Wedding Day Part 1

Everyone told me the wedding day would be a blur and would move really fast, but I actually didn't feel that way. I really felt like I was able to soak it all in and move at a pace I felt comfortable with. In the morning, I tried on my dress one more time and noticed it felt pretty big so I planned on drinking a lot of water and getting some good salty snacks to fill it in. Ness met me at our apartment and then we drove together to our hair salon, but first we stopped by the Lincoln Square German Market for pretzel bread, cheese and waters. It was the perfect little snack. My stylist ended up having a family emergency and they had this other stylist double booked so I had to sit there for awhile waiting which stressed me out a bit, but once she got started, I realized it was going to be ok. My mom came and met us at the salon too. She saved the day and got me a big gulp :) It definitely took awhile to do my up do, but I absolutely loved the finished product - I actually liked this style more than the one I was supposed to get! She did such a great job and I felt like a beautiful bride! Next, my mom went and picked up sandwiches from Costello's for us which we enjoyed while we waited for the make up gal to arrive. They found out that I was getting married and gave us a free sandwich. Love it! My friends, Ryann, Darcy and Jamie came over too. Ry and Darc had picked up our flowers from Dilly Lily and they dropped them off for us. They were SO beautiful and over the top. We loved them! The girls hung out for awhile when I started to get my make up done. It was so fun to have them around and I couldn't wait to see all of my best buds at the venue before the ceremony. The girls took off and we wrapped up my make up and my mom's. I really loved how it turned out! We requested an Uber town car and Ness and I took that over the venue and my mom drove our flowers and other items we needed. It was really fun riding the short distance with Ness and getting excited together. We arrived at the venue and I sent Ness in to check to make sure Rob was out of site before I walked in. Then I got upstairs and got to see some of my friends and family before getting into my dress. Several of them had been setting everything up with Jamie for a few hours already. I'm very grateful to my coworker Sarah, Jamie, Caitlin, Shalva and Nicole and their dates for helping with everything to make sure it all looked beautiful. One of our photographers, Maura, was up there with us to capture all of the special moments and some glamour shots before we got everything started. We popped some champagne and I received a beautiful card and Tiffany's Infinity Bracelet from Rob and I sent down a card for him too. In the mean time, Rob was running around like crazy downstairs chatting with people and making sure our sound was working. It was a bit more hectic for him beforehand than it was for me which i feel badly about! I sent my bro down to usher with Rob's brother-in-law, Tom and I sent the girls down to take their seats and some to do their jobs like programs and yay flags and then I was just up there by myself for awhile. I started to get really anxious and was looking down at the chaos in the atrium of the venue. No one was sitting down, my dad's boutonniere was missing, candles weren't lit - it was really hard to be stuck up there - NOT running the wedding. I even chatted with a maintenance man because I was stuck up there by myself for so long waiting to get started! But eventually everything came together and I think we only started about 10 minutes late! I finally wrangled my parents upstairs, my dad got his boutonniere and the ceremony music started, played beautifully by Rob's younger bro, Cody and his wife, Lynn. I couldn't see, but I know Luke and Bella did a great job as our ring bearer and flower girl. I could tell by all of the awwws. Then I knew me and my parents were up. I took a deep breath and my parents took their mark. Soon it was my turn to walk down the catwalk over the ceremony site to Iron & Wine's "Such Great Heights." I honestly could not stop smiling. I had the biggest grin and I was so excited! I was overwhelmed with happiness and excitement to marry Rob! I met my parents at the foot of the catwalk stairs and then we walked down the main aisle together. Dad kissed my cheek (accidentally stood on my dress) and said their 'we dos' and sat down. Then it was time to get the ceremony started! More on that later :)

We did it!

We got hitched on 10.6.12! It feels great to have made it official and our connection feels even more special and strong. Our wedding day was absolutely perfect and we truly had the best day ever. We are so grateful for everyone's help, love and support. We are so lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful people. The week of the wedding was totally crazy, but I still managed to host my best friends over for dinner to thank them for all of their help and support and give them little gifts. My best friend, Vanessa, in from Germany, came over early to help with everything. Thank goodness she did. She was such a great helper - she cooked all of the steak for the steak salads and helped with everything else I needed. She was basically my co-host and I'm so grateful for her being there! It was so fun to give the girls their gifts and cards that I have had for months. I framed collages I put together of different photos of us from over the years and picked out different nail polishes that I thought they would like. I made them all cards that said "you're my favorite" because they are all my favorites. The night ended with lots of laughs and smiles. I'm so glad that I got to share that time with them before our big day. The next day I was able to get my nails done with my friend Jamie, in from Michigan. She was great about getting me whatever I needed and keeping me calm even though I felt very stressed! We took her to the venue to show her everything afterwards because she so kindly agreed to help run everything since she's a professional wedding planner - seriously, how lucky are we!? After that, Rob and I headed to the suburbs for our "night before" dinner. We reserved a room at a place called Grady's Grille in Homewood and it was the perfect size for our group. My mom and brother came early with some flowers and centerpieces and it really brightened up the place. Our immediate families, Rob's Grandpa and friend, my aunts/uncles and cousins, our family friends the Holmans and the Shaklees joined us for the special occasion. We enjoyed catching up, eating dinner and then we got to pass out more gifts! I love giving gifts and we spent so much time putting thought into everything - it was a highlight for me. After gifts we went over details for the next day and helped get everyone informed. After that I said goodbye to my fiance and headed back to the city for a night on my own. A lot of people think it's strange I wanted to be by myself, but I really wanted time to center myself, enjoy some quiet moments and think about the next day. I was able to watch Father of the Bride - which is what I've always wanted to do the night before I got married. Ofcourse I got absolutely no sleep due to being overexcited, but I still woke up feeling energized and excited! I just couldn't wait to see my husband to be and to start the festivities! I'll write more about the wedding day itself soon!

5 days!

It's wedding week!!! I am bursting with excitement and so ready for the wedding! Rob and I have been so busy running around, getting things organized and finalizing crafts/gifts - we barely had a second to breath. Now nearly everything is done and we have been able to enjoy each other and get pumped for our big day! Can't wait!