Sorry I'm so late writing this. I've been so screwed up from the time change! Yesterday went by way too fast--we got to the airport at 8:30 AM in Phoenix, and we got home from Detroit airport at 7:30 PM. So our entire day was just gone!
But I'll back up. Saturday was the wedding. I tried on the dress as soon as I woke up, and thanked God that I could actually still zip it. Jerry and I went to breakfast at this super cute little restaurant with our friend Lance and his girlfriend. The restaurant was outside at a farm, and everything was super fresh. I took one pic of the restaurant, but it's not very good:
All of the bridesmaids had hair appointments at 11:30 at a fancy schmancy salon. Instead of buying us a bridal party gift, Sarah paid for us to get our hair and make-up done! They gave us mimosas while they prettied us up. I started with my make-up. She airbrushed foundation on my face, which was kind of cool. I asked her to do whatever was best to cover the jawline acne I've acquired over the past year. I loved how my make-up turned out.
My hair was next. There was the "Senior Stylist" and the assistant of the senior stylist. I never knew that stylists had assistants! The assistant brought me drinks and gave me hand massages and all that good stuff along with handing things to the stylist while she did my hair. I had no clue how I wanted it styled, and she described something that sounded nice, so I told her that was fine. I really like how it turned out, but it was hard to get a good picture of it!
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This is a dark pic at the reception, but I'll post better ones once Sarah gets them |
After everyone got their hair and make-up done, the bridesmaids all left with Sarah's mom (except me--I went with Sarah). Sarah wanted me to drive her to her house to get her overnight bags and stuff, and then we'd drive her Mustang to the wedding site. The drive was gorgeous once we left downtown Phoenix:
This mountain was gorgeous, and then Sarah told me that that is where the wedding site/reception would be!
Once we got to the site, we changed into our dresses and waited for guests to arrive. The wedding was supposed to start at 4:30, but people were still showing up, so we didn't end up walking down the aisle until 5:00. Jerry had my camera, and took a lot of photos, but they didn't turn out well. Here are a couple:
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The only pic he got of me walking down the aisle |
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All of us bridesmaids |
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Saying their vows |
I wasn't feeling emotional at all until I saw Sarah's mom crying, and Sarah cried a few times, and her new husband even cried! I was holding Ne's ring (Ne (pronounced 'Nay') is Sarah's new husband). My only job during the ceremony was to hold her flowers and hand her the ring. I did my job, and I didn't drop anything.
It was over 100 degrees outside, though, and I could actually feel the sweat drip down my arm and drop from my elbow. How lady-like ;)
Turns out Sarah forgot the marriage license at her house (an hour and a half away!) so the two weren't "legally" married all night. I never got to sign the license as her witness because I had to leave in the morning :( I guess the minister went to her house in the morning to get all the signatures. Sarah did NOT, however, forget her
$31 panties ;) By the way, I LOVED your comments about those. I read them to Sarah, and she thought it was funny too.
The reception was immediately after the ceremony, and while the bridal party took pictures, there were Mexican dancers that entertained the guests. It was kind of interesting! I tried to get a pic, but it was dark and they were moving way to fast...
The bar was open and there were chips and AMAZING salsa for everyone to munch on while they waited for Sarah and Ne to finish up pictures. I had a beer and some chips and salsa, and talked to Lance for a little bit. We took a photo that has become a tradition at weddings since we were two years old!
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1984 vs. 2003 (at my wedding) |
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vs. 2011, at Sarah's wedding |
I have a few more, but I don't feel like looking for them right now. My mom took a pic of Jerry and me:
Then the reception was right there on site. There were candles and little lights all over, and it was gorgeous! My pictures don't do it justice:
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Head table |
We ate right away. Since Ne is Mexican (and his family doesn't speak English) the DJ said everything twice--once in English and once in Spanish. The whole wedding was VERY bi-cultural (is that even a word?!) Traditional American wedding for Sarah's side, but with lots of Mexican flare thrown in. They had American foods like roast beef, mashed potatoes, and green beans, along with Mexican food like fajitas and refried beans.
Thankfully, Sarah told me that I didn't have to do a toast if I didn't want to--and of course I decided not to (although I should have... she did one for my wedding!) After the toast (which the best man did in English and Spanish), there was lots of dancing. The DJ mixed American music with Mexican music, and the Mexican music proved to be the most popular, among EVERYONE. They did the "dollar dance", so the best man and I stood up there and collected cash for everyone to dance with Sarah and Ne. I wished I could've taken pictures, because Jerry went up and paid to slow dance with Ne ;)
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The first dance |
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Me, dancing with Ne |
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Ne's family was VERY fun |
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Me, Sarah, and my friend Lance (we all grew up together) |
I danced a little, but mostly chatted. I had a few glasses of wine, but I had waaay too much the night before to want to drink much. At around 11, I started loading up Sarah's car with her stuff so that she wouldn't have to stay after the reception. Jerry and I rode back to the hotel with Sarah and Ne in her car. We were all SO TIRED. I fell asleep numerous times while sitting in the back seat. I gave them hugs good-bye, since Jerry and I had to leave for the airport in the morning.
Again, I got zero sleep. I was SO TIRED the next morning. We went to the airport and had breakfast, and then had no problems boarding or taking off on the plane (thankfully! I don't think I could've handled a repeat of Wednesday's flight). We arrived in Detroit and I had to get a cinnamon roll for my kids. Weird, right? Every time I talked to the kids while we were gone, Eli kept telling me that he wanted me to bring him home a cinnamon roll. So I made it a mission to do that.
When we picked him up on the way home from the airport, he was SO MAD when he saw it. I had no idea what was wrong! Then, after about 10 minutes of questioning him, I discovered that he wanted a SOUVENIR, not a CINNAMON ROLL. He kept saying 'cinnamon roll', thinking that he was asking for a toy. Poor kid!! It was so cute!
The kids had a blast with my sister, of course. Last night when I tucked them into bed, Noah told me, "Mama, you know what my favorite part of the week was? Spending the night at Dylan's!" and I asked Eli, "Eli, what was YOUR favorite part of the week?" and you know what he said? In the sweetest voice, he sighed a little and said, "Coming home." My heart melted.
Okay, this is way off-topic, but I got a phone call today from the plastic surgeon's secretary, and the date of November 14th has been confirmed!! My surgery is scheduled for 6:30 in the morning that Monday. I'm so excited :)