The Day I Went Completely LoCo
I was really hoping I’d have a chance to write this blog entry right after the wedding while it was all still fresh, but this little thing called a two week honeymoon in Hawaii got in the way. Not that I’m complaining or anything. Everyone says that the wedding day goes by like a blur, and while I didn’t feel like that while it was happening, looking back I feel like I have forgotten so much. The day was just a series of events all jumbled together, but I’ll try to recap as best as I can.
Having fun before the ceremony
The day started off for me at 6:00 am. As my sisters slept in the other two beds in my hotel suite, I found myself wide awake. I used the extra alone time to stare outside at the pounding rain getting in the way of the lovely skyline view I had from my hotel room and collect my thoughts. I was remarkably calm, not just in the morning but the whole day.
The alarm was set for 7:15 to give us enough time to get showered before the hair and makeup stylist arrived at 8:30, and once that went off, the chaos started. From 8:30 to noon was spent on hair and makeup for the female bridal party members, which was really fun (I LOVED my hair and makeup – thanks to Michelle LoConte!). It’s everything after that which was a blur.
I got dressed at the reception site which gave me a chance to check things out before everyone else got there. Our venue Liberty House did a great job setting things up and the reception room looked beautiful. It was so exciting to see how everything came together. One of my favorite things about the wedding was the centerpieces, which is ironic considering that flowers were what I was least concerned with during the planning. Liberty House and my florist also did a fantastic job making the ceremony room look gorgeous, which made me feel a lot better about my dashed dreams for an outdoor ceremony.
I know during my “first glance” with Mr. LoCo I found myself at a loss for words, so I said something profoundly elegant like, “hey, what’s new?” We did the formal pictures after that – most of the ones with the bridal party were done inside but then Mr. LoCo and I decided to brave the rain and trek through the park to an abandoned train station for some cool photos. Fortunately the rain cleared up later so we were able to sneak in some outside shots with the NYC skyline in the background.
Our Lovely Tables
After that was the ketubah signing, and then the ceremony. I loved the ceremony – couldn’t stop smiling the entire time – but this is where things start to get a little blurry. I imagine at some point after he stomped on the glass we walked back down the aisle and then I spent a lot of time hugging people. I got my fabulous dress bustled, and then it was time to party. Here’s the rest of the day in my memory: first dance, hora, eat, dance a lot, hug a lot, hang out by the cool patio and fire pit, cut the cake, hug everyone goodbye, get changed and pack a lot of stuff into the car.
Under the Chuppah
I am far from a wedding expert, but now that the day has passed, here are some words of wisdom I’d like to pass on to future brides:
-Join The Knot. The local chat boards are a great place to ask questions and get suggestions for vendors, and on the “club” boards (people getting married the same month as you), it’s really neat to share your experience with other people going through it at the same time. The Knot was by far the number one resource I tapped when wedding planning.
-Two days before the wedding I had a great massage at the new Bliss Spa in Hoboken. Before the massage I was a minor basket case, and afterwards I was completely calm and relaxed, and this carried through to the wedding day. I highly recommend a massage (or whatever relaxation technique works for you) to anyone getting married.
-Probably my only (slight) regret about the wedding was not getting a day of coordinator. Since my ceremony and reception were at the same site I didn’t feel I needed one. But, it did feel a little strange to be there in my wedding gown giving instructions to the wedding party. Plus there were some little things that a DOC would have taken care of, like making sure all of the men in the wedding party had yarmulkes (which happened anyway) and that all of the girls held their bouquets for the formal pictures (which I’m pretty sure did not happen). If you can swing the extra cost I think it’s worth it.
Introducing Mr. and Mrs. LoCo
-Get a video. I don’t remember so many details of the day –what was said during the toasts, what we said to each other during the vows. There are so many major things happening that day that it’s difficult to process it all. Because of this, Mr.LoCo and I both feel that not getting a video would have been a huge regret. If you want to save money you can always just get the raw footage and have it edited later.
Overall, the wedding day didn’t fit the image I originally had in my head (thanks to the rain), but it was perfect anyway. There is really nothing I would change. Even the rain made things a little more interesting and I think the photographer got some fun pictures of us walking through the park under an umbrella. I can’t explain in words how I felt that day. I know I was very calm, and happy, and just jumping from task to task. Was it the happiest day of my life? I’m pretty sure it was up there – I just have to watch the video to remember!
Up next: the honeymoon recap. Here’s a preview: prancing deer, swimming with turtles, a yummy frozen drink called a Lava Flow, and lots of Mahi Mahi
Going LoCo 