Most Magical Day

Our wedding day got off to a slow start with my awaking after a couple hours of sleep to get the day started for I was too excited to keep lying in bed as the sun rose the morning of 05/23/15 but then quickly sped up as folk started popping into my parents’ and my hotel room.  The texts and comments from excited friends were fun to read as my parents and I prepared for the day.  Mom quickly ran the snacks down to the hair room while Dad answered questions as folks started coming to our room with last minute questions.  As the night before, the children were in and out of the room all morning. 

I had ordered breakfast for the immediate wedding party to be delivered to the hotel between 9:30 and 10am and they were delivered right on time.  From Big Apple Bagels on Haines Road just down the street from the hotel, fresh bagels, mini-muffins, and cream cheese were delivered to each of our siblings and their families by my Aunt Marie and cousin Mikey.  Mom dropped me off at the makeup appointment in the hotel spa at 10am. 

While I was “hiding” in the salon, Mom saw Adam at the front desk paying for his massage appointment.  She reported back that he was very relaxed and heading back to his room.  A flutter of butterflies in my stomach joined the excited feelings and I wished I could go see him right then and there but I knew it wouldn’t be long before I would see him at the church that afternoon.  A complimentary mimosa was served that was quickly sipped in the time spent waiting for the arrival of the makeup girl.  For some reason, my appointment didn’t begin until twenty minutes later which admittedly added some stress/worry to that morning for everything else was delayed after that but as my family and Heather, my matron of honor, kept saying, “It’s okay because today is the one day you can be late” but it was still a bit nerve-racking as the clock kept ticking and I realized how behind schedule we were.  I LOVED the makeup application even more than what was done last Saturday during the practice makeup session.  I couldn’t wait to add the sparkle spray Ashley had purchased for me later in the day as well.

Next, it was time to have my hair done by my former hairstylist in York.  Natalie and her assistant, Jordan, had been in the hair room since 8:30am working tirelessly in the back to back appointments that were scheduled for my mother-in-law, three of my sisters-in-law, my niece, mom, matron of honor, and me.  It was during this time that I remembered to finally eat something and I enjoyed the cheese bagel left over from one of the morning deliveries.  During my hair appointment, Juliana and her assistant, Eliciane, arrived and took some “getting ready” photos in the various rooms where our siblings and their children were getting ready.  With each appointment and arrival of someone new, my excitement grew but I wasn’t nervous just yet.  I felt this overwhelming sense of peace and God’s presence all morning even amidst the panic when I realized I accidentally didn’t order enough breakfast boxes for each family and had to improvise, in spite of the 20 minute delay of the makeup appointment, and getting started with the hair much later than planned for when my hair was done, we were already five minutes past the time that we were to have departed for church!  Some quick thinking and informing Adam and his parents of the slight change in plans in having them arrive to the church before my parents, matron of honor, and me helped to ease some of the worry over how late we were running. 

Now that we knew Adam would go to the church first, we had little bit more time for me to get ready and for the photographers to take some quick shots.  I loved when Juliana and Heather reported back to us after seeing Adam and said how handsome he looked.  I couldn’t wait to see him all the more.  What an excited sense of anticipation the morning held!  Before long, it was time to go down to the hotel lobby to do the “First Look” with my Dad.  He, like Adam, didn’t know what dress I was wearing and patiently awaited my arrival by vacating his room in the last 10 minutes so I could get dressed and come down to the lobby with hair and makeup in place.  My mom, Heather, and the two photographers quickly left the 3^rd floor and it was then as I stood waiting for the elevator alone that the nerves kicked in a bit.  I wanted Adam there and to be in his presence already but was SO excited for my Dad to see the final look of everything put together.  He had seen the practice hair and makeup in the week prior and had been behind the scenes over the last year as everything was planned and Mom and I went over every fine little detail (over and over and over) throughout the planning process but this was it!  This was the moment….once Dad saw me, there was no turning back as we were getting in the car and driving over to the church that was most certainly already bustling and full with loved ones who had come from near and far to be with us as we celebrated the blessed sacrament of marriage.  It was really happening…finally….after all this waiting…and the nerves as well as the excitement were building.  So I sent up a quick prayer of thanksgiving as the elevator descended the three floors to the lobby.  The doors opened and there was Dad.  As soon as our eyes met, we were both overcome with emotion.  My older brother, Brian, was also there.  He watched with Heather and Mom as Dad and I greeted each other.  He looked so handsome in his suit and the lost boutineer that was replaced with one of the ring bearer’s boutineer looked fine!  It actually looked better than the original one I had made for him due to it matching my dress better but still being able to go with Mom’s.  Ironically, his original boutineer was found in the car on the way to the church so we were able to give it to Dustin, my oldest nephew on Adam’s side to wear at the last minute.

Once at the church, Heather and I made a beeline for the chapel where Adam had been waiting for at least 15 minutes.  The videographers were also there waiting for us.  They said that since I had seen the back of Adam in his suit already during the final fitting earlier that week that I was able to walk into the chapel and see him from behind…I’ll never forget that feeling as I came around the corner.  Everything seemed to fall away and quiet down as I entered the chapel.  There stood my tall future husband in his suit facing the stained glass windows.  More than anything I wanted him to turn around and for us to embrace but once again, we had to wait for we knew that in just a few moments we would be able to do that in the church.  Heather hung back in the hallway but was holding back tears as I approached Adam and stood back to back with him.  He clasped my hands and we greeted one another.  I was overcome with emotion as the familiarity of my hand in his took over and he began leading us in prayer.  We also exchanged a card and a prayer journal.  Reading his words printed on the page made me cry (in a good way) and I was a sniffling mess as the photographer and videographer documented the “First Non-Look”.  All too soon, it was time to say goodbye with a “see you at the altar!” and Heather and I retreated to the restroom where we saw more friends.  I still felt calm but just wanted to get started with the ceremony as I knew we were behind schedule but was surprise to hear we were only 5 minutes behind at that point!  Soon, the music started and both sides of the family, Heather, and I were ready and lined up outside the door in the narthex of the church.  Meredith, Ashley, and Monika as well as my cousins, Mikey and Ethan, were also there.  I loved seeing all the colors together for the first time!  My beautiful friends in their beautiful blue dresses and silver sparkly shoes were so gorgeous.  Then my newly combined family dressed in sand khaki suits with the pastel light green and purple ties and dresses were radiant in their spring colors.  Heather and Patrick added splashes of bright pink to round out the color scheme and Mason’s dress was the perfect blend of the lilac and mint green as the flower girl.  Both sets of parents were beautiful as well with my mother-in-law in a dress similar to my Mom’s in that both were flowy, sheer, and had sparkly embellishments on them.  The boutineers and flowers added small bursts of color to the suits and girls’ dresses and the pocket squares and socks seemed to work for the men!  The little boys’ bowties and bigger boys’ ties completed the look as well.  I couldn’t wait to see Adam in his light suit with chocolate brown accents!  He wore a vest, as did the fathers but also wore a bowtie like the little boys while the other men wore ties.  My favorite part of the men’s look however was the shoes!!!  The chocolate brown shoes that were shiny and smooth reminded me of puddles of chocolate.  I loved them!  The funny part was when the little boys heard me say that and throughout the day asked me where the chocolate shoes were for they had taken me literally when I said that..haha!

As my friends, each family, and my cousins seated themselves, the butterflies increased..especially when I almost forgot to place the veil over my face but Heather quickly helped me with that.  I was so glad Dad was there for his calming presence kept me calm.  Before long, it was time to go join Adam!!  The doors opened and in we walked to the church.  It was so surreal seeing all the cherished smiling faces in the family and friends who had made the trip to join us.  My favorite view was Adam standing next to Fr. Jack though.  Yes, this was the best walk I ever took on the arm of the first man I loved guiding me to the man I love and get to spend the rest of my life doing just that!  How wonderful and I’m SO appreciative of this opportunity.  Praise God for guiding us to each other and knowing what He was doing all along…His plans for us are SO much better than anything we can even try to come up with on our own. 

When we sat down and mass began, at one point, I looked over at Adam and he said, “You’re so sparkly!”  Hehe….yay for the sparkle spray from Ash!  ;)  Mass was over in a blur (albeit with a mistake or two on my part) but I felt like we were able to thoroughly take in everything and be fully present thanks in large part to Fr. Jack, my Aunt Maureen, and family friend Laura for how they coordinated and set everything up for us.  I can’t imagine how the wedding mass would have been without these three very important people to us and am so glad that they were such a huge part of the day.  The music of Kim Kalman was just the icing on the cake.  I was surprised at how much I didn’t mind the presence of the four altar servers provided by the church for all I cared about in that moment was being one with God and Adam!

One of the (many) highlights was also greeting each guest as he or she exited the church pew at the conclusion of the mass as a friend of ours from NC, Lynn, sang so beautifully the recessional song, “Companions on the Journey”.  Seeing all these companions who played some role in each of our journeys no matter how minor and knowing they cared enough to come spend the day with us was overwhelming but in a good way.  We are so blessed with our supportive network of folks who help to build us up rather than tear us down and I hope we can be the same for them!

After the mass, as a new combined family we attempted photos in the church.  As with doing anything with children, some photo attempts were more successful than others.  Once we were done at the church by 4:04pm (we had to vacate the premises by 4pm so they could prepare for the 5pm mass), Adam, the photographers, and I headed downtown.  Juliana and Elciane really did think of everything!!  They had cold water in the trunk and some snacks in the front seat for us to nibble on as we drove the 4 miles downtown for some city shots.  Again, I couldn’t imagine doing photos all day long with any others besides these two awesome girls.  They were so accommodation and joyful and excited for us throughout the day yet were professional and got the job done.  We were so blessed to have them share in our day with us!  We then drove over to Heritage Hills where we met up with Heather and the best man, Adam’s brother Mark, as well as the videographer and the wedding day coordinator Jackie.  We all hopped into golf carts (it was Juliana’s and Adam’s first time driving them) to the grounds where more photos were quickly taken.  Upon our return to the hotel, we reconnected with our family and the girls in the holding room.  I quickly scarfed down some delicious coconut shrimp, meatballs, and cucumber rounds.  The cheese and cheese dip were yummy too!  Within five minutes, it was time to go upstairs to be introduced to the reception for Fr. Jack had to quickly leave after the blessing to make his flight in Baltimore.

I know everyone says it, but I truly can’t believe how FAST the day went!!!  The reception was over before it started it seems like!!!  There were so many people I didn’t get to talk to and not nearly enough dancing done by Adam or me and oh, the cookies!!!!  Thank goodness my cousin and Laura quickly made a goodie bag of cookies for us to take with us on the way out after our sparkler send-off.  I was glad they did this with the few cookies we had as we enjoyed them tremendously the next day when we drove to the mystery honeymoon location.  It seemed like everyone enjoyed themselves (and the food) and that was my main goal anyhow…to be sure that folks were able to socialize, relax, and just be in the moment as we all celebrated together.  Jokingly, I said to Adam yesterday that I wish we could go back and be guests at the reception to take it all in and enjoy it all the more..haha! 

The  next morning, most of our family and some other guests joined us for mass at the same church and a brunch (I had a delicious French Toast that contained bread covered in Frosted Flakes!) at Knickers Pub which is also on the grounds before we all parted ways.  Adam’s brother and his family had already left for Philadelphia, Wendy (Adam’s sister) and her family were heading to Washington, DC, and his parents spent the afternoon in Lancaster while my parents returned home to northeastern PA, my aunt, uncle, and cousin drove back to Pittsburgh, my aunt and her friend headed north to Boston, and my three brothers all drove back to their homes in central PA and Dover, DE.  Adam and I headed south to our mystery destination which turned out to be Williamsburg, Virginia!  I had suspected that was where we were headed but the “clues” Adam gave me the last few days hadn’t matched up with that location so he threw me off the trail.  Haha! The drive to VA from York was spent with Adam driving and me reading to him all the loving messages/comments/well wishes via text, email, and Facebook.  We also were able to open our cards from the beautiful bird cage Alicia (California sister-in-law) had given us from Mark’s and her wedding.  It was so fun reading all the messages and well wishes as we drove further and further south to our honeymoon!

The resort is very relaxing and peaceful in a wooded area but is also still close to Colonial Williamsburg being only a few minutes’ drive from it.  The first night was spent getting settled and unpacking before we ordered some Italian food for delivery from a restaurant that was recommended to us by Sheresa and her husband in North Carolina.  Our first full day here was spent relaxing and having a quiet morning of swimming in one of the pools (first swim of Summer 2015!) and enjoying the beautiful weather.  We then drove to Colonial Williamsburg and found a coffeehouse another North Carolina friend recommended we try.  Aromas was full of character and charm and had some fantastic grub and smoothies.  Adam had a pineapple coconut smoothie that tasted just like a pina colada and my Aromaccino smoothie of coffee ice cream with caramel and whipped cream was soooo good!  It was here that we were able to not only post the reception movie as requested (my laptop won’t work at the resort for some reason) but we also were able to research some of the activities folks had suggested we do and were able to create a loose itinerary for the rest of the week.  After a couple hours relaxing at this charming coffeehouse we took in all that colonial Williamsburg had to offer by browsing the shops and looking at the old buildings.  This part of Colonial Williamsburg reminded me a lot of Old Salem in Winston-Salem in NC but much bigger of course! 

On the way home, we picked up a pair of sneakers from the Nike Outlet so that I could be prepared for our day at Busch Gardens today!!  Bring on the roller coasters!!

The only down side of the trip thus far happened last night on the way back to the resort.  When looking at my phone at the GPS, I saw I received a notification from a former friend regarding a comment he had posted on a friend’s picture.  It wasn’t the nicest of comments and was quickly removed by someone but the impact of it was long reaching and permanent.  This incident that put a damper on the first day of the honeymoon for me reminds me that social media can be used for many wonderful things (such as gathering ideas for a honeymoon trip (thank you again for the awesome suggestions!!) or helping a guy from California and a girl in North Carolina to connect (I’m SO glad that worked out the way it did -haha!) but it can also be used in negative ways.  My prayer for this moment right now, as I use another form of social media through blogging, is that we all are a little more cognizant of the impact our words/actions can have on others both online and offline.  Even if we say something in the heat of the moment or think we are 1000% right about what it is we’re stating/feeling, we need to be mindful of the repercussions of that action or lack of action.  We are all entitled to our own opinions, beliefs, positions, thoughts and I respect that.  I would never dare try to impose my thoughts/beliefs on another even if others may assume that is the intent behind by an action/something that was said but I guess what I’m trying to say is the simple element of being kind to one another is the same regardless of on which side of the fence we fall.  So, rather than focus on the pain from last night’s comment and what it implied, and admittedly after letting a few tears fall the moment it happened, I’m trying to move past it and still embrace each day for all the beauty it holds.  Instead of wallowing in it, I’ll offer up a prayer for this friend as I have each time I thought of this couple so many times over the years since our friendship was forever changed in October 2013 over an action I felt compelled I had to make.  I do have to say though, that my new husband rocks is awesome!  Even with trying to hide how deeply affected I was by this comment that was made, he knew it upset me and helped to distract me to make me feel better.  Again…..God knows what He’s doing…trust in that and lean into HIM!  I have a feeling I will have to do this in a few short hours while I’m on a scary roller coaster ride too.  ;)