That's about it for the wedding recaps! Thanks to all those that read them all and made such sweet comments! I love you guys!!!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Extra Wedding Pictures
Our photographer took some of the best pictures and made them look vintage. I LOVED this look so I wanted to share some of those with you guys too!
That's about it for the wedding recaps! Thanks to all those that read them all and made such sweet comments! I love you guys!!!
That's about it for the wedding recaps! Thanks to all those that read them all and made such sweet comments! I love you guys!!!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Reception!
The last post ended with us finishing up the pictures after the ceremony. We stood outside the reception venue and waited as the photographer ran inside to tell the DJ that we were ready to be announced. I was so excited! The ceremony was over and now it was time to party! We heard our names being announced and our entrance song starting (Tonight by the Black Eyed Peas) so we opened the door and walked in!
I wasn't really sure what to do once we walked in. I knew if I tried to dance I would look like an idiot, so instead I went right to my dad and gave him a big hug.
We gave lots more hugs and then started to look around at the venue. My cake looked pretty good even if it wasn't exactly what I had asked for. I had wanted an ivory cake with little bursts of fall arrangements. I had told my florist that and he was supposed to drop off the flowers and then the woman making my cake would put the flowers on the cake. I guess my florist misunderstood what I had wanted because he dropped of roses instead of fall arrangements. I think the florist was also late so the cake lady just left and didn't put any flowers on at all. My mom walked in and saw a plain ivory cake and knew that it was not right so she got the reception venue to try to decorate it. It turned out ok and it tasted great!
Our favors were set up on a table up front and they looked awesome!
On the tables were some fall candles we had bought and our reception venue put them on top of little mirrors. They were surrounded by fall candle holders. I was pretty pleased with how the tables looked. Luckily, JJ had stopped by the reception venue earlier in the day because they had not put our centerpieces out! JJ told them they still needed to do that and they did. Phew! I would have been pretty upset if I had walked in and saw that none of the tables had the centerpieces I had bought!
The photographer was only able to stay for about 30 minutes during the reception (we could only afford to hire the photographer for 4 hours) so we took some fake pictures of us cutting the cake and leaving.
After the photographer left, JJ and I headed straight to the buffet stations. We were determined to eat! The food was pretty good and we got to sit and eat for a few minutes. My father then did his toast and it was beautiful. Our best man and maid of honor were supposed to give toasts but they both chicken out (which my dad made sure to bring up during his toast! Ha!).
I wasn't really sure what to do once we walked in. I knew if I tried to dance I would look like an idiot, so instead I went right to my dad and gave him a big hug.
We gave lots more hugs and then started to look around at the venue. My cake looked pretty good even if it wasn't exactly what I had asked for. I had wanted an ivory cake with little bursts of fall arrangements. I had told my florist that and he was supposed to drop off the flowers and then the woman making my cake would put the flowers on the cake. I guess my florist misunderstood what I had wanted because he dropped of roses instead of fall arrangements. I think the florist was also late so the cake lady just left and didn't put any flowers on at all. My mom walked in and saw a plain ivory cake and knew that it was not right so she got the reception venue to try to decorate it. It turned out ok and it tasted great!
Our favors were set up on a table up front and they looked awesome!
On the tables were some fall candles we had bought and our reception venue put them on top of little mirrors. They were surrounded by fall candle holders. I was pretty pleased with how the tables looked. Luckily, JJ had stopped by the reception venue earlier in the day because they had not put our centerpieces out! JJ told them they still needed to do that and they did. Phew! I would have been pretty upset if I had walked in and saw that none of the tables had the centerpieces I had bought!
The photographer was only able to stay for about 30 minutes during the reception (we could only afford to hire the photographer for 4 hours) so we took some fake pictures of us cutting the cake and leaving.
After the photographer left, JJ and I headed straight to the buffet stations. We were determined to eat! The food was pretty good and we got to sit and eat for a few minutes. My father then did his toast and it was beautiful. Our best man and maid of honor were supposed to give toasts but they both chicken out (which my dad made sure to bring up during his toast! Ha!).
Our first dance was to Then by Brad Paisley. JJ cried like 3 times during the song and it was so sweet. We had not taken any dance lessons so I am sure our dance wasn't the most entertaining to watch but I didn't care. We had so much to do since we planned everything on our own that dance lessons just weren't possible. I still thought our first dance was perfect.
Next, my dad and I did the father daughter dance to Hero by Mariah Carey. I spent that whole dance either cracking up (my dad was trying to make me laugh) or crying. My sister and cousin were up on a little balcony above the dance floor. At one point, I looked up at her and mouthed "I love you." She smiled and mouthed it back and it was one of my favorite moments of the evening.
There were not a lot of people that were dancing which was a little disappointing to me. I love to dance and was really hoping that some people would want to dance, but everyone seemed a little shy. I heard that after JJ and I left some people finally started dancing which was good. I just wish I had seen it!
Next up was the cake cutting. I had told JJ about a million times to please not throw cake in my face. So I took a tiny piece of cake and very gently fed it to him. He took a HUGE piece and shoved in into my mouth so I was left with frosting all over my mouth! In return, I threw a bunch of cake in his face. I thought it was hilarious and it looks so funny on the wedding video!
After the cake cutting we did the garter and bouquet tosses. A lot of people were leaving early so we decided to go ahead and leave because we didn't want to be the last people left at our own reception! When we got outside my car was covered with writing and balloons. We climbed in and headed off! I have seen tons of movies where the bride opens the window, hangs out and waves so I just had to do that! It was such a cool moment! We were married and headed home as husband and wife!
When we got home we immediately changed into comfy clothes and finished packing for the honeymoon. We asked our parents and siblings to come over our house after the reception was over and I am so glad we did that. We all hung out watching football and eating leftovers. It was so nice to just relax with family after such a busy day. Around 10:00, JJ's brother drove us to the airport. It was much harder to say goodbye to everyone than I had thought it would be! Overall, it really was the best day of my life!
The Ceremony
When the wedding coordinator told us it was time to go we listened and headed out! The coordinator worked with the church and she scared me a little. She was really strict and direct and there was no way I was going to get on her bad side! Unfortunately, in all the excitement of heading to the church, I didn't realize my mom wasn't completely ready, so we left without her. Luckily, where we were getting ready was right next to the actual church so my mom managed to make it over to the church before the ceremony started. My mom is a little upset that she wasn't in any of the pictures that were taken on our walk into the church, but that's ok.
Once we got into the church, all the girls lined up and I hid in the confessional (little room off to the side of the church).
I was sitting in the confessional alone for a little bit and then the photographer came in to take some pictures of me in the stairway leading up to the balcony.
After that, I sat alone for a little longer and the moment really started to sink in. I was about to get married! It still seemed so surreal! I remember worrying about whether I would get nervous before I walked in but I wasn't. I was completely at peace, even when I was just sitting alone and waiting. My dad came in to sit with me and we really didn't talk much. It was such a huge moment!
Here is a picture of me and my dad walking in. He held on to me the whole way into the church!
Once we got into the church, all the girls lined up and I hid in the confessional (little room off to the side of the church).
I was sitting in the confessional alone for a little bit and then the photographer came in to take some pictures of me in the stairway leading up to the balcony.
After that, I sat alone for a little longer and the moment really started to sink in. I was about to get married! It still seemed so surreal! I remember worrying about whether I would get nervous before I walked in but I wasn't. I was completely at peace, even when I was just sitting alone and waiting. My dad came in to sit with me and we really didn't talk much. It was such a huge moment!Then it was time! I grabbed my dad's arm and we started to walk down the aisle. I looked around and was so excited to see so many people that were there for us. I am so lucky to have so many people that love me! Everyone was smiling and I was so happy. Before the ceremony, my mom told me to just look at her if I got nervous but I never saw her. That was probably a good thing because my mom said she was bawling like a baby the whole time I walked down the aisle! I got to JJ and he smiled and took my hand. The ceremony started!
I was so happy and peaceful throughout the ceremony. My grandfather and JJ's aunt did the readings and they did a great job. I could tell my grandpa was a little nervous. At one point, when he was reading the names of the people that had died in our family, he choked up a little. His daughter (my aunt) was on that list. She died when she was only 22. I almost lost it when I saw him holding back the tears. I managed to hold it together. In fact, the only time I cried (just a little!) was when we were doing the vows. You could hear my voice shaking a little and I was really trying to not cry! Before I knew it we were kissing and we were husband and wife!
I had been a little worried that the ceremony would seem long because Catholics are known for long, boring weddings. However, our priest was amazing. He told a couple of jokes and made everyone very comfortable. Even the people that were not Catholic said they enjoyed the ceremony and it didn't seem long.
The next thing I knew, we were being announced! My cousin was the one that got to announce us (I think the priest wanted to make him feel special) and he did such a great job! He tried to make his voice as low and powerful as he could and announced us. Everyone cracked up. Then we walked back down the aisle as husband and wife! I couldn't stop smiling!
After we walked out, we went back into the room I waited in before the ceremony to wait until everyone had left. Once they did, we went back into the church for some more pictures. We also took some outside as we were walking to the reception venue (it was about a block from the church). I will post some of those pictures later.
I was so happy and peaceful throughout the ceremony. My grandfather and JJ's aunt did the readings and they did a great job. I could tell my grandpa was a little nervous. At one point, when he was reading the names of the people that had died in our family, he choked up a little. His daughter (my aunt) was on that list. She died when she was only 22. I almost lost it when I saw him holding back the tears. I managed to hold it together. In fact, the only time I cried (just a little!) was when we were doing the vows. You could hear my voice shaking a little and I was really trying to not cry! Before I knew it we were kissing and we were husband and wife!
I had been a little worried that the ceremony would seem long because Catholics are known for long, boring weddings. However, our priest was amazing. He told a couple of jokes and made everyone very comfortable. Even the people that were not Catholic said they enjoyed the ceremony and it didn't seem long.
The next thing I knew, we were being announced! My cousin was the one that got to announce us (I think the priest wanted to make him feel special) and he did such a great job! He tried to make his voice as low and powerful as he could and announced us. Everyone cracked up. Then we walked back down the aisle as husband and wife! I couldn't stop smiling!
After we walked out, we went back into the room I waited in before the ceremony to wait until everyone had left. Once they did, we went back into the church for some more pictures. We also took some outside as we were walking to the reception venue (it was about a block from the church). I will post some of those pictures later.
Next post will be the reception!
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Wedding Day!
On the wedding day, I woke up around 5:30. I didn't have to be up until 7 so I tried going back to sleep. After a few minutes I realized I was completely kidding myself. I was pretty nervous so I decided to get up and go for a run. I felt a TON better after the run. I got back home and took a shower and made sure everything was packed and ready to go. My mom, sister and cousin arrived at my house around 8:30 and we headed off to your hair and makeup appointments.
I got started with my hair first. I am not sure if it was because I was just sitting and let my mind wander but I started to get sick again. I got my hair washed and blow dried and my stylist started pinning it up. As she was doing that, she was talking to me and everyone was helping me get my mind off of the wedding and relax. I started to feel much better. After that, I wasn't nervous or sick the rest of the day and I was so greatful for that! Me and my mom had our hair done and then everyone got their makeup done. We were running a little behind so we headed straight to the church. We were supposed to start the pictures at noon and we arrived around 12:05 and still had to get ready.
The girls helped me get my shoes, garter, jewelry and dress on. Unfortunately, because we were late, we didn't get any pictures of us getting ready. As soon as we were ready, we headed into the church to start our pictures. JJ and I decided to see each other before the ceremony and I am really glad we did. We were both so much more relaxed and had so much fun!
We spent about an hour and a half getting most of the pictures done. Our photographer was so amazing and he made the entire process a blast! After we finished the pictures, we had about 20 minutes to head back to the dressing rooms while all the guests arrived. I managed to have a little snack and sit down for a few minutes. Then the wedding coordinator came in and said, "Last call for the bathroom!" My sister helped me go to the bathroom and it was a pretty funny experience. The lace from my dress kept getting stuck on the beading on her dress. We kept cracking up and it was such a fun sister bonding moment. Who would have thought we would have a bonding moment in a bathroom stall?
After we were all fixed up and ready again, it was time to head into the church for the ceremony. I will save the ceremony for the next post.
Here are some of my favorite pictures from before the ceremony (click to enlarge). I am not including any pictures of anyone besides me and JJ. I am sure some people wouldn't care but I don't feel right about it.
Me and my dad walking into the church
LOVE this picture!
So handsome!
I got started with my hair first. I am not sure if it was because I was just sitting and let my mind wander but I started to get sick again. I got my hair washed and blow dried and my stylist started pinning it up. As she was doing that, she was talking to me and everyone was helping me get my mind off of the wedding and relax. I started to feel much better. After that, I wasn't nervous or sick the rest of the day and I was so greatful for that! Me and my mom had our hair done and then everyone got their makeup done. We were running a little behind so we headed straight to the church. We were supposed to start the pictures at noon and we arrived around 12:05 and still had to get ready.
The girls helped me get my shoes, garter, jewelry and dress on. Unfortunately, because we were late, we didn't get any pictures of us getting ready. As soon as we were ready, we headed into the church to start our pictures. JJ and I decided to see each other before the ceremony and I am really glad we did. We were both so much more relaxed and had so much fun!
We spent about an hour and a half getting most of the pictures done. Our photographer was so amazing and he made the entire process a blast! After we finished the pictures, we had about 20 minutes to head back to the dressing rooms while all the guests arrived. I managed to have a little snack and sit down for a few minutes. Then the wedding coordinator came in and said, "Last call for the bathroom!" My sister helped me go to the bathroom and it was a pretty funny experience. The lace from my dress kept getting stuck on the beading on her dress. We kept cracking up and it was such a fun sister bonding moment. Who would have thought we would have a bonding moment in a bathroom stall?
After we were all fixed up and ready again, it was time to head into the church for the ceremony. I will save the ceremony for the next post.
Here are some of my favorite pictures from before the ceremony (click to enlarge). I am not including any pictures of anyone besides me and JJ. I am sure some people wouldn't care but I don't feel right about it.
Flower's girl's basket
Me and my dad walking into the church
LOVE this picture!
So handsome!Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Still Waiting...
Sorry for the delay in wedding posts! I am still waiting on my pictures and I want to include them. I should be hearing from the photographer soon!
I am lazy and don't feel like actually writing out a real post so I will just give a bulleted list of recent events.
I am lazy and don't feel like actually writing out a real post so I will just give a bulleted list of recent events.
- Yesterday, I went to the post office and social security office. Surprisingly, the post office took way longer than the social security office. I have finally, officially changed my last name.
- This weekend I am getting my wisdom teeth out. I am terrified.
- Even though I am terrified to get my wisdom teeth out, I am really looking forward to having JJ take care of me all weekend.
- Last night, I made Chicken Parmigiana and it was awesome. It took about an hour and a half to cook but it turned out great and JJ loved it. I am not that great at cooking so I was really proud of myself!
- Our Halloween was pretty low key. We saw Paranormal Activity (great movie, very scary!) and went out for lunch. At night, we hung out and watched tv while passing out candy. We gave out our leftover candy from our favors and almost got rid of all of it!
- I am still sad the wedding is over.
- I can't wait to start scrapbooking all of our pictures!
- I am really looking forward to the holidays. I can't believe Thanksgiving is right around the corner!
- Work is boring. I have asked for more work to do numerous times but I never seem to have enough work! My days draaaag by so slowly and it sucks. I spend most of my day reading the million blogs I am following.
- JJ and I have been discussing when we should start a family (ahhh!). We had initially wanted to start pretty soon after the wedding but we have changed our minds. We are going to wait a while for a few reasons. One is we want to have our freedom for a little longer. We love our lazy weekends and I am not ready to give that up. The second reason is we want to have our finances in order. I want to stay home for a while so we have to make sure we are ok to live off of one income. The last reason is I want to get my migraines under control. I have about 10-12 migraines a month and my migraine medicine cannot be taken if I am pregnant.
Well I guess that's it for now. Sorry for the lazy post. Wedding posts will be coming very soon.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Rehearsal and Rehearsal Dinner
I want to tell you guys all the details of the wedding and honeymoon. I want to share them all because everything was so amazing and special. I also thought it would be nice to look back at these entries when the details become fuzzy. I will break everything up so that (hopefully) you guys won't get too bored. I will also put up some pictures which will be the first ones of myself that I have ever posted! JJ also gave me permission to show pictures with him in them too.
The days leading up to the rehearsal were a little hectic. JJ's brother flew in on Wednesday so he could help us out. He was actually a huge help and I am so fretful for that. I only worked half a day Wednesday and spent the rest of that day running wedding errands. There were a ton of little things to do!
On Thursday, the rest of our families arrived. I had a spray tan appointment that went really well. Once our families arrived, they came over and our parents met for the first time. I was really excited for everyone to meet and overall, it was pretty great! JJ's family is a little more reserved which I knew my mom would have a hard time getting used to since she is the complete opposite of reserved. After everyone met we went out to dinner and had a blast!
On Friday (rehearsal day) the girls went to the Westin Spa to get our nails done. My mom, sister, sister-in-law and mother-in-law all went and got manicures and pedicures. It was so nice to spend time relaxing and visiting with family. Since both JJ and my parents live really far away, I really treasured every moment I spent with them. After we got our nails done we had to get ready for the rehearsal. Here is the dress I wore:
The place we were having our rehearsal dinner was about 2 minutes away so it was really convenient. Especially since it was storming pretty badly. Ok guys, the rehearsal dinner was absolutely magical. I'm not exaggerating. I am still hearing from my family how wonderful that dinner was. The venue was perfect for us. It was small and intimate and the decorations were gorgeous! (I think JJ's mom took some pictures so I will try to get them from her so I can post them.) The tables were covered with gold tablecloths and there were burgundy napkins. There were little candles all over the tables and the rest of the room. I never told the caterer how to decorate and she completely nailed it. It was perfect. Now on to the food. OMG the food!!! We had salad to start. The main course was chicken picatta on top of linguine that was mixed with spinach. I cannot even begin to describe how amazing it was. For dessert we had chocolate bread pudding. The service was great. Everyone was laughing and having a blast. While we ate, JJ's sister showed the slideshow she created for us with a ton of pictures from our childhood. I didn't want the night to end!
After the rehearsal dinner, my mom came over to help me pack for the wedding day. I was really nervous so I appreciated her help. Once I was packed, I went to bed so I could be extra rested for the next day!
Up next, the wedding day...
The days leading up to the rehearsal were a little hectic. JJ's brother flew in on Wednesday so he could help us out. He was actually a huge help and I am so fretful for that. I only worked half a day Wednesday and spent the rest of that day running wedding errands. There were a ton of little things to do!
On Thursday, the rest of our families arrived. I had a spray tan appointment that went really well. Once our families arrived, they came over and our parents met for the first time. I was really excited for everyone to meet and overall, it was pretty great! JJ's family is a little more reserved which I knew my mom would have a hard time getting used to since she is the complete opposite of reserved. After everyone met we went out to dinner and had a blast!
On Friday (rehearsal day) the girls went to the Westin Spa to get our nails done. My mom, sister, sister-in-law and mother-in-law all went and got manicures and pedicures. It was so nice to spend time relaxing and visiting with family. Since both JJ and my parents live really far away, I really treasured every moment I spent with them. After we got our nails done we had to get ready for the rehearsal. Here is the dress I wore:
I wore it with black tights, black boots and really cute long necklace.
I was almost late making it to the church! The rehearsal went really well and we were done after about an hour. Since we were having a full Catholic mass I was really impressed with how fast the rehearsal went. At one point, the tornado sirens went off and our wedding planner (that we hired through the church) was literally RUNNING down the aisle. She was a little over dramatic. The planner was pretty strict and my dad and cousin kept laughing and making faces at me when she was basically lecturing everyone about what to do (and not do) the following day. I tried to stay really serious and focused but it was near impossible!
The place we were having our rehearsal dinner was about 2 minutes away so it was really convenient. Especially since it was storming pretty badly. Ok guys, the rehearsal dinner was absolutely magical. I'm not exaggerating. I am still hearing from my family how wonderful that dinner was. The venue was perfect for us. It was small and intimate and the decorations were gorgeous! (I think JJ's mom took some pictures so I will try to get them from her so I can post them.) The tables were covered with gold tablecloths and there were burgundy napkins. There were little candles all over the tables and the rest of the room. I never told the caterer how to decorate and she completely nailed it. It was perfect. Now on to the food. OMG the food!!! We had salad to start. The main course was chicken picatta on top of linguine that was mixed with spinach. I cannot even begin to describe how amazing it was. For dessert we had chocolate bread pudding. The service was great. Everyone was laughing and having a blast. While we ate, JJ's sister showed the slideshow she created for us with a ton of pictures from our childhood. I didn't want the night to end!
After the rehearsal dinner, my mom came over to help me pack for the wedding day. I was really nervous so I appreciated her help. Once I was packed, I went to bed so I could be extra rested for the next day!
Up next, the wedding day...
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Best Day Ever
I am MARRIED!!!!! Today went amazing and I am the happiest woman in the world! I can't wait to tell you all the details. Now we are off to the beach! See you guys in a week!
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