Today Alex and I attended a wedding of two friends. It was a beautiful ceremony, the bride was beaming (as was the groom), and celebrations were merry.
This morning as we were preparing to go to the wedding, I reflected on the morning before our wedding last June. I find the memory of our wedding day to be sweet - sweet to call back the accompanying nerves and jitters, sweet to flip through pictures and remember all the faces of the people there to support us and witness our marriage (and party, of course!), sweet to think of the progression of moments that were the beginning of Alex and my life together.
One of the most memorable times of the day, though, was before the wedding itself. It was the morning of the wedding.
My mom had decided that with a late afternoon ceremony and a late morning hair and make-up appointment, we had plenty of time and opportunity to gather family and bridesmaids for a nice breakfast. We asked my brother and his fiancee (now wife) to plan and cook the meal.
I had woken up and silently freaked out to myself that it was my wedding day. There is nothing like that feeling - I still get it on Christmas morning every year, although its intensity has decreased some since my childhood. I waited until I was ready to share that feeling with my family, and then went downstairs.
The first hour of the morning was laid back. I sat on the couch and peeped over the counter watching my family bustling around the kitchen. My extended family arrived and we chatted. Then, around 9:15, the bridesmaids burst in to the scene -- all of a sudden there were seven girls in pajamas and curlers running, jumping, hugging me, and exclaiming "AHHHH! It's your wedding day!!!!!"
From there the morning unrolled in a rather friendly fashion. We all dug in to a de-li-cious breakfast of huevos rancheros with fresh salsa, avocado and slices of carne asada, accompanied by freshly blended berry smoothies and coffee. We sat out on the patio in the San Diego sunshine. My bridesmaids took the time to remind me that their role as bridesmaids was to meet my every need. At one point I began to get up for more coffee and one of them shouted, "Wait! Why are you getting up? What do you need? Let me get it for you." Unfortunately for them, they also promised to meet my every request - upon hearing this I promptly demanded that they form a human pyramid. And they did.
I loved the quietness of that morning. I loved the excitement. I loved that we got to eat a yummy breakfast (half of us in our pajamas) on the patio on my wedding day: a relaxed two-and-a-half hours to be with dear friends and family, to anticipate the day and begin the celebrations.
* Image credit: Painting by Judith Lamb, http://www.chacerandallgallery.com/.
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