Day of Wedding Blog

I woke up early to the sound of rain on the tin roof. A sound I've always found comforting, until I remembered that this was the day of my wedding. My OUTDOOR wedding. So yes, a little stressed the morning of.

After some tears and hugs and Dirk pulling up the forecast on the laptop, I calmed down significantly.
I'm pretty sure the mimosas helped.
My bridesmaids were the best. They whisked me off into our private apartment to spend the day sipping champagne, relaxing, and pampering ourselves. Aimee not only gave us all facials, but she also gave me a wonderful hand/foot massage. From now on I will always refer to her as Saint Aimee.
We found some hoops and I got in some practice.
I even got to spend some time on a porch swing with my dear bridesmaid Kate, all the way from Cedar Rapids. Kate keeps me grounded, she helps me focus on the task at hand, and she is wonderful about encouraging others to live in each moment and to just breathe and take it all in. Not only that, but Kate handled the decorations, party favors, and all the creative elements of our celebration. Amazing, she is. Pure love and joy personified.
Aimee did EVERYONE'S make-up, even Mama's, and don't tell Brooke, but Taylor got a little lip stain, too. Have you ever seen that show, "Toddlers & Tiaras"? HA!
Then Mistye did my hair, and I knew that the time was getting close.
I know it's customary for mother's to help daughter's get on their wedding dresses, but Mama and I struggled with this. Three days before the wedding I asked her to help me get the dress on because if (God forbid!) the diet hadn't done the job, we were going to need to invest in some Spanx before the big day. So Mom is struggling, right? And I'm freaking out, and she's like, "I just can't get it!" and I'm losing it because my mother is telling me that my super expensive wedding dress doesn't fit. I Bridezilla on her, just a little bit, and then she admits that "No, the dress will fit, it's just that I don't have my glasses on and I can't see the hooks." So when she showed up in our bridal suite without her glasses, I got a little nervous. Luckily, Collins was on hand to help.
So by the time all the getting ready was complete, guess who decided to make an appearance? THE SUN! He then went promptly away, taking the heat with him, but the rain did not make an appearance 'til the next morning and it was absolutely perfect!

For more Wedding Day photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/libbadibbado/sets/72157624191836884/

Stay tuned for Portraits, Ceremony, and Rehearsal photos!