all in all

As an avid magazine fiend, I had read up on just about every article I could about preparing for the day of my wedding.  From exercise tips to skin care regimens, I thought I had it all under control.  In a nutshell, the day of August 6, 2010 was one I had been thinking about for months.  So let me paint you the picture of the kind of day I had dreamed up in my mind:  I saw myself lying in bed, awakening after a solid 8 hours of sleep.  The morning would be a relaxing one- maybe a light jog through the neighborhood, a quiet time on the porch and a late breakfast followed by pampering and peace with the girls at the nail salon.  Afterwards, we would all head to the hotel and begin the getting ready process.  I saw myself surrounded by my family and friends in one big room as I got beautified for the biggest day of my life, time passing slowly.  I even imagined what I would be nibbling on (cause lets be honest, not only would I not have much of an appetite, but I was going to look HOT in that dress! ) and the music that would be playing in the background.  Boy, did my wild imagination love the wedding planning process!

So its pretty safe to say that my expectations were just a little high...

And as you can probably guess, my morning didn't quite look like that.  After squeezing in maybe 2 hours of sleep and keeping my poor bridesmaids up to work on last minute projects like tying ribbons, we got up and hit the ground running.  With my awesome time management skills (all who know me know I am always "behind schedule", or "fashionably late" as I like to call it, yet they still choose to love me anyway :) ) we managed to get out of the house and head for the nail salon almost an hour behind schedule.

The drive to the nail salon, which is normally 10 minutes, ended up being almost an hour due to stand still traffic.  After a few deep breaths and some encouraging words from my amazing friends, we stepped into the salon and waited in line for another 15 minutes due to the fact our appointment 2 hours prior was no longer relevant.  The process, which was only supposed to take about an hour, took 2.  More deep breaths.

Over 3 hours behind schedule and trying not to freak out yet, we headed for the city.  A couple of the girls went to the hotel to start hair and makeup while me and 3 others headed to Windows On Washington to tie up some "loose ends" (aka: more stuff not going according to plan).  After doing all we could at the venue, the rest of us made our way to the hotel.  At this point, I was so looking forward to just getting into the ginormous suite we had booked and relaxing a bit before heading to the church.


As we approached the hotel room door, yup you guessed it, more trouble.  Instead of the spacious, 2 room suite with a kitchen, living room, dining room, and master bedroom, we had two very small rooms down the hall from each other.  I was beginning to wonder if I was in some token Ben Stiller movie where so many bad things happen you feel bad for him the whole film... or maybe Ashton Kutcher had decided to start up Punk'd again and was now targeting the wedding industry? Whatever the case, I wasn't having it.  After another deep breath, I walked to the front desk to see what the dealio was.  Apparently, our room was "out of service", despite the fact I had called a couple of days before to make sure everything was good to go.  With my awesome big sis and my amazing cousin Nichole at my side, the staff put us in a smaller suite along with the two rooms.  Which was good, except the suite was on a different floor from the other two rooms that had now been designated for hair and makeup.  So instead of us all being together like I thought (and the videographer and photographer being able to get shots of us all together), we were spread out the entire time rotating between hair and makeup.    
Another deep breath.

Working my multitasking skillz

While all this is going on, my poor mother has been running around town to get the dang programs printed (the ones that just didn't want to cooperate!) and make sure we were fed.  Due to lack of time (the evident theme for the day),  she wasn't able to make it to pick up the favors we had ordered.  Unbeknownst to me, my hard working bridesmaids, in full bridesmaid attire and looking like the wedding party brigade, took off to get the job done.  They were such troopers!

Annie with the infamous favors

With hair and makeup done, and now just an hour away from the ceremony starting, I scoured the hotel for the girls so we could hop in the car and get to the chapel.  Not finding anyone and realizing I was now minutes away from getting married, I grabbed my dress and shoes, jumped into my car, and took off.  At this point, I was desperately trying not to hyper-ventilate.  I can only imagine what people thought when they looked over at the car next to them and saw a lone bride in her veil, talking to herself like a crazy person in an attempt to keep calm.  There I was, streaking through St. Louis in my silver Chevy Malibu, racing like a mad woman to get to my wedding on time.

Speeding up to the church parking lot and throwing my car into a handicapped spot, I raced in through the back entrance, hoping no one would see me.  There I was faced with another dilemma: How was I to get downstair without Erik seeing me?  I stepped dead in my tracks, dress flung over my shoulder and stilettos in hand, and broke down.  I didn't know where my mom was, where my bridesmaids were, or where to go and my wedding was to start in 10 minutes....
Many short shallow, shaky breaths.

Thats when I was saved by an angel.  Two wonderful women from the church Erik and I attend in St. Louis (and if you're reading this, you know who you are) swooped in and saved the day.  Upon seeing the bride disheveled and in tears (I can't even imagine what they were thinking when they saw me- I had to have looked absolutely nuts!), they took my hand and led me down the stairs I had failed to see in my state of disarray.  Reaching the bottom of the steps and rounding the corner, I took in the group of my family and friends anxiously awaiting my arrival.  A flood of emotions, ones that I had been suppressing all day long, came bursting out like vomit.  My uncle, who was our officiant, came to my aid as he prayed with me and calmed me down.  The rest of that 15 minutes went by in a blur.  I remember the relief I felt when my mom walked in the door, putting on my dress, and my bridesmaids swooshing through the door just in the nick of time as my sweet sister ran to me to give me a big hug.

I also remember the special and private moment I had with my dad just moments before he gave me away.  No cameras, nobody listening in, no more chaos- just me and him. That moment is one that will remain vivid in my mind forever.

Walking down the aisle with my dad

Looking back on all that happened in the moments leading up to my wedding, although not what I expected, it was all still so special.  People who I love dearly were not only there for me, but they went above and beyond to make sure my day was perfect.  I know God placed them with me on that day for a reason.  With all that went wrong, I would have been such a mess without the huge support system I had.  Every single one of my bridesmaids was there for me and took care of me.  And my amazing big sis and mom worked their tails off to do all they could for me.  I will be forever grateful to all of them.

my beautiful and amazing bridal party

But even with the backstage craziness and chaos,  my wedding day was perfect.   Walking up to the alter to meet my future husband was even more amazing than I could have ever imagined.  Getting to finally marry the man I had dreamed about marrying for as long as I can remember was above and beyond any expectation I could have had.  And to be in a room filled with people you love and care about and who love and support you as well was indescribable.

so so happy

So long story short, things don't always go how you expect them to.  And when they don't, it's ok.  What really mattered was that I got to marry my best friend and be surrounded by our family and friends we both love so much.  My day was my day and I will always look back to it with a huge smile on my face.  Plus, my bridesmaids and I will always have this funny story to look back on and get a kick out of what I put them through!

So I'm leaving you with a link to a short clip, made by Sweet Tea Media , of our wedding.  They truly captured the buildup of excitement, the pure joy, and the peacefulness that surrounded us in that chapel as we committed our lives to each other. Hope you enjoy :)

http://vimeo.com/14011951