we aren't taking a honeymoon, but the day after the ceremony, we went to the zoo on a whim. I posted some photos from that on my personal journal.


that's all I have for photos so far. there are tons of the ceremony and afterward though, and I'll post those after I get them. I was just getting too antsy to post nothing!



our ceremony was at 8pm so I had a while to get ready. I woke up around noon and went to the venue to decorate, then to lunch with my mom. then we went shoe shopping because she decided she hated her shoes. I saw two of my wedding guests at the store. then I went to get hair and makeup done.

I only had them do my eyes. then later I did my face and lips myself. because during my makeup trial I looked awful. which is great most days, but I wanted something different for my wedding. I loved my hair. it was actually the first updo I've ever had in my life.

I also got my period on my wedding day so that was really really cool.

the groom and I met for photos at 5. we cried hard. then re-did makeup. then photos around an industrial part of our downtown area near our venue.

my dad and I totally lost it walking down the aisle. my poor dad. he and I are really really close. we walked down to "I think I love you" by the partridge family (my mom would almost leave my dad for david cassidy who she has loved for 40 years)

our first dance was Love at First Sight by Kylie Minogue.
danced with my dad to What a Wonderful World.
mother son dance was I Will Follow You. And his mom tore up the dance floor!!!!

what went well:
1. the schedule. having a late ceremony went well with our guests' schedules and let us take the whole day to prepare. there was no rushing. and the atmosphere late at night was very PARTY.
2. we had the ceremony on stage, followed by signing the certificate, toasts, cake cutting, and family photos. one after another with no break. it got all the ceremonious stuff out of the way so the guests could be released to go mingle and snack and dance.
3. the children who came (all were invited) were very well-behaved and fun. everyone was entertained by their dancing.
4. everyone just had a great time. there were no negative comments from anyone.
5. photo booth + open bar = awesome wedding scrapbook keepsakes.
6. my parents said that lots of people introduced themselves and thanked them for the night. so that impressed me.
7. my brother forgot his tie and two of our friends went to the store and bought him one at the last minute. I was not aware of this until a few days had passed. it was so nice to have so many people on our side helping the day go smoothly.
8. I made a bag for each attendant with their boutonniere (or bouquet), some helpful things (oxy clean, mints, etc) and a cue card explaining the job they are assigned (rolling out a runner, the name of who they are escorting, etc) and the schedule for the night (when toasts are, who is giving them, when cake cutting is, when the first dance is, what they need to be present for). It made the night run smoothly because there was so little confusion. And it was easier for me to keep track of what each attendant needed because I just threw it all in the bag for them!

what went wrong:
1. nothing!

I guess my biggest advice would be that if there is a little thing you can do to make a guest, an attendant, or a parent's life easier, do it. I tried to do everything reasonable in my power to make the day easy for everyone around me, and people did notice. To me, it is important to avoid creating problems that don't matter anyway.

also, carry oxy clean or your stain remover of choice.



I'll probably post more photos later when I get them all.