The Tale of The Clingy Veil

Although I seemed to have been prepared for nearly everything on my wedding day, the one thing I was not prepared for was my clingy veil. As soon as I was dressed and I placed my lovely veil on my head…it began to cling to the back of my dress - which was sooo annoying!

I did pack an "emergency" kit for both my fiancé and I…but neither included static cling remover.

One of my 'maids did mention hearing that aerosol hairspray works to stop the cling…so I pulled a travel size one out of my kit and my now Mother In Law went to town spraying my veil.

It did seem to work for a little bit, but I don't know if it was a combination of the air conditioner against my taffeta dress, or what - but it still remained clingy. Needless to say, it needed to be sprayed several times…and be adjusted through the day.
Here I am adjusting it for the seemingly millionth time ;)

It didn't "ruin" the day by any stretch of the imagination…but it was slightly annoying. So Brides To Be - don't forget your static cling remover!

Pro Pics Coming Soon!

I just recieved an email from our Photographer this morning...it sounds like the pro-pics are almost ready...hopefully by early next week! I'm headed out camping this weekend...keep your fingers crossed that they'll be ready soon!

Family Bridal Showers

Leading up to my Bridal Showers (I had two - one in Ottawa from my Mom's side of the family and one in Wooler from Patrick's side) I was very excited…not really for the presents, but to see my family. This was going to be the first time in several months that I would be seeing my family - and I couldn't wait!

Because we live on the other side of the country, the gifts were mainly gift cards to the store where we registered - which was great :) I don't know if it was because I was majorly overwhelmed with my family's generosity, because I was opening gift cards instead of actual gifts, or if it was because everyone is watching as I opened these gifts, but my Bridal Showers were a pretty emotional experience for me.

Any Bridal Shower that I have attended involved the guests oohhing and aawwing as each gift is opened…often the gift will then get passed around. However, when you are opening mainly gift cards…there is not much for your guests to look at…I found it very awkward…but I also felt very lucky for all of the generous gifs!

I was so overwhelmed, that at one point at my Wooler shower I actually began forgetting the guests names (they were all people that I have spent significant amounts of time with over the last 9 years! How could I forget who was Aunt Judy and who was Aunt Cathy??). I also became very overwhelmed once the gifts were all opened and it was time to say a little impromptu thank you speech - I was literally left speechless, and actually began to well up with tears a little bit - it was not fun (and very embarrassing)! One of my cousin-in-laws noticed and asked me what was wrong, because I usually don't act like this. She was right, I don't normally act that way…I'm usually the one who likes to be in charge…not have the situation in charge of me…very bizarre...

The Bridal Shower experience did make me become a little more aware of myself. I've realized that I love planning, hosting and even being recognized for a job well done. However, I do NOT like being the center of attention! Pretty hard when you are a Bride and people are hosting parties for you!



The whole Bridal Shower thing is a weird experiences in itself. I mean, here I was at my Bridal Showers, receiving tons of gifts for doing absolutely nothing. I didn't feel like I deserved it - it was my choice to get married - nobody was making me…why were they giving me all of these wonderful gifts. It was a very strange feeling. I can even understand the concept of giving a wedding gift…something to commemorate the special occasion for the new married couple - but, the Bridal Showers were a little harder for me to grasp.

In the end I am extremely grateful to all the people who cared so much to host such wonderful Bridal Showers, and to my guests who not only astounded me with their generosity, but took the time to attend an event held especially for me. It is really wonderful to feel so much love in one room.

However, I am SO glad that I NEVER have to experience having a Bridal Shower again!!!

At the actual Showers we played the usual Shower games…bridal word jumble, remember what the Bride is wearing once she's left the room, etc. etc. At the Wooler Shower, the hosts even organized "video advice" - where the guests tape-record advice for me. The wedding week was so busy I still haven't had a change to watch it…the video is back in Ontario, so I'll have to wait until my next visit to see it.

At the Wooler Shower a one of the guests made this FABULOUS Barbie cake - how cool is this? I've *always wanted to have a Barbie cake…and at one of my Showers I finally did - whoot!



One of my favourite things that I took away from the Bridal Showers were these group pictures:

During the shower I passed around a basic white photo mat to those that attended and asked them to sign it. I framed the above two pictures and plan to hang them in our front bedroom upstairs…otherwise known as the "craft/reading/alternate-TV room." Every time I look at the pictures I'm reminded of all the love… :)

Seating Arrangements - Great FREE Online Tool

We decided to have seating arrangements at our reception for a variety of reasons. One reason is because I think it brings a slight formality to an event (although this could be all in my head ;p). And, from my own experience, it relieves a little bit of anxiety as a guests. I'm not left wondering where I'm going to sit, and whom I'm going to sit with - it has been decided for me (this can be both a good and a bad thing though ;). Another reason is because I wanted to make Votive Place cards for each guest :)

When it came time to planning out where the tables would go, and who should sit where, I thought I would do something similar to Monica on Friends…you know where she cuts out little round tables and uses different colours pins to place guests at the different tables? Well, it turns out I didn't have to do all of that cutting, because I found that there are a plethora of computer programs available to help me do this!

I think Microsoft Word has some sort of seating arranger, but I never figured out how to use it. And, although there are several great programs that you can purchase, I couldn’t justify the added expense (especially considering we were trying to keep within a budget :)

What I found instead was a FREE online seating arranger from the Bed Bath and Beyond website - crazy, eh?

www.bedbathandbeyond.com/regHome.asp?order_num=-1

When you sign up for a wedding registry with this store, they give you access to a "Bridal Toolkit" which includes a Seating Arranger program (amongst a multitude of other handy tools :) So, I signed us up online (even though we don't have a Bed Bath and Beyond anywhere around us, nor did we plan on registering for actual gifts from there…I just wanted the free seating arranger!).

It is a fabulous tool that allows you to place different sized tables, including things like a "Head table," cake tables, podiums, etc. etc. It also not only allows for a full view and printout of the entire table layout, but also a zoomed in version of each table and who is sitting where. I'm probably not explaining it as well as the website can - but it is a FABULOUS tool!





Make sure you leave some time to enter in each of the guests names and such…it can be a little tedious and time consuming - but once you’ve entered it all it, it is smooth sailing from there. After you've finished arranging your tables and your guests at them, you can just print off the whole shebang and hand it over to your Day Of Coordinator, Reception Coordinator, or your family and friends that are helping you setup the room :) It also has the added feature where you can print off your guest lists and include which guest is eating chicken or salmon, food allergies etc (if you offered menu choices). I can't tell you HOW handy this tool is!

I really had fun planning the seating arrangements (believe it or not) - the only really challenging thing that came up, was when I showed people the completed table arrangements. There were a few changes I needed to make…but no worries, I just hopped back onto the computer, made the changes and printed off a new copy - easy peasie!!!

Getting Our Marriage Licence

(don't mind the googly eyes ;)

On June 16th, the Monday before the wedding, we drove to Napanee Ontario to apply for our marriage licence. Why did we drive to Napanee instead of getting it in Kingston (where the wedding was) or in Belleville (where we were mainly staying) - well, it was because Napanee charges only $80 instead of Kingston's $110 and Belleville's $100 (I think). Plus, Napanee is about halfway between Kingston and Belleville, so it really wasn't much of an effort to stop in…plus we got to stop by Patrick's old work to say hi to everyone - that was a nice added bonus :)

Anyhoo, getting the marriage licence was rather painless. Just needed appropriate ID, ideally both of us there at the same time applying, and the cash. There are no waiting periods, blood tests etc to get a marriage licence in Ontario - and it was all ready to go within 20 minutes…we were very happy to have this uber important thing crossed off of our list :)

Dress Fitting Review

I had my first dress fitting on Friday May 16th - a little more than a month before the wedding…and a little less than a month before we left for Ontario. I wanted to wait until the last possible minute so I had a little bit of extra time to lose those couple of pounds I mentioned;) FYI: I did it!

I used the seamstress that Blush Bridal referred me to - not that I had much of a choice. I had very few options because I purchased my dress online - which was one thing that I hadn't thought of when I ordered my dress. I thought I could take it to an atelier or bridal store and they would happily take my money and do the few alterations I required…so not the case. Some stores had "policies" about not altering dresses purchased online…others "didn't have time" because they had their own clients that had purchased dresses from their stores to worry about - eek! Who woulda thunk it would be such a challenge.

I finally did find a very nice lady through Blush Bridal - I hate to say it, but at this very moment I can't recall her name - I think it is Noshi? At any rate if you call Blush Bridal in Victoria, they'll give you a contact name and number. She doesn't have a website or anything like that.

Anyhoo, my two 'maids and I (my other bridesmaid who lives in Ontario got her Mother In Law to alter her dress - she did a great job!) went into her little shop downtown for our first fitting:










I had MAJOR sticker shock when she tallied up the costs of our alterations. My dress is two layers (very few for a Bridal gown) to hem, a French Bustle to put in, and it needed the bust taken it a little bit - oh and I had cups put in because the bra I purchased could bee seen from the back. Anyhoo, they came to $275 - eep! My dress came to $290 (before tax and shipping) - the alterations were as much as the dress! My bridesmaids, who needed similar, minimal alterations came to $175 each. I agreed to pay for them seeing how there dresses were $250 + each (yes, I realize that that is a crazy amount to spend on a bridesmaid dress…but the needed to be separates and have a maternity option ;)

When we went in for our second fitting, I tried on my dress and discovered that the hem was a wee bit too short…so she had to fix that, but overall I think she did a pretty good job - her prices seemed REALLY high for me though.

Another thing that bugged me was that she only accepted cash or cheque - what the heck?!!? No debit machine and no VISA/MasterCard option - verrrry annoying.

A kind of funny aside to this whole experience, was my negotiation skills. At the end of our original meeting she gave me an invoice for what the costs were going to be. Then, when I went to pick up the dresses, I told her that I felt her prices were very high and was wondering why she was charging so much (everyone I had talked to thought she was charging crazy prices). She tells me that she does "very good work." So, we chat about my concerns some more and she says "I want to make you happy, let me see what I can discount you" - score, right? Well she works it out and says "I'll only charge you $650" - I wasn't thinking clearly because I was kinda embarrassed for bringing up the costs to begin with - but I was really sick of being overcharged because it was wedding related. So I say very appreciatively "thank you" - I was full of glee! I told my then fiancé on what a great discount I scored. But when I get home I realize she gave me a $0.40 discount - LMAO…I feel like such a dork ;p


Total Cost: $650
Rating: B+ (lost some points for the lack of debit/credit acceptance and for the lack of negotiation on her prices)

Ceremony Rehearsal & Our Rehearsal Dinner - Venga La Fiesta!!!

The ceremony rehearsal went off without a hitch. Our Priest Father Stan knew exactly what he was doing, was very clear with direction and had a great sense of humour - bonus!

Although Patrick and I had met with him the previous September to go over the ceremony program we had omitted to select a reader for a couple of items - oops! I didn't know we had to do that…it all worked out though. I did forget to bring a copy of the Ceremony Program - which was kind of annoying…ah well, we rolled with it.

One thing Father Stan told all of us to ease any stress we might have had was that the ceremony needn't be tightly choreographed. He'll tell us what we need to do if we forget. And on the day of the ceremony, her was so right! If everyone is so focused on what they need to do and where they need to be, they are unable to enjoy the ceremony or "be in the moment." For example, after Patrick and I were announced as husband and wife, we were so excited we began heading up the aisle before the organist had begun to play the music. Father Stan whispered to us "not yet" and once we realized what we were doing…as well as the rest of the guests - we all had a little giggle about how excited we were to exit the Church…it was pretty funny. My point is, it will all work out :)

----

After the ceremony rehearsal, we headed to Belleville, where my awesome new in-laws planned and hosted a FABULOUS Mexican themed Rehearsal Dinner. The decorations were awesome (including a Dora the Explorer piñata, handcrafted and painted cactus, Mexican blankets, tons of Mexican food and divine Margaritas…recipe posted below).

It meant a lot to me to have his parents put so much time and thought into this party…especially with all the Mom stuff going on. You could tell they really cared about this. Plus, it was tons of fun! The people that attended are still telling me how much fun they had and how the my in-laws know how to "throw a party" - very cool! I should also give a shot out to Patrick's Gramma, she too put a lot of effort into the food, and her outfit! She wore a Mexican inspired skirt and blouse…she looked great! Here are some of the pictures of the evening:







Aunt Sue's Margaritas

1 can limeade
1 can tequila (or 1/2 can depending on the type of party you are after ;)
3 bottles of cheap beer (or any beer)
Ice to chill
***Simple and delish!

Bridesmaid Thank You Gifts

I fibbed...I'm going to wait until I have a picture of my awesome MC before I do the MC Timeline post...if your eager to see it, leave your email and I send it to you ;)

My Bridesmaid's are awesome…however, they are three pretty different girls. I played with the idea of getting them each something completely different or exactly the same. In the end, they each got some items the same as each other and one thing slightly different. I don't have pictures of the whole gift together - because I didn't assemble them until l got back to Ontario and for some reason I wasn't as snap happy as I usually am ;)

Here is a picture of the note cards and earrings:


A close-up of the earrings:

I purchased these while we were in Maui last November…they're freshwater pearls. I thought that I would get them some sort of pearl jewellery to wear on the of as I was wearing pearls ;) I opted out of matching necklaces because the dresses already have a bead detail around the neckline.

The final element of their gift was a silver necklace from an awesome online company called "Dogeared" www.dogeared.com Each girl got a different necklace - not wedding related ;)



For my sister and Matron of Honour:


For my sister in law and Maid of Honour:


For my sister in law and Bridesmaid:


Once I got back to Ontario I put the gifts into a little gift back and presented them to the 'maids at the Rehearsal Dinner :)

"Day Of" Timeline

One of the compliments I have received during the planning process and at/during the wedding was how organized it all was (at least I hope it was a compliment ;). To keep organized I made list after list and timeline after timeline. To some it was overkill, but to me it kept me sane and stress free…or low stress anyway ;)

I distributed a "Day Of" itinerary to all of those involved in the wedding. Although all of it might not have pertained to everyone I thought it was a good idea to give people an overview of the day. The idea was that if they had a question the timeline could answer it, and if it couldn't someone in the wedding party should be able to…thus lessening repetitive questions to the Bride and Groom…sometimes this worked, and sometimes it didn't.

Anyhoo, here is the "Day Of" itinerary:

Ashley & Patrick’s Wedding Day Schedule – Saturday, June 21, 2008

9:30am
-Karen C picks up Ashley

10:00am
-Ashley, Karen C, Karen H, Meagan & Stephanie hair appointments:
Diva Salon
336 Princess Street
Kingston, Ontario
(613) 544-4067
*Stephanie Karen H, and Meagan to meet at the hair salon
*Request that Ashley & Karen C go first

10:30/11:00am
-Pat to put suitcase in car J
-Pat to go to Queen’s University Club to ensure laptop is setup and ready to go.
-Pat to go to LSP Designs (676 King Street West) and pick up the following flowers:
-Groom’s boutonnière
-3x groomsmen boutonnière
-MC boutonnière (same as GM – green orchid)
-Father of the Groom boutonnière

12:00pm
-Ashley & Karen C stop by QUC to check out décor, cake, etc
-Stephanie Karen H, and Meagan to meet back at the Radisson after hair

12:30/1:00pm
-Snack/Lunch (mimosas & muffins)
-Make up
-Ladies to dress
-Pat to dress

1:00pm
-Bridal flowers arrive at the Radisson hotel

1:15/1:30pm
-Pat, Mike, Dan, Richard, Egg, Martin and Paul to meet Lucas Tingle (photographer)
@ Tir nan’Og for pre-ceremony pictures.
Tir nan’Og Pub
200 Ontario Street
Kingston ON
-Groom & Groomsmen to put on boutonnières (watch your seatbelts in the car J )
-Mike gives Patrick Ashley’s gift to open

-Bridesmaid’s pre-ceremony pictures to take place at the Radisson Hotel with Melissa (photographer).
-Ashley to dress
-Ashley opens gift from Patrick

2:15pm
-Groom and Groomsmen arrive @ Church
-ensure flowers and pew markers are there
-ensure Program basket is there for Olivia
-VIPs begin to arrive. Ensure they each have their personal flowers:
-Granny O’Connor: purple wristlet
-Grandma Clake: cream wristlet
-Grandpa Clarke: cream orchid boutonnière
-Alexis: flower wreath
-Andrew: small freesia boutonnière
-Aunt Mary: rose wristlet
-Aunt Patti: rose wristlet
-Aunt Joan: rose wristlet
-Uncle John: cream orchid boutonnière
-Kris: small rose and freesia boutonnière
-Alexander: small rose boutonnière

2:30pm
-Guests begin to arrive
-Olivia to hand out programs
-Dan, Richard and Egg seat guests as they arrive (front 2 rows are reserved for parents and “special guests”)

2:45pm
-FOB picks up Bride and Karen C at hotel
-Meagan, Steph & Karen H depart hotel for Church

2:55-ish
-Groom and Groomsmen take their places
-Bride, FOB and Bridal Party Arrive at Church

2:55-ish
Momma Karen and Aunt Mary (the last guests to be seated) walk down the aisle and
light the two taper candles beside the Unity Candle

3:00pm
Ceremony begins
St. Mary’s Cathedral (Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception)
279 Johnson Street, Kingston ON

4:00-4:10pm
Post-Ceremony
-Immediately after recessional the Bride and Groom will go off for a moment alone.
-The Bridal Party to head outside and hand out rose petals (placed at back of Church) to guests and line up outside the doors of the Church – try to leave a pathway for us to walk through J
*Bride and Groom exit to rose petals toss
*Brief Hugs and Kisses (receiving line to be held @ reception)
*Assemble for Group Photo in front of Church.
*Bride and Groom depart in get-away car.
*Bridal Party and Family depart for Photo Locations.
*??? to transport alter arrangements, pew bows and unity candle to reception

4:20pm
Location #1: Queen’s University Club (QUC)
-Bride’s Side: Nesbit, Granny O’Connor, Karen C, Paul, Kristopher.
-Groom’s Side: Martin, Karen H, Meagan, Stephanie, Jon, Mike, Grandpa and Grandma Clarke.
-VIPs: Aunt Joan, Uncle John, Alexis, Andrew, Aunt Patti, Aunt Mary, Aunt Marcia, Uncle Jim C and Alexander

Location #2: Breakwater Park: across the road from QUC and down a bit
by the water
-Bridal Party: Karen C, Meagan, Stephanie, Mike, Dan, Richard, Egg, Alexis (and parents), Andrew (and parents).
***If you would like a picture with your significant other, make sure you bring them with you J ***

5:30/6:00pm
-Arrive back at Queen’s University Club
168 Stuart Street, Kingston ON

5:30/6:00pm
-Form receiving line in cocktail reception area:
-Nesbit
-Ashley
-Patrick
-Karen H
-Martin

Bridal Party to their relaxed “stations”
-Stephanie and Mike @ Guestbook (Mike to get chair for Steph)
-Karen, Meagan and Dan @ Escort Cards
-Richard and Egg @ card box area
-Paul and Matthew to test sound equipment upstairs

5:30/6:00–6:45pm
-Receiving Line/Mingle

6:45pm
-Begin assisting guests to be seated if needed (Egg to ensure card box gets locked up or
is brought upstairs).

6:55pm
-Bridal Party to be seated

7:00pm
-Paul announces Bride and Groom

7:00-7:30pm
-Paul does his MC thing (see separate timeline)
-Paul introduces Wedding Party (feel free to stand and give a wave J )
-Paul invites Father Stan Alanen up for grace

7:30pm
-Dinner is served
-Salad
-Intermezzo
-Main Course
-Dessert

-Speeches (~2 min each max)
-Paul to call up FOB, Nesbit, to make speech
-Paul to call up MOG and FOB, Karen and Martin, to make speech
-Paul to call up MOHs Karen and Meagan to make speech
-Paul to call up BM Mike to make speech
-Paul to call up Aunt Cindy Bratkowski to make speech
-Paul to call up Bride and Groom

8:30/45pm
-Paul to suggest to guests to take a step outside so the tables can be rearranged for the
dance
-“Cake and Dancing” guests may begin arriving now. Bride and Groom will be
downstairs to greet as guests arrive.

9:00pm
-Dance begins
***At about this time the Bridal Party begins to usher guests back inside/upstairs for the first dances***
-Paul to announce Bride and Groom’s first dance
*Matthew to play: Somewhere Over The Rainbow/It’s A Wonderful World
-Paul to announce Father/Daughter and Mother/Son dance
*Matthew to play: World On A String

9:45pm
-Paul to announce Cake Cutting
*Matthew to play: How Sweet It Is
-Resume dancing ***Bridal Party on dance floor to get the party started!***

10:15pm
-Paul to announce Bouquet toss
*Matthew to play: Wishin’ and Hopin’
-Paul to announce Garter toss
*Matthew to play: Wild Thing

10:30pm
-Pizza buffet

12:30pm
-Last dance

12:35pm
-“Clean up” (gather table runners, picture frames, gifts, guestbook, etc.)

Not everything went as planned. For example, the receiving line didn't happen, the wedding party didn't need to be at their "stations," the dinner dragged on way later than planned (more on that later), not everyone got the flowers they were supposed to (I still have no idea how that happened)…but it was VERY helpful to make this Bride feel organized and somewhat in control ;)

Up next: MC timeline :)

I'm Married!!!

I can't believe the day has come and gone - it was beautiful! But if I am 100% honest, I'm glad it is over! I know, that might seem like a terrible thing to say - but the day was everything I'd hoped it would be. The family and friends that care about Patrick and I were there to support us and share in our day - it was fabulous!

I won't get into a full wedding recap now, as I'm waiting on our professional pics (which I am really excited about!) but I will give you a little insight on into some of the things that went wrong, and some of the things that went terribly right!

The Great
1. The weather.
Leading up to the wedding day there were predictions of rain and thunderstorms, but on the actual day it was blue skies and a bright sun. The weather was perfect. We couldn't have imagined better. It wasn't terribly hot (as Patrick was fearing) and it wasn't terribly cool (which I was fearing)…it was warm with a slight breeze.

2. Our family and friends.
You couldn't have wished for a better group of people. They were there when they were supposed to be, and pitched in where they saw the need. They were great! The day before our ceremony rehearsal they even braved my one (or at least I think it was my only one ;) Bridezilla moment. Here's what happened: We didn't rent tuxes or suits - we just asked our Groomsmen to wear a black, preferably 3 button suit with a white shirt. For some reason a couple of the guys purchased white SHORT-SLEEVED shirts…you would think that this wasn't a big deal, but for some reason I thought this was the end of the world…lol. I was worried that the photographer would ask the Groomsmen to take off their jackets during the pre-ceremony pics and I was terrified that two out of the 4 guys would have short sleeved shirts - a la Office Space…you know with pocket protectors and such. Anyhoo, after I had a mini freak out with my fiancé he called up the two guys and asked them to go and buy long sleeved white shirts…lol… And being the great guys that they are, they complied with this Bride's request.

3. The Rehearsal Dinner
Patrick's parents did an amazing job. We had a Mexican themed party and it was awesome! They put in so much effort and time into it (from the Mexican Wedding Cake, to the piñata to the handmade cactus)…I will post about it all shortly.

4. The Ceremony
The ceremony was absolutely lovely. We had a Catholic ceremony including a mass (when there is Eucharist). Now, some people had concern over the length of the ceremony as a result…I also think that some were worried that they would be board…well the entire ceremony lasted an hour and it went by so quickly. We were married at a Cathedral so there were tons of beautiful things to look at - it was perfect!

The Not So Great…and down right crappy

1. My Mom
She didn't come to the wedding. This was a total shocker to me. We had made very special and specific plans JUST for her to be able to attend…she has some mental health issues that she has been dealing with nearly my entire life…since I was a year and a half to be exact. I saw her at my Bridal Shower the Saturday before the wedding…all seemed to be fine. I then received a call from my sister on the following Monday night (well Patrick took the call) that she wasn't well enough to come. WTF. I was seriously depressed (and couldn't stop crying) that entire evening and for the next two days. I just couldn't believe it was happening. I would just start crying at random things. We went to the local mall on the Wednesday before to help my bridesmaid to find some undergarments for her dress…and I would just start tearing up…it was brutal. People would ask me if I was excited for the wedding and I would nearly begin crying. At that point I was not excited. Then on Wednesday night I get a call from my Mom saying that she has decided to come and will get a ride… At that point I was so numb and void of feeling, I just didn't care either way. The next day was our Rehearsal Dinner…I decided that I was going to be happy for the people that were with me. At that point it also seemed like my Mom might actually make it to the ceremony - if not to the dinner. We had a fabulous Rehearsal Dinner. The next night we went out to dinner with my Mom's side of the family (they couldn't make it to the Rehearsal due to my Granny needing dialysis). That is when I found out that my Mom wasn't coming - period. At that moment I was in shock, but I put it completely out of my mind. I mean, my Mom has missed nearly all of the important events and milestones of my life, so it almost seemed appropriate that she would miss this one too (to be fair some of those times weren't her fault…but others she could have made the effort). Anyhoo, I still don't think that I've fully dealt with her not coming. I'm sure it will hit me one day…but I'm still trying to keep those feelings on the cusp of my consciousness. It is just too sad. I foresee my future children asking me one day why there Grandma isn't in any of my wedding pictures…it's sad to say that it was because she didn't take care of herself…or didn't care enough to attend.

Okie…on to more superficial things that didn't go 100%

2. Parking at the Cathedral
When my Dad and I arrived at the Church, there didn't appear to be a large enough spot for my Dad to park in. One was supposed to be saved for us in front of the Church…my Dad was very concerned about this at the rehearsal. Anyhoo…it lead to some frustration for my Dad…and in turn my lack of patience for my Dad. I still feel badly for being short with him

3. Reserved Seating at the Church
My Aunt and her boyfriend were sitting in the front pew…the one that was supposed to be reserved for my Dad. This might have been avoided if I had made reserved signs for the front pews. I thought it was common knowledge that the front pews were reserved for parents...apparently NOT. And apparently people let them know this and even suggested they move. My Dad squeezed in anyway…but it wasn't ideal and made for a slightly awkward moment at the end of the aisle.

4. The Receiving Line
Many people are against having these. But, it was very important to my Dad. Well, this was one thing that I didn't organize very well…and quite frankly, I didn't know how to organize. So as a result we didn't end up having one. I think that this disappointed my Dad - I still feel badly about this.

5. The Cake
It was a yummy cake, but it is NOT what I had envisioned in terms of colours. Both my cake maker and my florist (although I still loved all of the other flowers she made) missed the mark on this one. It looked like it belonged at a tropical wedding…lol.

5. The Dance
I think it was kinda bunk. I don't know if it was because we self DJ'd, if it was because the bar was downstairs, or if it was because we started too late as a result of the dinner going to late.

All in all it was an AMAZING day :) Over the next little while I plan on doing vender reviews, and filling you in on all of the DIY stuff that I didn't get to write about.

If you're interested in viewing some "candid" pics received from our guests, here is a link:

www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=129926&l=17dfd&id=658325106

PS I so didn't write the last post about being "Mrs Patrick Harris"…my lovely husband did that for me…we're both keeping our mutual last names…more on that in a future post ;)