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:



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!

Friday, October 9, 2009

Tomorrow!

Tomorrow I am getting married. I cannot believe it. We had the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner tonight and it just felt so surreal. All these people are here for us!

The rehearsal dinner was amazing. It was better than anything I could have imagined. The people that catered it made it so special and I am so appreciative.

Well, I am off to go pack my bag for tomorrow. I will go through all the details after we get back from St. Martin. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!!

Friday, October 2, 2009

Almost There!

Next week at this time I will be getting ready for the rehearsal. Is that not crazy!!??

We are almost done with all the last minute planning. I still need to finish the favors (I only have about 30 more to do), print the programs, book our nail appointment the day before the wedding, find some earrings to wear, find a necklace to wear with my rehearsal outfit and buy the candles for the centerpieces. That's it! After this weekend I will pretty much be done and I can just enjoy visiting with family.

It is amazing how many emotions are running through me. One minute I am tearful because I am so happy, the next minute I am stressed about little details, the next I am incredibly nervous and then the next I am overwhelmed with excitement. It still feels so surreal. I have had 9 months to plan for this and it always felt so far away. I had started to think it would never get here and now it is right around the corner.

The weather today is absolutely gorgeous and I hope it will be this nice for the wedding. The leaves are just barely changing and I'm really hoping there will be even more colors in a week. I can't wait to show you guys our pictures!