hiked up around my hips, we trudged through weeds, and ducked under branches, but it was worth it. Get ready for the wedding shots of the century!
DINNER
Dinner was amazing, and when I stepped into the dining room at 6:30, it was my first time seeing the room setup as I had envisioned. It was SPECTACULAR.
There were five courses:
1. Tomato Soup
2. Oakleaf Salad
3. Thai Marinated Sea Bass
4. Lemon Sorbet
5. Filet Mignon
People said I wouldn’t eat. “Nobody eats at their own wedding.” That was the rumor. Well I did. I ate every single course, and it was DELICIOUS.
Sure, the puppy was running under the tables...
“Adin!” I called over to one of the young boys at his table. “Do me a favor and catch that puppy.”
Off he went. Problem solved.
Wedding Snafus – 0 Jessica – 5 (It’s a blowout!)
CAKE
We used our hands. We smashed. It was awesome.
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| The Groom's Cake Was a Hit! |
DANCING
Brian hardly ever left the dance floor. As requested, Michael Jackson was played frequently, and I made sure to buggy down when I heard his voice. The DJ was great (DJ Jason Jass if anyone needs a reference) but he had quite the competition.
FIREWORKS
Fireworks started at 8:00pm and continued throughout the night. From where we were on the hill, overlooking the coast, hundreds of firework shows could be seen. From far far away to right up close, people were captivated and congregated on the back patio for the show.
ZANY BOOTH PHOTOS
If at any point in the night, someone asked, “Where’s the bride?” the answer was undoubtedly, the Zany Booth. Jillian Bisinger and her husband Tony are complete geniuses. Their photo booth was such a hit, I couldn’t be torn away.
Here’s the premise.
Grab a card. Step in front of the backdrop. Now give me pouty, give me sexy, give me silly, goofy, lovable, show me teeth, show me muscles, do whatever!
Indescribable fun was had…
BOUQUET & GARTER TOSS
So I got a little excited and threw the bouquet before the photographer even stepped in the room. The DJ announces, “Re-do! We need to get pictures.”
Sandy, I know you’ve never caught a bouquet before. I know you are excited beyond belief that you caught it. I know you pretty much punched a girl to make sure it fell into your hands…but could you give it back? We need to do it again…NOT!
No way would I let that happen.
“Make a new bouquet! Second chance people,” I yelled. Now two lucky ladies are bound to find love this year.
*Don’t worry Sandy. Emily captured your precious moment ;)
I’m not sure how normal garter tosses go, but Best-y convinced Brian he had to use his teeth. Hilarious.
AFTER PARTY
The night ended way too quickly, and I was sad to see it end. The limos drove groups of us to the Terranea, and the gang headed for the Casita (which ended up being our party pad until 5 in the morning).
Brian and I checked into our Bridal Suite, and I was eager to continue the fun… “Come check out our room!” I offered to a bunch of our friends.
“No way,” Brian countered. “We’re going alone.”
I couldn’t argue with that, so I followed him down the endless maze to our oceanfront suite. Our plan was to drop off our luggage and head back to the party. I wasn’t sure why he was so insistent on going alone, but it was our wedding night…
Then he made it clear.
“All right, ready?” he asked. “Jump into my arms. I’m going to carry you across the altar.”
Omg I love that he carried you through the door. What a sweety! Congrats it was amazing. I wanna see the rest of the photos!
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