Ever after

With all the craziness of planning a wedding and getting married (all while preparing a manuscript, podium presentation, and interviewing for fellowship positions) I managed to tell my story so I could share it and remember it long after the day has come and gone. But with so many things to focus on (mostly work related...grr...) I fear I will not have time for this blog. So, for now, one chapter is complete. And the next, well, who knows when it will begin.

October 24th, 2009

Haven't had any time to wrap up the wedding story, which of course ends in a happy ever after! The details were amazing and the day was everything I hoped for. I tried to savor every moment from the moment I awoke on my wedding day to the very last dance.

A quick recap:

All the girls headed over to Athena Aveda in Boston for hair and makeup. It was fun to get all done up and my bridesmaids and I had adorable hoodies that my sister J, MOH, bedazzled (not really, they were iron on decals) for us.

Then we all made our way back to the hotel to get dressed for photos. But before that bridesmaid F and I went up to peek at the set up and hang a few ornaments on the wedding tree. After much debate and no success with the poster idea we switched gears and I bought a live tree to hang our little ski ornaments on along with the guests' escort cards. Now we have our wedding tree to plant and watch grow!

Once we all had our dresses on we glimpsed a window of opporunity to grab photos outdoors as the day had been a bit overcast and rainy. I really hope the outdoor shots come out well as the location was so beautiful.

The 5 o'clock hour finally arrived and the ceremony began. The string trio was lovely. Walking down the aisle I smiled at our guests and my handsome groom and thought, nicely done on the Brooks Brothers suits and navy and yellow rep ties! And the mini ski boutonnieres were the perfect finishing touch. We managed to get through the ceremony and our heartfelt vows with a minimum of tears (thank goodness for Lancome waterproof mascara) and finished with our kiss and exit to "This Will Be" by Natalie Cole.

While everyone enjoyed cocktails and passed appetizers we ran outdoors, together this time, to get our first photos as husband and wife.

The introduction of our bridal party was fun and upbeat to "Pick Up The Pieces" by AWB. We made our entrance right into our first dance to "It Had To Be You" by Harry Connick Jr. The dance lessons at Supershag with Alfredo paid off and we rocked the foxtrot! (At least we think so). The toast by Best Man J and Welcome by my father were touching. And the rest of our evening was filled with great food, a constant flow of drinks (thanks to S for all those Greyhounds), and great times with family and friends! Of course the night went by far too fast and as the last dance "Dancin' In The Moonlight" by King Harvest came to a close we said our goodbyes to our guests. Well, then, we continued the party at the hotel bar until last call...and eventually we retired to our suite.

Thank you to my amazing vendors:

Wedding planner: Sarah True, True Event

On site coordinator: Michael Boivin, Boston Harbor Hotel

Officiant: Edi Pasalis, I-Do-Yoga

Flowers: Kelly Harris, Beautiful Blooms

Photography: Erica Coppell, Adeline and Grace

DJ: Renzo Hernandez, Top Entertainment

String Trio: Michael Reavey Music

Calligrapher: Betsy Dunlap

Invitation/Menu design: Erin Napier, Lucky-Luxe

Programs: Bridesmaid F, BeeHive Designs

Videographer: Jayson Lobozzo

Hair and makeup: Athena Aveda Salon and Spa

And a big thank you also to all of our family and friends for their love and support!

Coming together (not falling apart!)

Things are coming together! Bridesmaid F crafted a beautiful program for us and I am picking them up on Monday from the printer and tying them with navy ribbon. Even though our magnet board did not work as planned we came up with another idea to display the escort cards and so we are putting that plan into action. I am pleased with our ability to deal with the week of wedding crisis so well! And tomorrow after both N and I get haircuts we are heading to Maine to pick up the old wooden skis that will be signed in lieu of a guestbook. With just a few details to take care of I think we have a handle on them all.

To get us in the mood for our ski-themed wedding it snowed a little this morning!!!

April Rose

When I was growing up in Guilford, CT every Christmas and birthday I would hope for a tiny box adorned with beautiful ribbon and flowers from April Rose because I knew that inside would be a pretty pair of earrings or necklace or bracelet that I had my eye on. April Rose designs custom jewelry for all occasions. When I went to try on my gown for a final fitting on Saturday it occurred to me that an April Rose bracelet would add a nice touch to my bridal accessories and be a little something from home. I know I snagged the $20 vintage rhinestone bracelet from ebay, but looking at it now it seems a bit too much, and I can always wear it another time as costume jewlery or for Halloween as Holly Golightly (AH is my muse). I think I'll give them a call tomorrow and offer to send a picture of my gown, earrings, and shoes to inspire a design for a bracelet. I want something elegant but not overstated. After all, it's all about the details.

Father-daughter dance

This has been a tough one. I want something upbeat, not cheesy or overplayed, and that suits both our musical tastes and personalities. I came up with:

1. Father and Daughter by Paul Simon (nice beat)

2. Isn't She Lovely by Stevie Wonder (a bit overplayed, but nonetheless a great song)

3. Daughters by John Mayer (a modern tune)

4. The Way You Look Tonight by Frank Sinatra (ol' blue eyes will get you every time)

5. Just the Way You Are by Billy Joel (always liked him but not sure if this suits the Father-daughter dance)

I e-mailed them all to my dad and we'll see what he thinks. (I nixed his suggestion of Buttefly Kisses, the Bob Carlisle tune. Sorry to all you Christian Rock followers, but I just couldn't do it!)

Ceremony

We met with our officiant again this past week to iron out the order of the ceremony and to discuss readings. I have quite the extended family and really want to include them all in our special day. We went over a few selections and realized they weren't quite right. Edi, our officiant, told us to find something that makes the heart sing! So, we went back to the drawing board. After perusing several books and online resources today we selected 3 poems that I think will set the mood and fit the readers. Now that we have that settled I can sit down to draft our ceremony programs.

The back of the program shown here is from Etsy seller 2bsquared. I was perusing some designs today and really liked the designs in this shop so I contacted the seller to inquire about programs. I definitely appreciate the work of others and wish I had time to nourish my creative side more!

With this ring...

Been busy the last few weeks...

We finally ordered N's ring from an online vendor www.eweddingbands.com After looking at a bunch of options he decided on palladium. I think it's a good choice as it's a shiny metal similar to platinum, but for a fraction of the cost. We realized that at $500 we'd get over it if the ring went plunk in the water one day while playing around with one of the boats, but it would be more difficult to swallow if said ring was $2000. So, it should arrive this week, and I hope it's as nice as the picture and the reviews make it out to be.

N also ordered my ring and I can't wait to see it! When we were up in Maine for the fs wedding I looked at a few options and really loved the look of the diamond eternity band. It will compliment my engagement ring beautifully but also can hold its own.