The Road Trips, November 2, 2013 | photos via Pink Shutterbug Photography

If I had to sum up our first year of marriage in one word, that word would be “home.”

That might sound strange since we’d lived together for several years before getting married, but about 6 weeks after getting home from the honeymoon we put in an offer on a house and have been obsessed with it ever since. We’d been looking forward to relaxing after the wedding and holidays were over, just getting back into the groove of the day-to-day. Instead, we spent the next 10 months like this:

Sometimes you just have to take a chance on something–be it love or a handyman special home! Our “Gingerbread Dollhouse” the day we first saw it in person.

• Christmas through mid-April: trying to close on the house
• mid-April through mid-July: required renovations to the house
• July: moving (it took an entire month of weekends to fully move out of the rental and into the “Dollhouse”)
• August through October: “triage” and unpacking

While it’s been absolutely exhausting at times and frustrating at others, the simple fact of the matter is that it only happened because we were together. I know I’d never take on a house that had been subject to so much neglect (or, as they say in real estate, “deferred maintenance”) if I didn’t have the very handy Mr. Road Trip by my side.

But a house is just a building until you make it a home. When we were living together pre-wedding it was in rentals, and the lack of permanence was looked at–maybe not by us on the day-to-day, but definitely by others–as more than just our living situation. Having a wedding, becoming husband and wife, reassures the people around us that we’re solid, that they know what to expect. Similar to the way your neighbors look at you when you buy a house instead of a renting one.

Even though the last several months have been trying, those tests have shown us just how much we can make it through (just in case we had any doubts). Dealing with banks, insurance agencies, and contractors on top of moving across state lines while trying to keep everything else on track was not what we’d planned for this first year, to say the least. But it showed us our best way of working together to solve a problem (or three) and we’ve built memories along the way. We see this house as our forever home, just the way we see forever in each other.

a pre-dinner selfie | Road Trips 2014

We keep anniversaries low-key in the Road Trip household, exchanging cards and simple gifts. Those of you who were here for the planning posts may recall that I refused to “restart the clock” on our relationship, and we were married on 6th dating anniversary. So this year was a combo of 1st and 7th anniversaries (for the curious, the 7th anniversary gifts are copper or desk sets). We went out to a fabulous dinner at a local restaurant on Saturday night and then spent our actual anniversary night dining in.

I am always grateful for a husband who enjoys cooking as much as I do!

Since we had a brunch reception last year and need few excuses to have breakfast for dinner on any given night, we’ve decided to start a new tradition of having something brunchy for supper on our anniversary. It’s was Roadie’s turn to cook last week, so he made steak and eggs: grilled, bacon-wrapped filet mignon with Eggs Florentine. His plans for Mimosas were almost thwarted by Georgia’s no-booze sales on Sundays rule, but for the fact that I had several bottles of Champagne at home. Always prepared isn’t just for scouting!

What are we looking forward to in Year 2? I’d love to say relaxation but we know better! We’ll actually start the room-by-room renovation of our home in a few months (all of which you can follow on my blog, ScrapsOfLife.com), keep working our day jobs, and I hope to finish my second book at some point in 2015. Maybe we’ll even get an honest-to-goodness, non-working vacation in there somewhere!

Anyone else go for the low-key anniversary their first (or seventh) year?

(This post was shared with WeddingBee.com, hence the self-referencing and nick-names–it’s a Bee thing!)

Image via FreeImages.com | contributed by poison_yvi

I hate doing the dishes.

More specifically, I hate loading the dishwasher. While I’m certainly capable of doing it and did it for  years when I lived on my own, there’s just something about loading the dishwasher that I loathe. Momma would say that it’s no surprise–I wasn’t the neatest, most organized kid growing up, but I definitely was the one most likely to snap if the kitchen was a mess in the house I shared with 3 other girls right after graduation.

No one was more surprised than I, let me tell you.

So when Todd and I first moved in together, we’d discussed certain chores (mostly laundry, we’re strictly a do-your-own household) but I don’t remember discussing dish duty. We traded off weeks to cook (we still do) but whereas the usual beat would be one person cooks, the other cleans, Todd adopted dish duty 99% of the time. And I thank him for it frequently, because he’s saving me from something a detest and, to me, that’s love.

In Gary Chapman’s book, The 5 Love Languages, this pinpoints at least one of my love languages as Acts of Service. If you’ve never read the book (I remember receiving a copy of it as a wedding gift the first time I got married back in ’95), it’s an interesting treatise on different ways we perceive love all with the end goal of making individuals more aware of what they see or hear as love so that they can then communicate those needs to their partner. It’s good stuff.

And even though I read this book years ago and knew on some level what I needed, I wasn’t always good at asking for those needs to be met.

For instance, I remember a particular row with my 2nd husband over groceries. Well, it was more than that, but the grocery shopping was a catalyst that day.

See, his son (who lived with us every other week) had decided to go vegetarian. Seeing as how I’d done similar back in high school (and combined with my culinary training) I was gung-ho to support him and make sure we met his needs while still also meeting the needs of his decidedly carnivorous father. Unfortunately, stepson’s idea of a meal was French bread, Buffalo Chick’n nuggets, and Monster energy drink. I had several objections to a) him subsisting on those items (regardless of how much kale he claimed to consume from the food truck at lunch) and b) the general principle of teenagers consuming energy drinks, so I flat-out refused to buy them in the requested quantities (or at all in the case of the energy drink) and explained to his father exactly why.

Instead, I planned meals in components, like the night I made spaghetti, the sauce, and the seasoned meat separately so each person could add what they did and did not want. Stepson opted not to come to the table. Now, he wasn’t rude or obnoxious about it, he was fairly polite saying ‘no thanks’ over the din of the music through the closed door to his bedroom, but it certainly didn’t show respect or appreciation for my efforts. And we just won’t go into the not-so-easy-to-find-12-years-ago Tofurky incident.

The aforementioned argument was on who did what around the house, and how much each of us (the husband and I) contributed monetarily. Yeah, it was one of those “discussions.” Since I do better on paper with facts at hand, I listed everything out, comparing our salaries as well (he made a third more than I did, but I matched his amount for the household expenses) and included grocery shopping in my contribution totals saying something like ‘and I get the things you like at the store.’ His response: That’s your job!

No. No it wasn’t. Especially when even he didn’t come home for dinner most nights for the last year we were together.

My stance on the subject is best summed up in this quote from Mary Gauthier, heard on Fresh Air weekend but originally aired in her June 24, 2014, interview with Terry Gross:

Playing music and cooking for people are two very tangible ways of showing love.

Amen to that.

Grocery shopping and planning menus is a chore for some, it’s an act of loving service for others, myself included. Planning favorite meals or picking up a favorite snack or cereal when something more utilitarian would do or it could easily be skipped: they are love notes from me to whomever I’m cooking for. It might sound a bit Stepford wife of me, but it’s what I do. It’s the same thing that drives me to volunteer to help this group or that group even when I’m putting my own projects aside (aka Helium Hand or Helper Monkey-ism), because I love, respect, and/or appreciate the group and want to show it in my “native” love language. It’s also why I seldom feel a true need to pull the ‘fend for yourself’ card when it’s my week to cook.

I used to see Quality Time as a key love language along with Words of Affirmation. As I’ve gotten more self-confident, though, they aren’t as important (though Quality Time is still a biggie, it’s just truly quality and not quantity). Back when I was confused about my self-worth, I spoke love to others by almost strictly Physical Touch, thinking that’s what I had to do–again, I’ve since learned that, while important, it’s not the language I need to be speaking exclusively, and certainly not in the way I used to think. About the only one of the love languages I never really keyed into was Receiving Gifts. Not that I don’t love presents, but the gifts language often involves money and growing up without a lot of that around made both giving and receiving such gifts awkward and uncomfortable. Though I enjoy giving gifts to others, they come from the Acts of Service part of me being primarily handmade or diy.

So when I found myself doing the dishes the other night–half because it was time to cook supper and we were out of plates, having not moved over the rest of the kitchen supplies, and half because Todd was exhausted and having a rough week so hadn’t gotten to them in a couple of nights–I didn’t feel all martyr-ish about it. (That, of course, is not Acts of Service if you’re going to complain about how put-upon you are, that’s a passive-aggressive way of asking for Words of Affirmation in my mind.) I was happy to do them, even though it was hand-washing because we didn’t have a working dishwasher and it meant delaying supper a bit, too. I was happy because it was a way I could show Todd that I appreciated what he did for me around the house, the time he frees up by doing the dishes being time I can spend on my projects or nothing at all if I so choose.

Todd had never heard of The 5 Love Languages before that night, when I brought them up after supper. We’d never had a need to discuss them as, in the 6 1/2 years we’ve been together, we’ve been lucky enough to speak the same love languages often enough without prompting.

There’s a quiz going around about rating the awesomeness of your husband/wife over on Brainfall. I took the rate your wife side, trying to guess Todd’s answers, and scored myself an 80%. When I took the rate your husband side of the quiz, I scored Todd a 93%, and I felt that was fair and I often consider Todd an excellent husband and myself a somewhat selfish wife. When I sent the link to Todd, though, he scored me a 94 while only scoring himself a 73 when he tried to guess my answers.

I suppose the lesson is that we both do our best but see room for improvement, while our partner sees near perfection. So much better than the other way around, right?

I’ll continue to be grateful when Todd does the dishes, or cooks dinner on “his” weeks, or kills a bug that dares enter our home. What’s more, I’ll continue to tell him how grateful I am so that he knows I see what he’s doing. Whether it’s dishes or cuddles, it all boils down to the same definition of love in our language.

Photo by Pink Shutterbug Photography

Just over a year ago (I don’t think I will ever forget, especially considering I got a speeding ticket the next morning when I was paying more attention to mentally composing my intro post than my speedometer–oops!) I was announced as Miss Road Trip and just under 6 months ago, Roadie and I were married in our intimate outdoor ceremony at Honey Lake Plantation.

It has been an honor and a privilege to share our wedding with the members of the Hive. I thank each and every one of you who have left comments on my posts–seriously, it was always a thrill to see the notifications in my Inbox–and for the encouragement and occasional commiseration they held. I hope that my posts were informative and encouraging in turn–if even one person found one of them useful I’ll consider my time here well-spent.

Special thanks go out to my fellow Honeymoon Generation blogging Bees–I’ve enjoyed sharing this journey with each of you and value the friendships we’ve built over the last year and then some. If anyone is on the fence about applying to blog for Weddingbee, I say do because you just never know what will come of it!

Life has stayed very much the same for we Road Trips since the wedding–there have been little shifts that are hard to pinpoint but you still notice, and I fully admit that being able to call Roadie my husband still gives me a little thrill. But big changes are now on the horizon!

After several months and 7.5# of paperwork (unfortunately not an exaggeration), we just recently closed on a 1910 Folk Victorian that’s a bit of a fixer-upper but perfect for us, just over the FL/GA border. We’ve spent the last two weekends taking care of some odds and ends around the house before the roofers get started (poor thing was a bit neglected when we found her, but we’ll soon fix that) and are looking forward to restoring and renovating our Pink Gingerbread Dollhouse for the foreseeable future!

Of course I’ll be blogging the process, along with various other facets of living a creative life, over on ScrapsOfLife.com, in case anyone wants to follow along and virtually peek in the windows.

Wishing you creative days and wonderful weddings!

Mrs. Road Trip

Long story short, this post is the first time I’m looking at what out final expenses totaled!

Images via Pink Shutterbug Photography

Attire $635

My dresses and accessories came to $480 thanks to needing no alterations and shopping smart. Choosing both dresses were simple compared to picking a bracelet–I think I bought a total of five, but only included the once I actually wore in the total.

Roadie’s suit rental and tie came to $155

Rings $276

Roadie’s tungsten carbide ring ($53) came from Amazon because, like many a Bee before me, we saw no reason to spend six times as much to buy it in a jewelry store. My wedding band ($223) didn’t come from the wedding section of Marks & Morgan, but the fashion jewelry cases; it also happens to be sterling silver, which is much more my daily wear speed.

Decorations $609

We diy-ed the vast majority of the decor for our wedding, so this total includes the linens I purchased for the reception ($98–about half of what the rentals would have cost), as well as the craft supplies we combined with the stuff we already had around the house. Hoarding craft supplies has never been so helpful and I wouldn’t have the first clue about how much of “in stock” value all of that came to.

Beverages $612

We brought in our own wines and signature cocktail fixings. It was easier to buy full cases so that total could really be cut in half since we have about half of it left for at-home consumption. The beer service was comped by the venue in light of the mishaps on the day.

Venue & Catering $3297

Venue rental for the ceremony and reception space ran $1545
AV services (iPod dock, outdoor speakers, etc.) ran $289

Cocktail Hour Food & Beverage for 27 $330
Reception Food & Beverage for 25 $625

Lodging $508

Desserts $154

The four dozen cupcakes from Lucy & Leo’s came to $102, the rest is the ingredients for the desserts I made.

Favors $104

Another point for the edible favors–not a single one of our chocolate bundles were left behind!

Photographer $384

This included and engagement session as well as 8 hours of coverage and 2 shooters on the day (including a $25 mileage fee). It resulted in 1400 digital images (including both sessions) with reprint rights.

The Legal Bits $170

Our marriage license was $93.50 and the event insurance was $76.50. The insurance was a condition of our original contract but the new DoC didn’t know anything about it. Still, an ounce of prevention and all that, right?

Rehearsal Dinner $230

Dinner for 12 at a Mexican restaurant was one of our better food-related decisions (right after our cupcakes). Even with a very generous tip it was still less than we’d expected!

Stationery $150

Postage was probably the largest purchase when it came to our paper goods at $80. We spent $20 on our Save the Date cards, and the rest went to envelopes. Everything else I already owned and since I’d replaced my inkjet printer earlier in the year (with an Epson WorkForce 7510) I was able to do everything else purely diy.

Miscellaneous $279

Ceremony glassware for unity ceremony $78
Pre-Wedding Pampering $90
iTunes downloads for ceremony/reception music $44
Emergency Kit supplies $67

Grand Total $6900

So, about $1100 over the planned budget which doesn’t seem so bad (we’re just going to ignore the fact that it’s a 19% increase in reality). The extra grand didn’t cause any undue financial hardships and we have no regrets about where our money went. I suppose that’s all you can hope for when it comes to a wedding budget, so in that respect I think we did quite well.

The Road Trip Wedding Recaps:

• Dishing the Dirt on the Venue
• Baking & Bride-Napping
• A Moment of Calm
• And Then the Chaos
• We Rehearse
• Our Rehearsal Dinner
• Last Minute Edits
• Up with the Sun
• Getting Spiffy
• Family Pictures
• And Then We Waited
• Letâ€s Mingle
• Shall We Process?
• The Ceremony Begins
• The Rings and the Rest
• The Group Hug
• Presto Change-o
• Until the Wheels Fall Off
• A Little Dance
• A Few Words Before Brunch
• Trading Sweets
• And That Was That
• Vendor Reviews

Pink Shutterbug Photography: Recommend

On either side of the fountain during our engagement session and wedding. | Images by Pink Shutterbug Photography

We searched high and low for a photographer that fit both our (admittedly small) budget and uncomplicated style. Thankfully we found Kara to fit the bill and she did a fabulous job for us. What made her practically perfect for us was that she specializes in family portraits, doing only a handful of weddings each year to “keep it fun,” she says. Because of this she can keep her package prices low and keep her deadlines. And speaking of deadlines, even though ours was the first of the 3 (I believe) wedding she did last year, all in the month of November, we received a generous preview album in time to order Christmas cards and the discs of the images right at 2 months after the wedding. We enjoyed working with Kara and would not hesitate to call on her again if we ever decide to couples portraits again.

Lucy & Leo’s Cupcakery: Recommend

Anyone else hungry, now?

They’re a bit of an institution around these parts, but it’s still worth saying that we (and our guests) enjoyed their cupcakes immensely! One of the few bakeries around that offer gluten-free cupcakes (and the only one, I believe, that has an actual storefront), they go above and beyond making their gluten-free cupcakes in almost all of their regular flavors–not just one or two. The ultimate test, of course, was that our guests didn’t even realize they were gluten-free, they were that tasty! They routinely sell-out when they bring their camper to events, and are the kind of shop that closes each day when the last cupcake sells, often shortly after 5pm (just in case anyone in the Tallahassee area wants to give them a try), and while they don’t make gluten-free flavors every day, they do take special orders for everyday celebrations–not just weddings.

The Road Trip Wedding Recaps:

• Dishing the Dirt on the Venue
• Baking & Bride-Napping
• A Moment of Calm
• And Then the Chaos
• We Rehearse
• Our Rehearsal Dinner
• Last Minute Edits
• Up with the Sun
• Getting Spiffy
• Family Pictures
• And Then We Waited
• Letâ€s Mingle
• Shall We Process?
• The Ceremony Begins
• The Rings and the Rest
• The Group Hug
• Presto Change-o
• Until the Wheels Fall Off
• A Little Dance
• A Few Words Before Brunch
• Trading Sweets
• And That was That

Picture via Pink Shutterbug Photography

I was able to see most of our guests off but I did miss a few because, as careful as tried to be, I still ended up having to excuse myself to be sick for a bit. Based on the time-delay these reactions tend to have, it must have been something in the first course that set me off, but there’s nothing to be done about it now! I did feel bad that it was Roadie’s parents I missed saying goodbye to, but we caught up with them at dinner that night, so it wasn’t the end of the world.

Mama Leadfoot showing her silly side.

The staff packed up all our reception details and delivered them back to our room. Even though it wasn’t 10 minutes after we’d okayed that plan that they knocked on the door, Roadie and I had already forgotten they were coming and had already started to change into comfy clothes for the afternoon–he was only half-dressed and ended up ducking into the closet while they unloaded the decorations!

Now, the thing about having an early-afternoon end to your reception is deciding what to do with the rest of the day? We went for the lounge option, sacking out after a very busy morning. We opened the many cards from family and friends and I made sure to start the list of who enclosed what for proper thank-you writing. We also each made up for the scarce bites of cupcake earlier by snagging some of the leftovers that had been delivered back to the room.

(personal picture) The fountain was so beautiful at night–it would make a great backdrop for an evening event, too!

As I mentioned above, we met up with Roadie’s family for dinner that evening in the resort dining room (the food, by the way, was much better at dinner than it had been at the reception) as well as Friend-ficiant L and her husband who were also staying on property. Sharing a casual meal with his family was a nice “bookend” to the event, having starting the long weekend with a dinner with mine.

(personal picture) So long, Honey Lake!

We had a lot of things go wonky on our wedding day, but the important things all went the way they needed to: just right. I’m just as surprised as anyone that I kept my cool through all of it–it was a little bit of not wanting to make our guests uncomfortable by blowing up and a lot of realizing that it wasn’t worth the rise in blood pressure a blow-up would have triggered. Keeping calm meant that, bumps and all, we have more fond memories of the day than negative ones. All I can advise for any other bride is to have back-ups to the important things and then just agree with yourself to go with the flow.

Even though this is the end of the wedding, I’ve still got a couple of posts before I officially hit the road!

The Road Trip Wedding Recaps:

• Dishing the Dirt on the Venue
• Baking & Bride-Napping
• A Moment of Calm
• And Then the Chaos
• We Rehearse
• Our Rehearsal Dinner
• Last Minute Edits
• Up with the Sun
• Getting Spiffy
• Family Pictures
• And Then We Waited
• Letâ€s Mingle
• Shall We Process?
• The Ceremony Begins
• The Rings and the Rest
• The Group Hug
• Presto Change-o
• Until the Wheels Fall Off
• A Little Dance
• A Few Words Before Brunch
• Trading Sweets

Photos by Pink Shutterbug Photography

I had deliberated for quite some time how to display our cupcakes. The standard tiered stack is always a good go-to, but since we were dealing with a smaller quantity than those large displays hold, I wanted something that would have a bit more presence without looking bare. Going over what I had on hand, I came back to these telescoping plant stands that a friend gave me ages ago. In the 7 or 8 years I’ve owned them I think they’ve held a potted plant maybe once? Usually they get used to hold party supplies or lights at our parties, and I realized they’d be perfect cupcake stands, too!

I filled each platform with excelsior and then secured corks and paper flowers around the edges–both to fill the space and to help support the small plates resting on the edges of the lower platforms. Since the clear plastic plates I found were just barely big enough to span the diameter of each stand (and the next size up of anything was way too big) I secured those at points with hot glue as well. They mostly survived the trip to the Plantation–enough to serve their purpose.

When the DoC came over to ask which cupcakes we wanted to use for our “cake cutting” I realized I’d almost forgotten about those sweet treats waiting to end the meal! Since we were still a bit pinned in, we opted to do the cake bits at our seats.

That would be a very definite ‘no’ to little brother’s suggestion of a cake smash.

We were, instead, very careful and very polite.

The traditional kiss afterwards, however, was not so sweet for Roadie, I’m afraid. He’s not a big fan of peanut butter–the smell or taste of it–and the peanut butter frosting on my cupcake had been quite strong. His reaction gave our guests a laugh, though! (He went with the strawberry cupcake, just in case anyone was curious.)

I believe it was at this point we thanked our guests for spending the day with us before inviting them to help themselves to the dessert table.

It was a good thing the leftover cupcakes were being delivered back to our cottage since, once people were up and moving, I didn’t get a chance to finish more than half of mine before I, too, was mingling with our guests. It felt good to get up and stretch our legs, so for our guests who’s been sitting longer than we had I’m sure they appreciated it, too!

The Road Trip Wedding Recaps:

• Dishing the Dirt on the Venue
• Baking & Bride-Napping
• A Moment of Calm
• And Then the Chaos
• We Rehearse
• Our Rehearsal Dinner
• Last Minute Edits
• Up with the Sun
• Getting Spiffy
• Family Pictures
• And Then We Waited
• Letâ€s Mingle
• Shall We Process?
• The Ceremony Begins
• The Rings and the Rest
• The Group Hug
• Presto Change-o
• Until the Wheels Fall Off
• A Little Dance
• A Few Words Before Brunch

MiL Road Trip, Roadie, Mrs. Road Trip, Dr. Aunt–you can really see the respective family resemblences! | Images via Pink Shutterbug Photography

Now, we hadn’t asked anyone to make any sort of toasts on our behalf, but once we were settled-in, FIL Road Trip stood and gave us a very sweet toast–I wish I could remember what he said but it escapes me at the moment.

Hey, would you look at that–I wasn’t he only one who changed after the ceremony. FIL RT had swapped his white sports coat for a red one. We didn’t immediately catch on, but apparently he was showing his Cornhusker pride that day!

Then Mama Leadfoot (who chose to stay seated) told the story about how I told her I was hesitant for Roadie to meet my family as I was afraid they’d overwhelm his reserved midwestern sensibilities. I don’t remember that particular conversation (and, as such, inadvertently heckled my mother’s “toast” to us by saying as much) but the long and the short of it is that he stuck around so must not have been too overwhelmed.

FiL Road Trip asked if we would mind if he said the blessing before the meal.

Then it was time to eat!

I believe I’ve already alluded to the fact that the menu was not exactly what we’d approved back during the tasting. Everyone enjoyed their soup (for which I’m grateful) even though mine looked like it was about to separate and had absolutely no flavor, and the bacon-wrapped breadsticks weren’t how I envisioned, but folks seemed to like them so I won’t quibble too much with that. When the second course came out I was dismayed to see that the fruited salad with citrus dressing was fruit salad on one side and a green salad on the other, with ranch and vinaigrette. And the kitchen couldn’t even figure out how to evenly portion the quiche so that the first half of the room got nice, wide slices but the other half got slivers in comparison. Finally, the country-fried steak wasn’t really, the gravy lacked the andouille sausage so was rather plain, and the last-minute vegetables were barely seasoned and only somewhat grilled–a far cry from the terrine that we were expecting.

Not only did the chef bring down our brunch to the rubber-chicken equivalent thereof, there were serious gaps in service. Because my plates were prepared separately I would be served and a good 5-10 minutes would go by before the rest of the food came out. We’d go long stretches without seeing a member of the waitstaff and because everyone was so jammed in on the sides, moving around and visiting with others not directly to your left or right was near impossible–thank goodness we’d done the receiving line!

But I will say this–our group didn’t let it bother them. While there weren’t many lulls in conversation, when one did occur my centerpieces came in quite handy! You may remember I’d added bits of trivia to the centerpieces just in case we needed some ready-made topics. The table my boss and his wife were seated at included the year that email was invented and she was surprised at just how far back it went. That spurred Dr. Aunt to recall her early days in academia when email was still very new, and our IT/Database guru at the third leg of the U-shaped table to chime in, as well. Even though I figured the chances slim that our guests would actually notice the trivia in actuality, I was amazed that it worked as well as I’d hoped.

Just goes to show, you never know what little touches will have an impact on the actual day!

The Road Trip Wedding Recaps:

• Dishing the Dirt on the Venue
• Baking & Bride-Napping
• A Moment of Calm
• And Then the Chaos
• We Rehearse
• Our Rehearsal Dinner
• Last Minute Edits
• Up with the Sun
• Getting Spiffy
• Family Pictures
• And Then We Waited
• Letâ€s Mingle
• Shall We Process?
• The Ceremony Begins
• The Rings and the Rest
• The Group Hug
• Presto Change-o
• Until the Wheels Fall Off
• A Little Dance

All images by Pink Shutterbug Photography

Considering we’d just spent 15 minutes (give or take) with all eyes upon us as we completed the marriage rites, I can’t explain why the same pairs of eyes watching us dance felt so awkward but it did. Still, I was glad that we decided to go ahead with the first dance and share that moment together and with our guests. I still love our song, as well, and it’s just another memory to call up when I hear it on my iPod.

Blow me a kiss from across the room
Say I look nice when I’m not
Touch my hair as you pass my chair
Little things mean a lot

Give me your arm as we cross the street
Call me at six on the dot
A line a day when you’re far away
Little things mean a lot

Don’t have to buy me diamonds or pearls
Champagne, sables, and such
I never cared much for diamonds and pearls
’cause honestly, honey, they just cost money

Give me a hand when I’ve lost the way
Give me your shoulder to cry on
Whether the day is bright or gray
Give me your heart to rely on

Send me the warmth of a secret smile
To show me you haven’t forgot
That always and ever, now and forever
Little things mean a lot

And with that, we could sit down and truly relax for a bit! (After scurrying down the front steps and up the back steps to get to our seats–it was just too crowded on either side of the table to move around them and I wasn’t exactly in the mood to climb under a table, even in my less-bulky outfit.)

The Road Trip Wedding Recaps:

• Dishing the Dirt on the Venue
• Baking & Bride-Napping
• A Moment of Calm
• And Then the Chaos
• We Rehearse
• Our Rehearsal Dinner
• Last Minute Edits
• Up with the Sun
• Getting Spiffy
• Family Pictures
• And Then We Waited
• Letâ€s Mingle
• Shall We Process?
• The Ceremony Begins
• The Rings and the Rest
• The Group Hug
• Presto Change-o
• Until the Wheels Fall Off

• The golf cart wasn’t where we’d left it
• It was at the far end of the lane like the driver had taken it down to turn around, but it wasn’t moving
• “I don’t think the wheels are supposed to point like that”
• Up pulls the shuttle bus

Unfortunately, Kara didn’t get a picture of the broken down cart but it looks like a slightly less extreme version of this:

Image courtesy of Flickr user Jan Tik

Turns out, the front axle snapped when he was turning the cart around–it wasn’t until the end of the reception that we saw the flatbed carting it away (they had to get a crane out to get it up onto the flatbed). Some of guests later reported that they saw the driver sprinting up the hill and wondered what it was all about.

Was this a pivotal moment in our day? No. But as unexpected things go, it’s pretty memorable and definitely makes for a good story among the guests. You can’t even blame anyone, really, all you can do is mark the moment and move on.

Image via Pink Shutterbug Photography

Which is exactly what we did!

Meanwhile, back at the Owl’s Nest, our guests were finding their seats with the aid of a quickly put together seating chart. Since my original plan to make champagne jelly as favors didn’t pan out, the cork-patterned fabric I’d planned to use on the tops of the jar instead went to wrap the backer board of a large frame. Another benefit of the short guest list is that we really didn’t need a complicated seating system: everyone could easily scan the six tables for their name and know exactly where they needed to be.

I will say I was a bit selfish when creating the seating chart. With no real head table or rules to follow, I figured Roadie would want to sit next to his mother since it’d been longer since he’d seen her (FiL Road Trip came down to visit us the previous November) and I figured what’s good for the goose is good for the gander so I sat Dr. Aunt (the only out-of-town relative on my side) next to me, and we worked the family and friend-units out from there. This worked out quite well and I don’t think anyone batted an eyelash at Mama Leadfoot being at to the corner of the cross table instead of right next to me. (Especially since she got to sit between her two sons and she and I see each other five days a week at work!)

As the last guests found their seats, the shuttle dropped us off right at the base of the stairs where we waited for our entrance cue.

The Road Trip Wedding Recaps:

• Dishing the Dirt on the Venue
• Baking & Bride-Napping
• A Moment of Calm
• And Then the Chaos
• We Rehearse
• Our Rehearsal Dinner
• Last Minute Edits
• Up with the Sun
• Getting Spiffy
• Family Pictures
• And Then We Waited
• Letâ€s Mingle
• Shall We Process?
• The Ceremony Begins
• The Rings and the Rest
• The Group Hug
• Presto Change-o

Images via Pink Shutterbug Photography

But is that the only reason we stepped away for a moment? Not hardly. I had a wardrobe change to make!

See, about 3 weeks before the wedding (while I was home, alone, bored out of my mind, and energy-sapped from the untimely bout of pneumonia) I had mustered up enough energy to try on my wedding dress to check how much to hem my crinoline. Sitting down for a bit, still in the dress, I realized that I wasn’t really interested in sitting in a boned bodice for the duration of our brunch–it wasn’t that it was truly uncomfortable, just that it was structured and I don’t often wear super-structured clothing. And then there was the unfortunate habit of boned bodices to scootch up into your armpits the longer you sit in them.

And that’s how I became a 2-dress bride at the very last minute!

I’d ordered a total of three dresses to choose from, returned one as soon as it arrived and kept a second one that was cute, just not right for the reception. The “winning” dress was a simple, flowy empire-waist taupe dress from Jessica London that matched my shoes pretty spot-on, and had some satin details to keep it from being too plain. It worked fairly well with the cardigan, too, and was incredibly comfortable, especially after the confines of the big, poofy ceremony dress.

After finishing up our getaway pictures I dashed inside and, while I didn’t time it, made what I’m sure is the quickest dress change outside of musical theatre or runway shows. Roadie came in with a question from the photographer if we wanted one more photo before I changed and I was already 3/4 done–I didn’t want to keep our guests waiting any longer than necessary!

The Road Trip Wedding Recaps:

• Dishing the Dirt on the Venue
• Baking & Bride-Napping
• A Moment of Calm
• And Then the Chaos
• We Rehearse
• Our Rehearsal Dinner
• Last Minute Edits
• Up with the Sun
• Getting Spiffy
• Family Pictures
• And Then We Waited
• Letâ€s Mingle
• Shall We Process?
• The Ceremony Begins
• The Rings and the Rest
• The Group Hug

All photos courtesy of Pink Shutterbug Photography

Since our families followed us out, they were the first to make it to us and something very unexpected happened:

It went from Congratulations to SWARM! in a fraction of a second.

A big, noisy, gigantic bear hug from the lot of them!

Even though a receiving line was not part of our original plan, I’m very glad we decided to add it to the schedule. Not only did it help move people in the right direction, as planned, but it also made up for the earlier lack of being able to greet them as they arrived and grab some photos together. So, yay for redundancies in the schedule and just yay in general for having a moment set aside to talk with each of our guests in turn.

Of course our guest list was small and we certainly could have made the rounds between courses (at least in theory), it was reassuring to know that we could just kick back and relax during the reception.

So while our family and friends headed to the Owl’s Nest, we had one little side trip to make before we joined them…

The Road Trip Wedding Recaps:

• Dishing the Dirt on the Venue
• Baking & Bride-Napping
• A Moment of Calm
• And Then the Chaos
• We Rehearse
• Our Rehearsal Dinner
• Last Minute Edits
• Up with the Sun
• Getting Spiffy
• Family Pictures
• And Then We Waited
• Letâ€s Mingle
• Shall We Process?
• The Ceremony Begins
• The Rings and the Rest

All images via Pink Shutterbug Photography

Jennifer and Todd will now exchange rings to symbolize their commitment. Rings are derived from humble beginnings of imperfect metal to create something striking where there was once nothing at all. It is customarily worn on the ring finger as it was believed that a vein ran straight from the fourth finger of the left hand to the heart. The wearing of the rings is a visible, outward sign that they have committed themselves to one another.

We each, in turn, took our ring book, untied the ring and placed it on each other’s hand while repeating the following:

I offer this ring, symbol of unity and eternity,
as a token of the love I am declaring here today.
I offer with this ring my own commitment to you,
my loyalty and my love.
I promise to be a good partner for as long as love lasts.

Thanks to some very helpful commenters when I last posted about the wine blending, I’d stumbled across the perfect song for this part of the ceremony: Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes, the biggest challenge was deciding which version to go with. There were several instrumental and choir renditions out there, but the one I was most charmed by was by Johnny Cash. We’d put an explanation in the program about the ceremony, rather than have Friend-ficiant L have to narrate what we were doing, and it was a nice little pause.

Then it was time for the final piece of the ceremony puzzle: the handfasting. Even though this is becoming more and more popular among today’s couples the majority of our guests had never witnessed it before. Everyone found it fascinating, though, so I guess that’s point for us for putting on a good “show” for our guests.

Jennifer and Todd have chosen to conclude the ceremony with a handfasting. In centuries past, when towns were spread out and priests would travel from place to place, there wasnâ€t always an official handy when a couple wanted to be wed. Necessity being the mother of invention, couples would bind their hands together in a simple ceremony to declare their intentions, with the community as witness to the new union. This is where we get the phrase “tying the knot.”

In a collaborative effort not unlike the marriage we are here to witness, both Jennifer and Todd have had a hand in creating elements of this rite. Jennifer created the cord in the style of three intertwining vines, one each for the past, the present, and the future. Once tied these cords will reside in a wooden box Todd made specifically for this purpose and will have a place of honor in their home together.

Jennifer and Todd, please join hands, right to right and left to left, forming the symbol of infinity. Like a stone may your love be firm; like a star may your love be constant. Let the powers of the mind and of the intellect guide you in your marriage, let the strength of your wills bind you together, let the power of love and desire make you happy, and the strength of your dedication make you inseparable. Enjoy closeness, but retain your individuality. Support one another with patience and understanding. Freely give of your affection and warmth.

May this cord draw your hands together in love, may the vows you have spoken today remain sweet in your mouths.

As your hands are joined, so are your lives.

By the power vested in me, and by the love you both possess and profess, I now pronounce you husband and wife. It is my great honor and privilege to be the first to present to you Todd and Jennifer [Road Trip].

You may start your marriage with a kiss.

And there we were: married!

The Road Trip Wedding Recaps:

• Dishing the Dirt on the Venue
• Baking & Bride-Napping
• A Moment of Calm
• And Then the Chaos
• We Rehearse
• Our Rehearsal Dinner
• Last Minute Edits
• Up with the Sun
• Getting Spiffy
• Family Pictures
• And Then We Waited
• Letâ€s Mingle
• Shall We Process?
• The Ceremony Begins

All images via Pink Shutterbug Photography

Family and friends, we are all here today to celebrate the relationship of Jennifer and Todd and to be witnesses and supporters of the commitment they share with one another. Together weâ€re a group of the most important people in their lives and theyâ€ve brought us here to publicly recognize that weâ€ve all played some special part in the love they share today.

Jennifer and Todd want me to thank you all for being here and to recognize how important each and every one of you is to their relationship. They would also like to recognize all of those who couldnâ€t make it here today as they are certainly missed but not forgotten on this day of celebration.

In marriage the little things are the big things. It is never being too old to hold hands. It is remembering to say ‘I love you’ at least once a day. It is never going to sleep angry. It is standing together and facing the world. It is speaking words of appreciation, and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways. It is having the capacity to forgive and forget. It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow. It is a common search for the good and the beautiful. It is not only marrying the right partner — it is being the right partner .

It was during that last paragraph that L got choked up again and Mom scooted around us to hand her a tissue.

The road that has brought Jennifer and Todd here today hasnâ€t been easy. Itâ€s been filled with challenges that they werenâ€t necessarily prepared for, both separately and together. But theyâ€ve taken each one on and have used those experiences to strengthen, not weaken their love.

Freind-ficinant L: Do you, Todd, welcome Jennifer as your wife, offering her your love and encouragement, your trust and respect, as together you create your future?

Todd: I do

Friend-ficiant L: Do you, Jennifer, welcome Todd as your husband, offering him your love and encouragement, your trust and respect, as together you create your future

Jennifer: I do

At this time, we invite selected family members to recite the four elemental blessings.

Mama Leadfoot: These are the blessings of the elements of air: may you always share ideas, tell each other your dreams, and appreciate each otherâ€s intelligence. The gift of air is communication.

Dr. Aunt: These are the blessings of the element of fire: may you always find inspiration in each other, find the energy you need to support each other, and have faith in your relationship. The gift of fire is passion.

MiL Road Trip: These are the blessings of the element of water: may you offer each other compassion, may you wash away hurts and share each otherâ€s joy. The gift of water is love.

FiL Road Trip: These are the blessings of the element of earth: may you never want for food or shelter, may you thrive in health and enjoy the good things of the earth. The gift of earth is the material world.

Jennifer and Todd, the vows that you are about to make are a way to share your love and commitment to each other in your own words. Sometimes poems, verses and quotes just donâ€t get the point across the way you need them to and the best option is just to do it yourself. These vows are your way of openly declaring your promise to one another as well as to all of those who are here in attendance today.

Jennifer, ladies first.

Todd, before I met you I had come to the conclusion that marriage just wasn’t for me, that I just wasn’t any good at it. And you know full well that I didn’t change my opinion until several years together had passed. But you never pushed, never tried to convinced me, you just showed me day after day that you were different. That our relationship was different. And that when I was with you, I was different, too; different because I never had to be anything other than myself for you to love me.

Several years ago, the night before I was going to have surgery, I was understandably concerned about what was going to happen the next day. I admitted to feeling more than a little wobbly over it all. You pulled me close to you and you said ‘you can have some of my strength.’ Over the years you have continued to offer me a strong, broad shoulder to lean on when tired or sad. You always seem to make me laugh over the silliest things, and your calm, easy-going way helps balance my intense need for control. In your arms I feel safe and cherished. And I continue to be grateful for your willingness to go along with my latest, sometimes hare-brained, ideas.

Today I promise to do everything in my power to make you smile each day, to greet you with a hug and a kiss when we’ve been apart, and to always hold your hand as we face whatever the world has waiting for us just around the next curve. I will never tell you you have too many comics or games. I will always support your endeavors and encourage you to try new things.

With you I’ve learned the beauty of not planning everything out as far as the mind could see, of just letting the days come of their own accord and with no expectations. With you by my side I’ve accomplished things I’d onlly dreamed about, and am continually humbled by your faith in me.

It’s hard to believe that six years ago today you arrived at my apartment and forever changed what I knew to be true about my life. I’ve never been so happy to be wrong.

There were the expected chuckles at both “hare-brained ideas” (notably from my boss) and the end bit about being wrong, but there were also a number of audible sniffles during both of our vows and the rest of the ceremony. I was right there with them, though–I may not have teared-up myself, but I did have to take a couple of deep breaths at points to keep my composure.

Jennifer, for many years now I have admired your beauty, your intelligence, your kindness, and for the way you always know how to make me feel so special. So on top of all the other vows I will make to you today, I also vow to always appreciate how lucky I am to have someone who makes me feel the way you do and to continue to try as hard as I can to make you feel as special as you make me feel, forever and ever.

And so…

• I vow to fill your ‘I Love You’ bank every day.
• I promise to keep a shoulder available if crying becomes necessary, and embracing arms for when it’s done.
• I vow to snuggle with you as often as possible.
• I promise to kill any insects that wander into our home.
• I vow to never take your love for granted.
• I promise to always respect you.
• I vow to make you really really laugh out loud.
• I promise to always try one bite of every meal you create (unless it’s make with peanut butter).

But most of all, I vow to love you under any circumstances; happy or sad, easy or difficult, through the sunshine and through the rain, for the rest of our days. I am an extremely lucky man, and I couldn’t imagine growing old with anyone else.

I transcribed these from the notecards we used during the wedding but I could swear there was something about a monkey at every birthday in his vows, as well.

The Road Trip Wedding Recaps:

• Dishing the Dirt on the Venue
• Baking & Bride-Napping
• A Moment of Calm
• And Then the Chaos
• We Rehearse
• Our Rehearsal Dinner
• Last Minute Edits
• Up with the Sun
• Getting Spiffy
• Family Pictures
• And Then We Waited
• Letâ€s Mingle
• Shall We Process?

All images courtesy of Pink Shutterbug Photography

But before we do, let’s take a look at the aisle and ceremony decor. We kept it simple but, I think, effective. For the aisle markers I needed something free-standing (the earlier idea to use shepherd’s hooks or similar was, of course, nixed when we chose a non-grassy space for the ceremony) but also something that was easy to set out since we would be handing them off to the venue to arrange and you never know who’s going to end up with that job. I drew up the plans for an open crate with a tall lattice back panel, just deep enough to fit a trio of wine bottles, which Roadie was kind enough to build for me. Painted a dark brown and then sponged with a metallic glaze, they were deemed complete with the addition of some moss-coated wire, faux grape clusters, and the aforementioned bottles.

As I mentioned in our planning posts, in lieu of a bridal party, we opted to formally seat our families at the beginning of the ceremony (instead of just the mothers, as is traditional). Starting with Roadie’s family, his father escorted his sister to her seat and Roadie escorted his Mom. Roadie likes Vivaldi’s Four Seasons (as do I), so we settled on the Largo from Winter for their music.

For my family we went with Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring as played by the Canadian Brass (a subtle nod to Mom dealing with 7 years of her schlepping me around to practices and performances–I played baritone in middle and high school and still do in a community marching band). Brother Scooter escorted Dr. Aunt to her seat, followed by our youngest brother & sister-in-law as Scooter circled back to escort Mama Leadfoot.

 Now, I’d chosen relative brief songs for both of these selections while simultaneously making sure we had enough music in case we had to use the church (which has a longer aisle). I saw no reason not to let the music play and give everyone time to get settled and just take in the peace and calm of the moment. Unfortunately, I wasn’t the one pressing the play button (or stop, as it were) and the DoC felt differently, fading out the music early and moving onto the next. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I felt rushed, but there was just no way to communicate with her not to keep doing that, so we rolled with it.

Oooh, the anticipation!

I remember feeling not so much nervous as giddy in that moment. I may have gripped Roadie’s hand a bit tighter than usual and I was feeling rather giggly. There were no butterflies–I don’t even think I felt self-conscious at this point (which is saying something considering the two dozen pairs of eyes trained on us at the moment). I was just happy, and then our music started (Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s Christmas Cannon Rock, edited to remove the singing and some of the extra repeats).

Why do people (myself included) appear to be laughing in those last two photos? Because, in true form, I got up the altar and immediately realized the rings were off to one side of the altar instead of in the center and reached behind Friend-ficiant L to rearrange them. It’s wonderful to be surrounded by people who know you, your quirks, and love you because of them (or in spite of, take your pick). At any rate, it was a nice ice-breaker, if a wedding ceremony could be said to need one.

But enough of that, it was time to get serious!

The Road Trip Wedding Recaps:

• Dishing the Dirt on the Venue
• Baking & Bride-Napping
• A Moment of Calm
• And Then the Chaos
• We Rehearse
• Our Rehearsal Dinner
• Last Minute Edits
• Up with the Sun
• Getting Spiffy
• Family Pictures
• And Then We Waited
• Let’s Mingle

I especially love the overhead shots courtesy of the second shooter in the balcony. | All images via Pink Shutterbug Photography

Roadie and I wandered among our guests and I admit to being a more than a little happy as they started complimenting us on our choice of venue as well as our decorations as they asked about several items. The small desk that held our ceremony programs in an antique from the one-room-schoolhouse days that Roadie and I refinished together–I’d grown up using it as a nightstand, but it predated that use by many years as we found out that Dr. Aunt had used it as a child, herself, and refinished it back when she was in high school. And if guests look closely at the corner of the lid they could still see the impression left by Brother Scooter’s front teeth from a long-ago bed-jumping incident. It may not seem exceedingly wedding-y, but it’s a part of our family’s shared memories, memories that were added to by Roadie and I working together to restore it, so it seemed right to have it serve a useful purpose as we started this next chapter of our own branch of the family history, you know?

It was great to see the little touches we’d plan work so well in the space.

Our cardbox got a decent workout during Cocktail Hour, but folks were, I think, a little stymied by the cork guest book (despite a sign to explain the hows and whys). We ended up with some signed corks, but less than expected. Oh, well, you win some, you lose some.

In the bottom picture you can see the golf cart that was supposed to pick us up acting as a piece of scenery.

Now, there was  another hiccup during cocktail hour and that had to do with the music. I’d created playlists to run the allotted times starting with cocktail hour. I’d spend hours adding and removing songs to make the times work out just so, and labeled each playlist with the start time to make it virtually mistake-proof. I did this for a very specific reason as we’d planned to play  a specific song as the transition between cocktail hour and the prelude, and the playlists would easily flow from one segment to the next. And I’d gone over this musical cue with the DoC during our last planning meeting.

The wrinkle came when the DoC opted to start the cocktail hour playlist early–while they were still setting the area up and we were still taking pictures down the hill. I’d heard the music start, but hoped (since there was nothing to do about it from where I was) that she’d reset it at the appointed time.

I’m sure no one is surprised that she didn’t, and our transition song played at good 30 minutes early. *eyeroll* I remember hearing the opening measure and whipping my head around, looking for the DoC. She adjusted the playlist to an earlier track, but I’m afraid the damage was done. Instead of the distinctive intro to Europe’s The Final Countdown (yes, we did, we totally went there) sounding at 11:30, the DoC simply cut the music off completely. Instead of the gentle, gradual movement of guests (with chuckles from those who got the joke) from one side of the fountain to their seats on the other, the silence made everyone self-conscious about taking their time and they all rushed to their chairs.

The other songs I’d queued up for before the parents were seated? They got skipped, too. And this is how we found ourselves moving up the timeline a good 10 minutes.

The Road Trip Wedding Recaps:

• Dishing the Dirt on the Venue
• Baking & Bride-Napping
• A Moment of Calm
• And Then the Chaos
• We Rehearse
• Our Rehearsal Dinner
• Last Minute Edits
• Up with the Sun
• Getting Spiffy
• Family Pictures
• And Then We Waited

Kara, never one to waste precious natural light, decided to take some pictures of our ears while we waited. | All photos by Pink Shutterbug Photography

Roadie decided to have a little fun with the Scrabble tiles–Friend-ficiant L had been half-threatening to open with the Princess Bride speech that this was just too good to pass up.

And Kara decided to grab my monkey from the dressing room for a little clowning around.

Sitting in the big poofy dress made me feel like a kid playing dress-up for some reason.

Eventually we went out to the resort-side porch thinking the car would be along any moment. Only it wasn’t. Cocktail Hour had begun, we could see our guests arriving at the top of the hill, hear the music playing, but our transportation was no where to be seen.

So close, and yet so far away…

I take that back–we could actually see the canopy just beyond the fountain.

It felt like being locked out of our own party and I was starting to get a bit miffed that we weren’t up there to greet our guests–that had been the plan, after all. My phone was in my clutch that I’d sent ahead with Mama Leadfoot. Roadie tried to text his sister but she was being a polite guest and had already put her phone on silent. We found the DoC’s number but, of course, she wasn’t answering either.

So there we stood, waiting, watching our own party from the bottom of the hill, and I said ‘We’ll give them 5 more minutes.’

About 30 seconds later I changed my mind (I’m not known for being incredibly patient): ‘Screw it, we’re walking, now!’

We’ll call this the walk before the walk!

Unbeknownst to us, at the time, Mama and Dr. Aunt were both on the DoC’s tail about ‘Shouldn’t they be here by now?’ and ‘Isn’t that the cart that’s supposed to be picking them up?’ Supposedly the driver was there one moment and then he just disappeared, no where to be tracked down.

Of course, right about then Mama caught sight of us approaching ‘Too late now!’

DoC: We were just getting ready to come get you!
Miss RT: We decided not to miss any more of the party waiting!

But hey, we were here, now, time to mingle!

The Road Trip Wedding Recaps:

• Dishing the Dirt on the Venue
• Baking & Bride-Napping
• A Moment of Calm
• And Then the Chaos
• We Rehearse
• Our Rehearsal Dinner
• Last Minute Edits
• Up with the Sun
• Getting Spiffy
• Family Pictures

all photos by Pink Shutterbug Photography

We started with just us and Mama Leadfoot, then added in Dr. Aunt.

Originally SiL (blue dress) stood on the other side of her husband but my need for symmetry kicked in and I asked them to rearrange themselves.

Then my brothers got into the picture, finally adding my sister-in-law. Mom sorta missed the everyone-stand-at-an-angle memo, but it’s all good.

Switch to Roadie’s family, starting with his mom, then adding dad in too. Roadie’s parents are divorced and don’t really interact all that much of their own volition so we were a little concerned about how tense this day might be. We needn’t have worried, though–they either took an oath to be shiny, happy people this day or their ire has mellowed over the years.

And Roadie’s sister completes the picture.

A funny thing happened with one of these pictures. Roadie’s dad posted one of the group shots on his Facebook page and a few people got really confused since he was wearing a white jacket and standing next to me. Someone on his friends list asked “D, you didn’t?!” And we always thought it was the women wearing white we had to worry about!

Looking back on the photos we do have (more than this, but I limited the ones in the post since, well, they only really matter to the people in them), I do wish I’d asked for one with us and both sides of the family together, but there’s nothing to be done about it now. It’s not a full-on regret, just wish I’d thought of it then.

At this point we were getting close to the start of cocktail hour so I sent our families up to the Gathering Hall so they wouldn’t have to rush (and so Mom could get some coffee). The golf cart would be coming down for us and we wanted time to take some staged getaway pictures with it before we arrived at Cocktail Hour, ourselves.

The Road Trip Wedding Recaps:

• Dishing the Dirt on the Venue
• Baking & Bride-Napping
• A Moment of Calm
  
• And Then the Chaos
• We Rehearse
• Our Rehearsal Dinner
• Last Minute Edits
• Up with the Sun
• Getting Spiffy

I nested the crinoline inside the dress before stepping-in, at that point the dress nearly stood up on it’s own! | all images via Pink Shutterbug Photography

While I’ve put on the dress myself several times, there’s that quintessential image of a mother helping fasten her daughter’s wedding dress. Mama Leadfoot and I, however, don’t really have that sort of relationship. It didn’t take me long to realize that if I was going to have anyone fasten the top hook of my dress, it was going to be Roadie.

As far as ‘first looks’ go, I thought ours was pretty sweet.

Once we were all put together, it was time to head outside for some couples shots.

Just want to take a moment to point out how well Roadie cleans up!

Even though we had fun during our engagement shoot, having a bit of an audience this time made it a touch on the awkward side (not to mention the fancier that usual clothes–I’m sure that didn’t help). Still, I managed to stand still long enough for a few shots while the family filtered into the cottage and sorted out their corsage and boutonniere situations.

And speaking of boutonnieres, we got halfway through couples portraits only to realize Roadie wasn’t wearing his! So off he went into the house to get pinned while I tried not to be completely awkward in front of the camera alone.

Okay, so here’s the question: what lapel does the boutonniere go on? I say it goes on the left lapel, over the heart, but Dr. Aunt was adamant they went on the right.

The rain have abated, but we still had a strong breeze to contend with this morning.

Brother: You know not to argue with a H—r.
Me (as I switch Roadie’s boutonniere to the other lapel): Well, I’m a H—r, too.
Me: Besides, I’m the bride, and that’s the way I want it.

I think I pulled that card at most twice on the wedding day, but I can’t remember the other circumstance so maybe I really didn’t. Either way, I still think I was correct on the left lapel issue, but Dr. Aunt will probably never admit it. That side of the family is known for being right on everything, though usually (as with today) it’s done with a big dose of humor.

And with a few last shots of us, it was time to move on to family pictures.

The Road Trip Wedding Recaps:

• Dishing the Dirt on the Venue
• Baking & Bride-Napping
• A Moment of Calm
  
• And Then the Chaos
• We Rehearse
• Our Rehearsal Dinner
• Last Minute Edits
• Up With the Sun

About the only thing still  on my mind as I took my time getting ready this morning was whether we were all systems go as planned or if we were using the rain plan. Thankfully the weather had rained itself out the night before and the ground may have still been a bit soggy, but the sky was pretty and blue and before long I could see signs of movement in front of the Gathering Hall.

all pictures by Pink Shutterbug Photography

Probably no one is surprised that I decided to DIY my hair and makeup for the day. While I don’t claim to be expert at either, over the past couple of years I’ve gotten more and more comfortable with my makeup skills to the point where I trusted my own hand over someone else’s. My supplies are a mix of drugstore and department store, but for big events I swear by Clinique’s Redness Solutions foundation line to balance out my wonky skin-tone and reduce the effects of the flushing my skin springs on me at random times (stress, surprise, sunlight, Tuesday, you get the general idea). With a layer of primer and pressed powder beneath and above it also stays put for 12-hour stints, so I cannot recommend it more highly.

Image via Clinique.com

I brought my makeup mirror from home and laid out my folding makeup bag along the edge of the bed–made for a great getting-ready corner.

As for my hair, earlier that year I’d tried out the Curly Girl method (no sulfate- or silicone-based products, to put it simply) and was really loving the natural curls that emerged. They’re still a little unpredictable depending on weather, etc., but I figured I’d roll with whatever my hair decided to do (very much emboldened by Mrs. Armadillo tress treatment). Since the more I mess with my hair, the less I’m happy with it, a couple of combs pulling up the sides and I was good to go.

Meanwhile, the photographers had arrived early in the hopes of getting some detail shots out of the way.

After a year and a half of waiting, it was just about time for the dress’s debut.

My shoes for during and after the wedding.

I spy a pair of bees and a little car brad along for the ride.

Getting ready was the other time I wondered if being alone would feel lonely–nope! I’d put together a playlist of fun pop songs to listen to while I got ready and I could dance around the room or just relax, depending on what I felt like doing, and not having to talk or be “on” yet was nice, knowing that we’d be the center of attention soon enough. Unlike the day before, I woke with nary a butterfly in sight, I was calm and collected, and truly looking forward to whatever the day would bring.

But first, it might be a good idea to get dressed…

The Road Trip Wedding Recaps:

• Dishing the Dirt on the Venue
• Baking & Bride-Napping
• A Moment of Calm
  
• And Then the Chaos
• We Rehearse
• Our Rehearsal Dinner
• Last Minute Edits