The girls all got ready at the house while Bobby and the guys got ready in a room at The Del. The hair and makeup ladies were great and it was fun (or at least it looked fun in the pictures - I was still focusing on just breathing) to have the music on and the doors open to smell the salty air.
The dresses were cute but their zippers were TERRIBLE. Took a team effort! :)
Doesn't my mom look gorgeous!?!
We were almost ready when the guys started to arrive. I really like this picture because I think it shows Bobby about as nervous as I was.
The weather was beautiful but there were actually clouds in the sky that day which made for great lighting...at least that's what the photographer kept saying. ha! Tim Otto took amazing pictures and I can't wait to get the full album. In the mean time, here are just a few of my favorites from getting ready...
We took our pictures before the wedding so Bobby and I tried to create a "first sight" like we would normally have in the church. Lets just say that that didn't really happen the way we had planned but oh well.
Try to ignore the sun glasses he has in one hand and the paper cup filled with champagne in the other....
I can't remember what I'm finding so funny here but I love this picture. Clearly I'm starting to relax.
We took some family and wedding party pictures at the house but then it was off to the church!
How cute are Porter and Charlie!? They were our head usher and ring bearer.
Again, I was definitely more emotional than I had ever expected I'd be. Normally when I'm in an emotional situation I tend to laugh...that day I cried. I cried the entire way down the aisle, during the whole service, and about half way back down the aisle. They were definitely tears of joy though. Everything was beautiful, all of our dearest friends and family were in ONE place, Father Ytsen's sermon about staying in the moment fit perfectly, and I was marrying my best friend. Life doesn't get much better!
Finally smiling! :)
We were finally married and definitely ready to party....but first we had to take some more pictures. Here are just a handful of my favorites.
Bobby's family
Bobby and I with Father Ytsen. We honestly cannot thank him enough for all that he did for us! He not only flew in from Detroit, but he helped us jump through all of the hoops necessary for a Catholic wedding.
My Mom's side of the family
My Dad's side of the family
The BOA...my best girl friends and bridesmaids
This is Jackie and her boyfriend, Casey. Jackie was the MOST helpful personal attendant I could have ever asked for!
After all of the pictures, we hopped back in the trolley and made our way to the Coronado Community Center for the reception. I will never forget one tiny moment between Bobby and I. The Community Center is all windows but the curtains were closed at the time so they acted like more of a mirror. B & I we were coming around the corner to meet up with our guests and both caught our reflections in the mirror. Bobby looked at me and said "Oh yeah, this is OUR wedding." It was the first real "picture" we had seen of ourselves and it forced us back into the moment - a tiny reminder to stop and enjoy each minute.
The cocktail reception started outside but then we moved into the ballroom for dinner. I couldn't have been happier with the way the room turned out. There were months and months of planning all of the separate details but you're never really sure about how everything will really come together...but it really did.
During dinner we had many great/hysterical/touching speeches as well as an awesome slide show that my mom put together. I think these pictures sum all of those up perfectly...
Finally it was on to the dancing and, like everything that day, it was so much fun but went by way WAY too quickly. Thank goodness the photographers were there to capture these moments and make them last forever.
Ummmmm, yeah. I'm a lucky girl!! :)
My two young cousins had a dance-off. It was hysterical!!
We danced so much that we worked up a thirst!...and then ran out of beer. Luckily we had our coordinator, Stacie, to go and do a quick beer run! We were later told that the recommendations as to how much beer/wine we should have was for a "west coast" crowd. A quote from the bartender, "If I would have known you all were from the mid-west, I would have told you to DOUBLE that!" Spoken by a true Minnesotan.
Clearly I don't know where to cut myself off so I'm just going to finally end this. To all of you that made it all the way to San Diego to celebrate with us, THANK YOU! To those of you that couldn't be there, please know that we were thinking of you and can't wait to fill you in on even more stories.
And to my new husband, thank you for dealing with me during all of the planning...for only giving me your opinion when you knew it was the same as my own (after the first invitation mishap)...and for loving me just the way I am. Here's to the bright future ahead of us!
