The Rainy Morning of Our Wedding

The weeks have settled down a bit and we've taken the weekend to do nothing (the advice of my boss). And nothing we did. We saw a The Great Gatsby and Iron Man 3 and drank mimosas all day on Saturday. I can't wait to write all of the details about the wedding itself. It's so surreal to see everything we've planned and hoped for come to life. It all seems like a hazy dream now, as if I'm still looking forward to it. Except now I'm looking fondly back to it. I hear that every time you recall a memory, it fades a little more each time. So I'm trying not to recall these memories all just yet.

I started my day in the hotel room with my maid of honor and a complimentary cup of coffee, orange juice, and muffins brought up to the hotel room. We enjoyed nibbling chunks off of the muffins while mostly sipping on coffee on the balcony as it rained. It was a misty kind of rain; the droplets so small it could have been snowing if it was colder. After my cup of coffee, we were ready to start the day with my aunts, my cousins, my mom, my mother in law, my grandmother, and my moms aunts too. We all went to the best breakfast place down the block from the hotel, within walking distance. We walked in the misty rain without umbrellas, hopeful that it would clear up. My maid of honor and I started early with blood orange mimosas to keep any nerves at bay, and it did. 

After breakfast we headed back to the room, all the while the sky was still misting on us, speckling my glasses. As soon as we walked back into the hotel room the phone rang - it was the front desk calling to let us know that the hairstylists arrived - we must have just missed them in the small lobby. We poured some mimosas for everybody that was there in glasses with everyone's names. My godmother is a calligraphist and so kindly scripted everyone's names on their own glass. Some saying Bride on one side and Danielle on the other, some just saying my aunts names and my grandmothers. 

Those who had to go to their hotel to get dressed got their hair and makeup done first, leaving me and my bridesmaids to go last since we had all of dresses in the suite which was only a block away from the venue, an old train depot. 

While everyone else got their hair and make up done, we played Sex and the City and then some music on Pandora. I used this time to take some photos like these and of the key ring. The room key came with a brass tag of the room number, and I added the giant engagement ring that my maid of honor gave me at my bridal shower. It was as if the ring key chain was made for the hotel room key.  

Sometime around 2 pm, I started having butterflies in my stomach and getting nerves. I was anxious to get started on my own hair and makeup, so I decided to take a breath on the balcony. I sat out on the balcony in the quiet, realizing that the sun had finally come out. Just in time for photos and for the wedding. I wasn't out there for more than 5 minutes when my hairstylist, my former boss, arrived to do my hair.

I still had nerves while sitting in the chair to get my hair done, but I felt more relaxed to hair my former boss there. I was working for her when I got engaged, and I worked for her for over 4 years so she had been there for most of our 6 year relationship. It was calming to talk to her, and it was eye-opening to think that the day was here that we talked about. It was hard to swallow. I tried to soak it all in in the moment, but I still feel that the entire wedding has only sunk in this past Saturday - a whole week later. 

My former boss did my curls perfectly and my gold headband sparkled like a halo. I then got my cat-eye and red lips done and was ready to put on my dress. Just as I took a breath, my photographer arrived to do some getting ready shots. We all dressed as quickly as possible. It felt a little hectic at that point, but my photographer assured me that it always is. 

These last three photos are of the next day, our first day as a married couple with our hotel robes on and breakfast on the suites balcony. 

I'm skipping the good stuff - everything from the group shots with my girls, to the ceremony, to the family photos, to the dances, to the food. Everything was perfect, all of my vendors were flawless, but I'll leave the details for the next post in which I share some quick photos that my photographer burned for me that night. The rest of the images will be coming in a few months, but I will share the quick pics in the meantime - in my next post.