Work it, baby

After a failed attempt to re-enter the world of the work out, I come back to my computer and say, "Let's get right to it, shall we?"

So where was I? Ah, right, about to put on my dress. This is when it becomes real, by the way. Once your dress is on, it's a ticking clock. Perhaps that's why Jeff did this:

He was trying to savor the moment.

Getting the dress on is not necessarily an easy feat. Katie, who is quite adept at dressing me after years of practice, help me get into the goods, and then into the dress. Partly anyway, because of course you have to get the getting into the dress picture! Even if it is completely staged.

Katie didn't pass up the picture opp.

But once it's on, it's time to tuck. Tuck Katie tuck!

And now you're in. Pose baby pose!

Which is what I did, for about the next 30 minutes. I'm pretty much in love with the results, and didn't slow at the yellow, but sped right through the red with the amount of facebook pictures one can put up of themselves without looking completely self-absorbed. I have, of course, learned my lesson, so I'm just going to post a few, just a few ok? here.

A note on that last one. I nudged up my shoulder a little -- just a smidge -- and the photographers (yes there were two) went nuts. So there I stood, pushing my shoulder to the point of disjointing because I was hearing "Shoulder baby! More shoulder!" as Katie put a large fan on me and and I used two shirtless men as furniture. Some of that last part might not be true. But there was plenty of shoulder, nonetheless.

Finally, they were done with me. I was released and allowed to go over to the venue where I got to see the space all done up for my wedding. And then got to peak out the window to see all the chairs set up outside. And remember before when I said it started to feel real when I put the dress on. Well, turns out there's varying degrees of real. This made it really real. Super real. 

And I had to wait, again, for about an hour for the moment. Of course, there was enough drama to fill the time. What drama you say? 

Drama is really a strong word. But first you need the back story: the Rotunda where we got married offered a wedding arch to use. One problem, it was heinous. You can see it in the background of the picture.

Now you're saying, why is it in that picture if you hated it? Well, good question. Jeff's father had graciously volunteered to make us the bamboo arch I really wanted, and then the florist would decorate it with flowers and it would be beautiful. We knew all along we'd be facing an issue of the wind and the day of was no different. Apparently, when the florist showed up to add the flowers to the arch and put it in the ceremony spot, the arch collapsed. So a decision was made (not by me, I wasn't there) to move it inside until the last minute before guests started arriving and hope for the best. And to keep the above arch there until then.

Well there I was, from my perch inside the Rotunda, completely unable to control what was going on. I saw the four groomsman bring the arch out, completely jostling it, further breaking it because they were all walking at different heights and tearing the thing apart. It actually led to a funny moment as I was standing there, watching them bring it over and realize they were putting it down backwards, being guys, they didn't see that the flowers were only on the front. So we're standing there, my mom, my bridesmaids and I going, "Turn it around. Turn it around! Someone has to notice it's the wrong way right? RIGHT?!" They did figure it out, if somewhat comically late. Once it was set down, you could see it leaning and I was completely calm about it, but I wanted it out. I didn't want it to fall on someone's head during the ceremony! But people kept saying, it will be fine, it will be fine.

Then Katie had a genius premonition -- the thing was leaning because the fabric we had draped on it was acting like a sail, we needed to cut holes in it so the wind would blow through. So there was my maid of honor, 10 minutes before my ceremony, jamming holes in the fabric on my arch. Did I mention she's amazing? 

Then we're five minutes to the ceremony and I realize -- no one's sitting down. Why is no one sitting down? I still need an answer about this. Who goes to a wedding and doesn't sit down in the chairs with at least 10 minutes to go? We had Andrew out there playing (he did an amazing job by the way), signifying a wedding would occur soon, but no one was sitting down. I'm not exactly sure on the times, but I'm pretty sure we started the ceremony late. 

And then it was a blur. All of a sudden my mother and my bridesmaids had left me, down the stairs and the aisle. And I was alone in the Rotunda. My father was meeting me at the bottom of a long staircase, and Jeff was waiting for me at the end of the aisle. My stomach was in knots and it was time.

.... and I swear I'll get to the ceremony next.

But first, you want to know how the arch turned out. Well, take a look.

I'm happy to say, despite it's left leaning and string spewing, it made it through the whole ceremony. And then collapsed 10 minutes into the formal pictures :)