REFRESH YOUR BROWSER!!! 
Many pictures were taken. There was much arranging of the dress and train. This was amusing, because since if I moved, the dress had to be rearranged, it was easier for me to just stay put and have different people rotating in the picture.

party #1: the church reception

I decided way back that since the BIG reception was going to be in pittsburgh, and that the dinner reception here in the ATL would be small, and that I couldn’t possibly invite everyone who would come to the wedding to the dinner..and because I am part italian and you CAN’T LET PEOPLE LEAVE A WEDDING WITHOUT FOOD OH MY GOD, PLEASE HERE, HAVE SOME SHRIMP!!!

Uhh…anyway…that we could have a small cookies and nibbles reception in the church parlor. Volunteers brought cookies and such, and I ordered some trays from the grocery store across the street - fruit, cheese, and shrimp.

As soon as we entered the parlor after the pictures, and everyone applauded, one of the women from the choir came up to me and said “DON’T PANIC”

oh shit…what????

“there is no punch. we stole some bottled water from one of the classes upstairs and made coffee, so everything is fine.”

oh shit…I forgot the punch! Jen and I were supposed to pick up punch ingredients at the store the day before.

Oh well…

Someone got me a plate of goodies, and I walked around and chatted, coming dangerous close to dripping cocktail sauce on my dress as my plate tilted.

My parents left early with cousin and hubby to set up table decorations at the restaurnat for the dinner reception. We had some time to kill, and everyone was gradually drifting away, except the wedding party. We had to get into the limo by 5:30. I kept asking “what time is it???” (I had left the beautiful sparkly watch my mom bought for the occasion AT HOME! I was upset at this). FINALLY it was 5:30, and I began ushering everyone outside to the limo…when…wait…

why is my grandma still sitting here? My aunt and uncle had brought her, but they were NOWHERE TO BE FOUND! What the HOLY FUCK??? There was no room in the limo, and with her bad legs, she probably couldn’t duck down into it anyway. I couldn’t just LEAVE her, but if we didn’t get to the restaurant soon, we’d have to pay for another hour for the limo.

WHERE THE FUCK ARE MY AUNT AND UNCLE??? Bro did a lap around the church, but here they come pulling up in their rental car.

Whew. We pile in the limo.

(later, they told me that they had just made a dry run to see if they could find the restaurant. even later, I found out that this was mostly bullshit. they did go to the restaurant…to sit at the bar and drink. not offering to help out my parents AT ALL in the setting up. so basically, they were bored at the churh and abandoned my grandmother so they could get away. DON’T GET ME STARTED ON THE MANY WAY MY AUNT AND HER HUSBAND HAVE PISSED OFF MY FAMILY OVER THE YEARS, BUT OH MY GOD, THIS HAS TO BE NEAR THE TOP OF THAT LIST!!!)

Party #2: the restaurant

The room at the restaurant is gorgeous. Centerpieces and candles and little silver bells with placecards that have names and what they ordered on them. there is a table filled with family photos. and the cake…the cake is gorgeous! With a flower topper that matches my bouquet.

We quickly find out that the little bells are functional, and people immediately seize on the idea that instead of tapping their glasses or champagne flutes (wedding favors, with little beaded glass markers on the bottom) they could just RING THE BELLS every time they wanted Kev and I to kiss.

Oh yeah…that got old quick.

We need to do things out of order, so that the photographer can get his pictures and leave. I didnt want him hanging around while we all ate, taking pictures of us all stuffing our faces with beef wellington and chicken cordon bleu. So first was the toast.

This was the one thing that had caused my brother the most anxiety. To be fair, while he was the best man, he didn’t really know Kev all that well. He had notes prepared, which was funny, because you could HEAR how nervous he was. Normally, you can’t get my brother to shut up, but he really wanted this toast to come out right.

It was a great toast. thoughtful, no embarassing stories, and best of all, short.

Then to the cake cutting. We used the knife my mom had bought for my grandparent’s 50th anniversary party. It wasn’t some expensive knife - I think she got it at Hallmark for $10. But she decided to get it engraved for us. Because it was “used,” things remembered considered it an “heirloom” and charged more. So there was a $40 engraving on a $10 knife. Ha!

We cut the cake and very neatly fed each other little pieces. I’m sure most of you will be disappointed to hear that we didn’t shove it each other’s mouths and smear icing all over our faces but THAT IS TACKY and also I just spent $200 on hair and makeup and do you think I want icing TO RUIN THAT? DO YOU???

No.

Photo ops done, the photographer leaves, the piano player (church member I found last minute) arrived to play dinner music, and the salads were passed around.

The food was delicious. The beef was so amazingly tender. It was a HUGE slice of beef wellington, and I almost cried because I couldn’t finish it. Our favorite waiter was there, and he made sure that Kev and I had whatever we wanted. “can I get another cosmopolitan” “YES! Another one for you! Do not drink WATER!!!”

My father also seemed well taken care of. At some point, my father must have decided that his favorite drink in the whole world was the Manhatten. He had a few of them at the rehearsal dinner, but at the reception…he just let LOOSE. He wasn’t falling down drunk, but by the time the cake was served, he was feeling NO PAIN. I had never seen my dad drunk before, so this was very funny.

My mom was disappointd in the cake. She thought it was too dry “you need to CALL HIM. call THAT GUY AND YOU TELL HIM! THE CAKE IS DRY!”

Thinking back on it, I don’t think she realized that the yellow layer with the fruit filling was buttermilk poundcake. It wasn’t dry, it was just firmer than yellow cake. I had the chocolate layer and it was DELICIOUS! I don’t think the waitstaff was used to cutting wedding cake, though. They didn’t take apart the layers, they just cut around them, so everyone got teeny pieces. Which was partly OK, becaue everyone was too stuffed anyway (they also served vanilla ice cream with freash strawberries to accompany the cake), but we have SO MUCH CAKE LEFT OVER! I am seriously sick of cake.

click to see the notes:

At one point, my brother handed me a wedding gift and told me it was eerie how much we think alike. After that, I HAD to open it right away.

a 30GB iPod video. sweet! (we think alike because we gave my dad a nano at the rehearsal dinner).

me: Do we have to share this?

Kev: hey, you already have one!

me: but it’s a MINI!

Kev: Still, you have one.

me: I’ll give you the mini!

Kev: It’s PINK!

me: I’ll cover it with duct tape!

(we’ll share it. actually, it’s not even out of the box yet. too busy to set it up!)

There was much mingling, and this is where the true joy of a small reception comes in: not only do you get to share your day with only your closest friends and family, but also, everyone gets a chance to talk with everyone else. The families got to get to know each other even better, the wedding party got to know the families and each other…it was GREAT. there was no cliquish staying together.

The evening was just…perfect. All that planning and work…mostly by other people! and it all came together beautifully.

Everyone had a good time (well, maybe not my aunt and uncle, they looked bored but SCREW THEM everyone else was having a blast!!!)

Finally, it was time to break up the party. Not for the night, but at least at the restaurant.

Dad: “I’m going to the LOUNGE at the hotel! I’ll be at the LOUNGE! DRINKING!”

Jen: “Doesn’t the hotel lounge close at 10?”

Dad: “It’s open until 11 on WEEKENDS! I’m going to the LOUNGE!”

oh yeah. dad was drunk. Afterwards, I saw my mom looking over the final bill. I cautiously asked her how bad it was.

Mom: “Well, we came in under budget, but it’s an awful lot of money for 33 people.”

Me: “Mom, you know half of that was dad’s manhattens.”

Mom: *sigh* I know. I hope he doesn’t think he’s driving back to the hotel.

Kev and I get a ride back to the hotel in Jen’s fiance’ Dave’s rental car. The night is still young, so we agree to change clothes and then go out for some more celebrating.

But first…Kev and I did some celebrating of our own. Hehehehe…LEGAL AND RIGHT IN THE EYES OF OUR LORD!!

Of course, while we were having our fun, Jen, Dave, and my brother were having their own kind of fun.

That’s my car.

(Funny, I drove it like that for a few days. And because this is atlanta, it was hard to tell if people were beeping at me because of the window, or because I didn’t move fast enough at the light. I almost gave the finger to a few well wishers before I caught myself)

eventually, we all met in the lobby. Me, Kev, Jen, Dave, Evan (bro), and his girlfriend Steph. Where should we go? Steph confessed that she was actually a little hungry. You know what? I was too! After all that food! There was nothing else to do…to a PUB with us!

Party #3 - Brickstore Pub in Decatur

They had a big Oktoberfest celebration that day, so the place was packed. Unfortunately for me, it meant they were out of every cider. The waitress talked me into an apricot beer. I was doubtful, but OH MY GOD it was so good. I can’t for the life of me remember the name, so if anyone out there knows, please tell me! Kev and I split some chicken fingers and fries. mmmm…greasy bar food.

Evan ordered a shot of yeagermeister (sp?) and a pint of spaten. I announced I had never tried yeager before, and my brother and Steph were STUNNED. I sipped his shot.

Oh my, that’s enough for me, thanks. If I want to drink pure anise extract mixed with maple syrup, I can do that from my pantry, thankyouverymuch.

Kev was quite pleased with his drink order: a LITER of Spaten. It looked very impressive and manly net to our drinks.

then a group of girls came in. One of them had a veil. I pointed and yelled

“ANOTHER WEDDING! NO! WAIT! A BACHELLORETTE PARTY!”

“YES!!! OH!!! YOU TOO???” she pointed to the headband I was still wearing.

“NO, I just got MARRIED, BABY!!!”

“WOOOOHOOOO!!!!”

They sat at the table next to us, and ordered liters of spaten. Kev was slightly deflated at this. But he still finished his manly beer.

We stumbled back to the hotel at 1:30, tipsy and exhausted.

You see the beauty of picking a hotel in downtown decatur? We could walk almost everywhere - except for the church and restaurant. It was a good spot for drunks like us, though

All together, it was the best day of my life. I married my soul mate and got to share it was all the people I love. And everyone had a wonderful time, which was very important to me, too. What a perfect, wonderful, gorgeous HAPPY and all around fantastic day to get married.

Kev had been somewhat worried about work. The owner/boss had been on a tirade about people taking off, and while none of that was directed at Kev, and while they new he was getting married and taking a week off for a honeymoon, they DIDN’T know he’d have to take some time off for the pittsburgh reception. He curried favor by working on thursday, and then deciding to work at least half a day friday. He thought he’d just go in very early and then leave at noon.

I let him know that while I understood that this was important for his job, and that while I didn’t want him to get in trouble, I would prefer if he were around on Friday. Even if he was only working for a few hours, it would be enough to put him in a bad mood, and make his back and neck ache (anyone know a good chiropractor in atlanta? Kev needs one desperately).

He set his alarm for 6:30am. It went off, I blearily turned on the TV, he turned off the alarm…and got right back in bed with me. It’s easy to talk yourself out of work at 6:30am.

I woke up around 8:30 and quietly started puttering around - I had a suitcase to pack, I had to pack a small bag for Kev CONTAINING THE RINGS WITH A BIG SIGN ON IT SAYING “PLEASE DON’T FORGET TO TAKE ME!” IN BIG RED LETTERS.

I call one of Kev’s neices to determine how far away they are - his family was driving in that day. “we just passed 6 flags.” which is 40 minutes away. holy SHIT, what time did they leave??? turns out, 4am. the hotel is not ready for them. I tell them to maybe park at the hotel and then walk around town? I don’t know what to do for them - they can’t check in until 1:30 at the earliest. oh well!

I realize that while my dress has been altered to perfection and is hanging in my closet, it is wrinkled as hell. I call a nearby dry cleaners. Yes, they will do it and have it ready for pickup saturday morning…can I get it there ASAP? YES I CAN! I can walk there, that’s how close it is. Jenni, the MoH, starts to come to life a little after 10, and Kev is somewhat awake and apparently trying to drown himself in a hot shower. I walk my dress to the cleaners, and stop at the nearby bakery to pick up 4 piping hot ham and swiss croissants for breakfast.

I accompany that with some mimosas made with leftover champagne.
(I forgot to mention yesterday that after our errands were done, Dad dropped mom and I off at home while he ran to Home Depot to pick up a gift for Kev. Mom and I sat like stoned zombies on the couch for a bit, and then she turned to me and said “do you have any wine?” this is funny, as my mom rarely drinks. I had no white wine, but I DID have a bottle of Frexinet spumante in the fridge. So mom and I worked our way through most of a bottle of sparkling wine, drinking it high class in juice glasses. We were pretty lit by the time we had to leave for dinner)

I was a hero. The three of us munched and drank. My mom called, and I mentioned that I was going to ask Vic and Erin to run to the farmer’s market. We were going to need munchies the next day whille we got our hair done. Mom decided that her cousin would love to see the market, so they decided to go themselves. Kev went off to see if he could find a barber shop for the next day - his idea was for him and the groomsmen to get straight razor shaves on the wedding day. Jen and I had errands to run as well, first we dropped Sadie off at the boarding place. do not feel bad for her - it’s one of those places that lets the dogs run around and play all day - at $30 a night, she better be having the time of her fucking life! She expressed her displeasure by pooping on the concrete floor of the check in room.

Awesome.

Then to the grocery store. What all did we need? Why didn’t I make a list? Chips and dip, milk (for the condo, not the wedding) starbucks coffee and twinnings tea, all for the church “pre-reception.”

what else? WHAT ELSE?

Oh well. Time to get our shit together and head to the hotel. Kev’s family had gone to a nearby museum to entertain themselves, and then checked in just fine. I gathered Jen, mom, mom’s cousin, Stephanie (bro’s girlfriend), Erin (bridesmaid), and Kev’s mom and walk us all over to the nail salon. we get there late (this is a theme for the rest of the weekend). The two times I have been there before, there was MAYBE one other person getting their nails done. That day? There were 4. Shit.

We all get our manicures and pedicures, even mom’s cousin who originally was just along to watch. She had never had a pedicure before, but as soon as she saw the little jacuzzi foot baths, she was IN! In spite of the fact that it takes 3 HOURS, we all had a good time. I get hugs from the “boss,” who tells me that she just LOVES Kev’s mom. Hehehehe…that’s just funny, for some reason.

There is now no time for my parent to drop off the table decorations to the reception restaurant OR to try to get to the church early to decorate before the rehearsal starts. Jen and I check in to our rooms, shower, and get dressed.

We all then meet up again in the lobbly and leave for the church. Late. Again.

Everyone is waiting for us. Including Kev. But the very FIRST thing I do, before even kisisng Kev hello, is dig into my purse and pull out THE MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE. Nightmare #1, vanquished. I hand it to the pastor.

The rehearsal was weird for me. Walking down the aisle again and again, holding my bow bouquet, it STILL didn’t seem real to me. We repeat as neccessary until we all feel comfortable with how things are going to go, and then all pile back into our cars and head to…the DINNER! late!

Which was a blast. We had the balcony to ourselves, at a great cajun restaurant. I debate what to drink, and settle on raspberry martini’s. I laugh with my friends about the drink on the menu called “japanese tea garden,” which has about 8 different liquors in it. We get our drinks, I look over at my mom. she is drinking a tall glass of something green.

“mom…is that the japanese tea garden?”

“YES!”

Oh my.

The food was great. Poor Tyler, Kev’s nephew - up since 4am and his body waves the white flag. He can’t even wake up to open his gift. Everyone LOVES their gifts. My dad is happy with the nano, which he admits he’ll need help setting up.

As a bonus, Vic tells me that when they got to the table, there was a box containing a bottle of tequila on the table. He hid it on a chair, in case it was left there by mistake. It’s called “silver patro’n.” anyone know anything about the brand? It looks expensive. Anyway, he slips it to us - PARTY IN MY HOTEL ROOM, BABY! We’re assuming it was a gift from the restaurant.
After dinner, everyone gradually makes their way off. Kev and I are left. We won’t see each other again until the wedding. It’s a little tearful.

Jen and I head bak to the hotel. Her fiance’ has finaly arrived (we’ve all known each other since high school - all trombone in the band) and after changing into our PJs, they hang out in my room for a while. Jenni was exhausted, so I kicked them out and curled up in my king sized bed. Alone.

It is quiet and peaceful. I am calm, and I drift off to sleep.