I truly felt like a Barbie on my wedding day. My dress fit like a glove and I couldn't have been happier with my hair and makeup (it is so worth it to pay to have your makeup done by a professional). Everything went as planned, well with the exception of one minor glitch. Men's Wearhouse forgot to order Joe's tux. How could they forget the groom's tux? They ended up getting Joe a tux with uneven pant legs and a jacket that was too small. Other than the tux, everything was fabulous.
I started the morning by meeting my dad in the hotel lobby for a run. It's not exactly warm in St. Louis in December, so our outdoor run turned into a sprint around the block and ended in the comfort of the hotel's fitness center. When I got back to the bridal suite, the pamper party was in full swing. We had two hair stations, a makeup station and never-ending mimosas. OJ and champagne...yes please! Joe surprised me with apples and yogurt (does he know me or what?) from the breakfast buffet and a wonderful card. (Women are really easy to please. All men have to do is listen to us. A while ago I mentioned to a future groom that he should write his bride-to-be a card. Joe clearly picked up on my obvious clue.) Throughout the morning all of my bridesmaids piled into the suite. We rocked out to a stellar hip-hop and techno playlist and got ready for the big event.
The party continued, minus the mimosas, at the church. I managed to find a boom box and did a solo dance to Beyonce's "Single Ladies" right before putting on my dress. I remember seeing my grandma before the ceremony and she surprised me by wearing a bright pink shirt that was just perfect with the rest of the decor. The minutes before my big walk down the aisle went by in a blur. My dad rang the church bells to signal that a wedding was about to begin and then it was time. The moment that played in my mind over and over again. I plastered a giant smile across my face, bit my inner lip to keep the tears from flowing, threw back my shoulders and proudly walked into the church anxiously looking for my groom at the end of the aisle.
The ceremony was perfect. I only cried a bit during the vows. Luckily, I cried like a baby during the rehearsal so I got it all out before the real event. When Joe and I said our vows, I felt like we were the only people in the room. We executed the kiss precisely (yes, we practiced and choreographed a kiss!) and pranced back down the aisle as husband and wife. I loved having a receiving line immediately after the ceremony. It gave me a chance to say hello to our guests and allowed for plenty of time on the dance floor (which I took full advantage of) at the reception. After a few quick pictures at the church, the real party started.
I highly recommend getting a giant bus, one big enough for your wedding party and all of their dates, for the picture transportation. Some of my favorite memories from the night occurred during the picture taking hours. Of course, the bus needs to be fully stocked to keep the wedding party content during pictures. We put our wedding party through a bit of torture with a few outdoor pictures at our high school (I had to. It's where Joe and I met 12 years ago.), but made up for it with champagne, vodka and beer. I also recommend stopping a few fun places like a casino and bar during the pictures. Not only do casinos have great backdrops for fun pictures, but there is a chance someone could win big. Thanks Ameristar for the shots at the bar on the way to the reception! I knew things were going well when we saw the bus shaking from the wedding party dancing in the aisle while we finished up pictures in the casino. There were tons of empty seats on the bus as everyone continued to dance in the aisle as we made our way to the reception. Joe's bus playlist rocked!
I heard someone say that the wedding party sets the tone for the reception. Considering that girls were crawling through Joe's unlce's legs during the reception, people licked our ice sculpture and the dance floor stayed packed until midnight, our party did a great job! The reception ballroom looked stunning. In fact, I cried (shocking, I know) when I saw the room. My aunt and uncle surprised me with chair covers. There are worth every extra dollar. They made the room! Our head table was covered in pink and I loved it! The pink and white cupcakes in the middle of the dance floor looked beautiful as we walked in to cut the cake. My dad even surprised me by wearing pink socks during the dad/daughter dance.
Thank you to everyone who helped make my wedding day amazing. It was beyond my wildest dreams. I have no regrets! I appreciate all of the advice I received before the big day and did my best to remember things throughout the day. I made it a point to look around during all points of the day to take everything in. The day does fly by. I was selfish and did what I wanted throughout the day. When a song came on that I wanted to dance to with Joe, I ran and grabbed him away from a conversation to dance. I can honestly say that I enjoyed every minute of my wedding day and made sure to share it with my husband. I couldn't have been happier with my vendors. If we had to do it all over again, I would use every single vendor and venue in a heartbeat. You do find out who your true friends are during a wedding and I am so blessed. Joe and I have so many wonderful people in our lives. I'm so glad we did a big wedding back in St. Louis. It was just as perfect as Barbie.
