Wedding Weekend Recap (You May Want To Grab A Snack)

To say that this wedding was stupendous is an understatement. I mean how can it not be when you have a candy bar, a rain delay followed by double rainbows and a choreographed first dance that can only be described as pure magic?  Exactly.

Saturday was full of the rehearsal and a dinner in the park. On my way up to the rehearsal, which was in the mountains, I managed to miss my exit onto I-70 and ended up in Golden. Now to you out-of-towners, Golden is only a mere five minutes from the turn-off, but to a girl who is racing against the clock and still needs to put on mascara and make sure her shirt isn't on backwards, this was a huge waste of precious time. HUGE, people. Why, in the name of all that is good in the world, can that exit not be marked more clearly? It is a major intersection with very important interstates running every direction, I would think that the very least my tax money could do is to have a bigger sign that helps frantic drivers get into the mountains. All they want is to head west. WEST, I tell you!

Thankfully I skidded into the parking lot with a minute to spare and without sirens behind me.

I was in charge of taking pictures of the event, which I tried to capture without being too noticeable. But I realized that this just wasn't possible when you have a ginormous camera around your neck and people just don't believe you when you say you are the 13th bridesmaid.

Here is a picture of Rachel and her husband Josh with their cute little peanut only 9 DAYS after she gave birth. Try not to covet.

The night went off perfectly and I was even home early enough to swing by my parents' place and mooch off of their cable. I love free cable.

The next day I woke up to blurred vision and dizziness, the tell-tale sign of an impending migraine. After large doses of drugs and an ice pack to the forehead, I managed to get ready and once again make my way up the mountains. Thankfully I made my exit this time but felt extremely sorry for the poor suckers who ended up in Golden, wondering where the Rocky Mountains had gone to and resolving never to take the family on a cross-country drive again.

Once I arrived, I hit the ground running. I had to set up the candy table, gift card table, guest book table, place card table, distribute candles and pictures for the centerpieces and manage to re-curl my hair, apply more mascara and shimmy into my purple dress. And I had to do it in an hour. Thankfully, I had eight groomsmen who had nothing better to do than to look good, so I put them to work and everything came together beautifully.

And then I saw the bride and realized that my sweaty armpits were totally worth it:

I know. Stunning.

Unfortunately, just as all the guests had found their seats for the outdoor ceremony, the heavens opened up and rain and hail poured down. Many made it back only a little dampened. Many did not. And I think they all wanted to kiss the wait staff for having the coffee bar up and running. Jenn handled the delay beautifully, completely relaxed and happy, knowing that it would only be a matter of minutes until things would be underway.

Finally, the skies cleared up and we all made our way to our seats, not caring that every one of us would  have wet backsides afterwards. The bridesmaids were lovely, the groom was beaming and Jenn never looked more beautiful. It was amazing.

Afterward, I raced back to the reception site, wet bum and all, and began snapping pictures for the guest book. Jenn had this great idea to have a photo guest book filled with all of her guests posing inside of an empty frame.

Here is Exhibit A:

Here are Kim and Heather from Women's Group with their hubbies. Aren't they cute?

So, just imagine that my camera now holds over 200 pics just like this, but mostly with people I have never seen before.

I think at this point I had begun to lose feeling in both pinky toes. But what is a pinky toe in the name of fashion? I love how you understand me.

The reception kicked off with the introduction of the 20-member wedding party, followed up with a fajita bar that could rival one in Mexico. After toasts, cake and a slide show, Jenn and her new husband Josh hit the dance floor to the coolest first dance. Ever. It started off slow, then they busted out some salsa, then it transitioned into swing, followed by hip hop and ending with twirl and a dip. It was a stellar performance.

By 9:30, the party was just getting started but I had lost feeling in both feet, one ankle and my quads were shaking. Probably not a good sign. So, I rounded up the five of us from Women's Group that were still there and we took this picture:

I love it. And I love these girls. And I loved this wedding. It was perfect in every way!

And when I woke up Monday morning with soreness in muscles I didn't know existed, numbness in half of my right foot, a migraine that was still hanging on and an overall general feeling that I had been hit by a truck, I experienced a level of bliss that can only be described in two words: sick day.