Absolutely Perfect

You may have noticed my short hiatus from posting on this blog. Those of you that know me well, know that it was for good reason! My wedding weekend was this past weekend, July 9th-11th and my honeymoon in Jamaica was this past week, the 12th-16th. What a beautiful whirlwind it all was.

It is hard to believe all that has happened over the last eight days. Each one of them has been so wonderful. Not to say that every moment was absolutely perfect, with everyone's temper intact and every detail going according to plan, but the event was, absolutely perfect.

We began on July 9th with our rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. It was the first time a group of people came together to begin celebrating Robert and my impending marriage. We decided to do the rehearsal dinner at our favorite local brewery, and that proved to be a wonderful choice. Just the right mix of formal and casual. A good start with beer for all, and some good eats! We mingled with our immediate family, bridal party and very close friends, and it was lovely. Post dinner, Rob and I hung out with some friends at their hotel room, and had some laughs. Late, we went home to bed. That day made our coming wedding begin to feel real. Earlier that day, my dear friend Susan acted as our ceremony director and expertly put us in our places, and helped us run through the ceremony as it was meant to happen on Sunday. The Davis Memorial Chapel is beautiful, and as we walked through the happenings of each portion of the ceremony, I thought more and more, that this intimate, colorful place was the perfect place to have a wedding. For the day, I wore a bright white sundress and patent red peep toe pumps.

On July 10th, my parents hosted a barbecue for traveling guests. It was wonderful to see so many people strolling up to the door. Many of whom, I had not seen in years, or had never met at all. Our families met and mingled, talked and laughed. I enjoyed the hot summer weather, perfect for a BBQ! The food was great, too. We had a traditional southern BBQ catered by two amazing cooks who do just BBQ! They have the most amazing sauce on the planet, I'm sure. Vinegar based, sweet and spicy, with just the right amount of smoke. Mmm, mmm good! I relaxed with friends and fam in mom and dad's gazebo at the top of the back yard, where many people came to check it out, and say hello. Rob and I attempted to get to bed early, but that did not actually happen. We were too busy wrapping gifts for the bridal party and our parents and making last minute preparations for our honeymoon in Jamaica. Finally, at about 11pm, Robert left me home alone with the cat, and went to Chris' house (the best man) to sleep. I told him I did not mind waking up next to him on our wedding day, but he is a romantic, and loves tradition. So, off he went.

The next morning, July 11th, I was up and at 'em. I actually took some time to write some e-mails and take care of some dance business before heading to the salon! Who does that? At a little before 9am, my mother and sister greet me at my house to bring me to the salon. They shower me with hugs and pre-congratulations and I swear, they are holding back some tears. At the salon, we meet Jen, Robert's sister, and Olga, Robert's mom. I present each woman with a small gift. Smiles and tears ensue and the day has started well. Each woman knows how special she is. We spend the next few hours being coiffed and beautified! By the time we are done, we are cutting it close. We must get home and get me into my dress! Back at mom and dad's house, folks are shuffling about and moving this way and that. Dad rushes out the door to meet the other gentlemen at the chapel. Nanny and Papa are almost ready. Mom slips on her pretty dress, Mackenzie pulls the laces of my corset back dress tightly, Jen puts on her shoes. I am wearing a pair of Mackenzie's earrings, as my borrowed object, she ties a blue ribbon to my garter. Then she pins a snowflake pin into my petticoat, which belonged to my grandmother on my mom's side. As I place my veil on my head, the limo arrives! Christine, the photographer emerges from the car to snap a few shots of the craziness. For a moment, I stop to look at myself in the mirror. I don't think I have ever felt so beautiful. We all get into the limo to stop at the reception venue to pick up our flowers, and get a look at the space before it is full of people. The Enrichment Center, the art gallery and arts and life skills facility for disabled adults, where I have done so much of my work in the past is transformed. It is absolutely beautiful. The room looks like it is set for a grand event, and I can hardly believe that it is my own! Flowers and tall vases everywhere. Beautiful amber lighting and color coordinated table cloths and overlays, like the ones you see on David Tutera's show. Wow!

At the chapel, I arrive just in time for the ceremony to begin! My father hands me an old coin to place in my bouquet. "This was given to me by my grandmother, and it is your 'something old.' By the way, I really liked your gift, and you look beautiful." I gave my dad a pocket watch, engraved with the words, "I'll always be your little girl." He is wearing it today. Through the tiny window of the chapel door, I can see the procession taking place. Pastor Kelly arrives, followed by Robert. The Ushers seat our mothers. The bridal party arrives, and it is my turn. My dad whispers, "slow down," as I rush to the chapel door for my entrance. The doors open, and I feel a broad smile come across my face. There are so many people here, and they have come to witness our marriage. And then there's Robert. Standing at the end of the aisle. He looks handsome, and even better, I can tell he is elated to see me. I am elated, too. So elated, that I don't even remember hearing the music coming from the live guitar up front, even after I so meticulously picked the music that would be played. Our ceremony was absolutely beautiful. Our vows fell easily from our mouths, and we exchanged rings with joy. Sealed with a kiss, we are now husband and wife. As we see each of our guests out, they all have such wonderful things to say to us. They hug us tightly and leave for the reception.

While our guests are at the cocktail hour, we do some family photos in the chapel. Rob and I then get to do some interesting photos on our own. Christine suggests we do some at the bus depot. What a cool place to do wedding photos! I suggest the heritage bridge, an old wooden covered bridge, for some more photographs, as it is beautiful and has great structure and many shapes. I can't wait to get back our photos!

The time comes for Robert and I to enter the reception. We do so to enthusiastic applause! We begin our first dance, for which everyone stands. It is no secret that dancing with a partner is not Robert's forte! However, we have a lot of fun, and laugh and goof off and enjoy the moment. I tell Robert that he can nod to the DJ at any time to fade the music, as the song, "Honey Bee," by Taj Mahal is a bit long! But Rob insists that we dance out our entire song! So we do, and continue to laugh and joke and enjoy each other's antics! We love that song. We saw Taj Mahal at the Blue Note in NYC during one of our first dates. How appropriate! Then dad and I dance. We dance to "You Got A Friend," by James Taylor. Dad is a steady leader, and I have to do little to keep with his movements. We chat and I tell him that the last time we danced together, I was ten years old. He'd taken me to an African music concert at Syracuse University, and I remember telling him that some of the people on stage were real Africans (!), and I tell him how I wrote about it in my diary later that night. Tears softly roll down his cheeks. Lastly, Robert and his mother dance. I have no idea what they said to each other, but it looked like they had a great time together.

Dinner begins, lovely toasts are given by both the Best Man, Chris and the Maid of Honor, Mackenzie. The dads give their best wishes and anecdotal advise and we cut the cake. I am feeling wonderful. Our friend, Mark, who is also a clown, entertains our guests. He pulls streamers out of Rob's ear. He jokes with my grandparents. He even helped me fake making a balloon animal, which was caught on video! This was a surprise to Rob, who had no idea that Mark would be entertaining at the reception! Robert and I make our way around the room to greet everyone again, and have more casual talk with our guests. I am so glad to see everyone is having a great time! I got so may compliments on my dress...I felt like a princess! After dinner, we dance the rest of the evening away. I begin to feel the weight of my dress. But it's OK, I'm not quite ready to take it off! I toss the bouquet and Rob tosses my garter. Rob's grandad, Richard gets the garter, and Gail, his fiancee, gets the bouquet. How wonderful! And they ham it up for some photos!

But the time it is time to go, we are both exhausted. We collect our gifts and head home. We got so many amazing, thoughtful gifts! We are grateful and blessed. We did not manage to get packed before the wedding, so we pack for Jamaica this night. We are up late, and just barely up in the morning! The next day is a looooonnng travel day. A long layover, which turned into a longer layover due to some delays made us feel like we'd never get there! When we finally make it to Negril, it is very late. We awake the next morning to arrive at the beach, where the water is absolutely clear and the sun is warm. We spend the next three days snorkeling, jumping into the ocean off of low cliffs (well, Rob did, I refused) drinking pina coladas, eating great food and enjoying each other's company. I couldn't have asked for a better eight days. it is hard to believe that it all even happened. I hate to get back to reality. But I look forward to our new life together as a married couple! I don't think I will ever have an event in my life as grand as this one again. As I said before, it was,

Absolutely perfect.

~Cara