Wedding Day!!! Part Two: The Big Day

This post is a long overdue follow-up and climactic ending to Part One.

After the helter-skelter of the months leading up to the wedding, after the frenziness of the pre-wedding week, after the stress, and the drama, and the moments when you thought everyone was going to break down and run away, the wedding day comes. It's still stressful and tightly scheduled. There are still mishaps and dramas. But it's important that these things happen. It's important to be so hyped up on nerves that everything is felt more deeply than normal. All sadness, pain, happiness, and laughter. The stupidest insult stabs; the most ridiculous story is believed. The slightest mishap at the altar throws the entirety of the wedding party into struggling laughter. The smallest smile from the bride and groom is reflected across the entire Church. And when the ceremony ends, and everyone can finally calm down, it takes about five hours before we're done shaking. Or before we're shaking for a different reason.

The importance of your best friend's wedding can be explained in two moments.

One moment is when you first wake up. You're on two hours of sleep and the sun hasn't come back yet. You're thinking about everything that happened and that will happen, and you're just plain nervous as anything that you'll faint in those skyscraper shoes at the altar. And as the sun comes up, two best friends join you, and you remember the sanity (or insanity) of friendship and why you wouldn't be anywhere else today.

The second moment happens when you're standing at the altar with all the bridesmaids and all the groomsmen and the Church's attention finally moves away from all of you and your massively uncomfortable shoes (men's or women's worse? We're still fighting over that one). She's walking in, and slowly everyone turns from her to the groom. Now, romantic comedies always preach to remember to see the groom's face. But standing on the altar, you suddenly discover you can't see his face. But you can see hers change as she sees him. And that'll be enough. It's priceless.

The groom's party. Don't know what us bridesmaids would've done without you guys. Thank you!

So the groomsmen were all ready and dashing...

Meanwhile, the bridal party's a hot mess

What are these buttons, E???

"I got the easy job! Switching rings though!'

'Uh, wait a second.'

'Don't look at their faces as they walk past! You'll just laugh harder'

Very impressed right now!

With candles and everything!

She was so impressive. She carried everything, and still didn't burn him!

We were the first up and last out. At least I had two people to catch me if I fainted!

The lovely mother of the bride!

'Guys, can we just go EAT yet?'

'Honey, let's show off that new dance we just invented!'

Yup, it's a match made in heaven for sure.

When did she get so tall?

The longer the night...

The weirder it gets....

A big thank you to those who shared their photos with me. I'm sorry for not posting names, but I won't ever share names on the blog without permission. But you know who you are, and when I see you in a few months, you will get a big hug from me! Or chocolate cake! Or a drink! Whichever!

Congratulations to two of the loveliest people I know.

Sti ya-mas!