And the Band Played!

Well, it took me a while but I'm finally here- my last recap post!  In some ways it's sad (I was sad to see the day end; and it's sad that it's taken me so long to finish my recaps!) but every time I look at these photos it's impossible not to smile!  We front-loaded our reception with all the traditions so really, from the beginning of dinner we were all dancing.   And that was SUCH a good idea!  We danced before the food came out, between courses, and of course, after dinner.  I don't think I will have to convince you how much fun it was (all images from Jessica Morrisy of course)!  But advance apologies for the picture-heavy post.  What can I say, last but not least!!

And how did we get here?  Checking In;  Practice Makes Perfect: The Rehearsal!; The Rehearsal Dinner!; The Rehearsal Dinner Slide Show; Girls Gone Wild!; Got Mah Hairs Did; The Guys Get Groomed; The Girls Get Glammed!; Get Me To The Church on Time!; The Moments of a Lifetime: Our Ceremony!; Love, Snow, and Portraits!; Mayhem and Cocktails!; These Are A Few of My Favorite Things (from the reception); Getting This Party Started; Here’s to Eternity!; Priorities: Cake!

Priorities: Cake!

At this point in my recaps I'm going to skip around a bit, because after the toasts, we ate dinner but of course, there was lots of dancing between courses!  And after some of that dancing it was time for cake- and then more dancing of course!  Our wedding cake was so special to me... and seeing it all made to our specifications really made me smile!  There were three layers- the one J. chose (white cake with chocolate ganache and cannoli cream), the one I chose (red velvet and cream cheese frosting) and the top (chocolate cake with chocolate ganache and cannoli cream- J.'s ultimate).  Sadly, I never got to taste my red velvet... the staff brought me the white cake, and I barely ate any because I wanted to dance, so I didn't ask for the red velvet.  But what little cake I did eat was SO good!  Le Petit Gateau did a great job with it!

And remember those cake toppers from my childhood Easter basket?  They didn't actually end up on top of the cake, but rather, on a lower tier.  I'm not sure if it was on purpose or because the bakery didn't realize I had a topper- but I couldn't have been more thrilled with the placement, it looked great!

The actual cutting of the cake was all pomp and circumstance... the maitre'd kept making us do cheesy things while we tried not to roll our eyes.  Our focus was all cake- and when we finally got to taste it, it was delicious!  I know that eating one-year old frozen cake is a little bit of an odd custom, but I have to say, I'm looking forward to eating it again on our anniversary!

And how did we get here?  Checking In;  Practice Makes Perfect: The Rehearsal!; The Rehearsal Dinner!; The Rehearsal Dinner Slide Show; Girls Gone Wild!; Got Mah Hairs Did; The Guys Get Groomed; The Girls Get Glammed!; Get Me To The Church on Time!; The Moments of a Lifetime: Our Ceremony!; Love, Snow, and Portraits!; Mayhem and Cocktails!; These Are A Few of My Favorite Things (from the reception); Getting This Party Started; Here's to Eternity!

Here's to Eternity!

After the formal dances came the toasts!  Our best man, J.'s brother, started his toast by talking about one of my favorite quotes from Einstein: There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.  He went on to share some very kind words about us and our life together, and of course, brought tears to our eyes.  Next came the maid of honor, my little sister.  And if I was teary before, I was downright waterworks when she got done!  She actually had to stop herself mid-speech because she too was in tears-and giggles-and more tears and giggles!  But it was so sweet and so special!  I will never forget it!

And how did we get here?  Checking In;  Practice Makes Perfect: The Rehearsal!; The Rehearsal Dinner!; The Rehearsal Dinner Slide Show; Girls Gone Wild!; Got Mah Hairs Did; The Guys Get Groomed; The Girls Get Glammed!; Get Me To The Church on Time!; The Moments of a Lifetime: Our Ceremony!; Love, Snow, and Portraits!; Mayhem and Cocktails!; These Are A Few of My Favorite Things (from the reception); Getting This Party Started

Getting This Party Started

I know it's a tad pathetic that it's now May and I'm still working on these recaps... what can I say, I do what I can :)

So when I last left off, we were getting ready for our grand entrance upstairs at the main event!  Our band introduced everyone to Michael Jackson's Rock With You, which was the perfect music for dancing into the room!  Then, J. and I had our first dance,  to Happy by Bruce Springsteen.  Our dance lessons paid off, and we didn't fall down when the time came for the big dip!

Next, dances with our parents!  My dad and I chose Elton John's Blessed, and J. and his mom chose Joe Cocker's Love Lifts Us Up.  Both dances came off without a hitch, but not without some happy tears!

And how did we get here?  Checking In;  Practice Makes Perfect: The Rehearsal!; The Rehearsal Dinner!; The Rehearsal Dinner Slide Show; Girls Gone Wild!; Got Mah Hairs Did; The Guys Get Groomed; The Girls Get Glammed!; Get Me To The Church on Time!; The Moments of a Lifetime: Our Ceremony!; Love, Snow, and Portraits!; Mayhem and Cocktails!; These Are A Few of My Favorite Things (from the reception)

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things (from the reception)

After cocktail hour, the guests headed up to the dining room with it's incredible picture windows and snow-globe atmosphere while the bridal party lined up for the grand introduction.  Fortunately, my photographer (Jessica Morrisy! All images are hers as usual!) made the rounds first and captured some of my favorite details before the party was in full-swing.  She's a regular reader, so she already knew what was important to me, and she caught it all with all the trademark style and flair I've come to love!  Here are some of my favorite little details from the reception!

[caption id="attachment_2817" align="aligncenter" width="553" caption="The Location"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2819" align="aligncenter" width="553" caption="The menus (double sided!)"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2818" align="aligncenter" width="436" caption="The tablescapes"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2820" align="aligncenter" width="553" caption="The table names"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2821" align="aligncenter" width="436" caption="The toasting flutes"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2822" align="aligncenter" width="409" caption="The escort cards"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2823" align="aligncenter" width="553" caption="The hot seats"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2824" align="aligncenter" width="408" caption="The guest book"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2825" align="aligncenter" width="409" caption="The good stuff!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2826" align="aligncenter" width="553" caption="The wisdom"][/caption]

Of course, you'll note there is one important thing missing: the cake!  You'll just have to wait for that one!  :)

And how did we get here?  Checking In;  Practice Makes Perfect: The Rehearsal!; The Rehearsal Dinner!; The Rehearsal Dinner Slide Show; Girls Gone Wild!; Got Mah Hairs Did; The Guys Get Groomed; The Girls Get Glammed!; Get Me To The Church on Time!; The Moments of a Lifetime: Our Ceremony!; Love, Snow, and Portraits!; Mayhem and Cocktails!