A Year Ago Today Plus A Day
As you read this I will be somewhere in Fort Worth and hopefully not at the DMV to take a new picture. Even though my first wedding anniversary is technically tomorrow, 10/28/2016, I still wanted to post about it today since it happened on a Friday last year. I'm looking back on my wedding and the little moments that stood out to me a year ago today plus a day. As the sage women at APW say, "You remember how your wedding felt not how it looked." Also isn't that what pictures are for?
I can honestly say it was a great day. The easiest way to let go of perfection is trying to plan a wedding and have nothing go wrong. Impossible. The universe won't let you!
Like with most nerve racking things I was cool, calm and collected until the time came to actually do something. I sat in the chair at the hair salon fidgeting and trying not to stare back at myself in the mirror. Any time I have to wait for something big or possibly life altering I get nervous. Totally weird, right?
In the moment I rarely feel nervous unless there is some kind of hiccup or I've done something weird. I just hate waiting. I stare at the clock not meaning to seem anxious but trumpeting it loud and clear for anyone paying attention.
I make it back home and recheck my 3 bags. Being naturally inclined to be prepared and organized has never been more helpful. Some are designated for the first venue, the chapel, and others to wait until later when I change out of my wedding dress. I'm thankful my driving for the day is done as my Dad weaves in and out of lanes on the way to Fort Worth.
We arrive and the chapel is still gorgeous. My photographer, Mom and friend put me at ease. I'm thinking this event might not turn out to be a disaster. It's fun to pretend like we are waiting for someone else's event in super fancy outfits chatting instead of a huge personal and relationship altering act.
I check my makeup. Still looks good. Hair still looks good. I circling the giant room I'm relegated to underneath everything. The organ is playing which I can feel more than hear like a frequency I can sense just out of reach.
I'm purposefully not keeping track of the time. I know it will freak me out either way, early, on time or late. I feel like I've been here forever and only a few minutes. The time has come. One tradition we decided to honor was not seeing each other before the ceremony. I knew once I saw him I wouldn't be nervous anymore.
My bouquet has soaked up with water in the vase all the way up to the ribbon, now soggy, but that's the biggest gripe so far which is pretty small for a wedding or a normal day. The bouquet is heavier than I thought even though it looks great. I remember holding my friend's bouquet and being surprised by the heft or something so beautiful.
Later when I'm holding it with only one hand my arm will start to protest. This is the only time I feel slightly panicked and try not to show it. Maybe I should have done some arm workouts? The walk down the aisle isn't totally smooth either. Between looking at people's smiling faces, Julian's so far away and trying to take in the moment me and my Dad fall out of step and slowly amble along not totally synchronized.
We have practiced our lines and kiss, arguably the most important part, and run away after performing them. As fast as you can run in a dress, suit and too small boots. We take tons of pictures inside and outside the chapel. I picked it sight unseen because of all the photos available online. The architecture is great with tons of natural light streaming in during the afternoon.
One of my favorite parts of the day and surprisingly relaxing is taking pictures outside the Kimbell. It is one of my favorite art museums and the architecture is stunning. We get some great pictures and it was so much fun, just like our engagement photos. I felt like we were just frolicking outside while people, our amazing photography team, took pictures.
We navigate downtown as the sun starts to fade. I eat as much as my lace corset will let me and have the best posture possible. The setting is intimate and feels like a dinner party in fancy clothes. After kind words and dessert I circulate through the guests all of which I know. I didn't want to have a wedding where I looked out at a crowd of strangers.
We reach our home for the night where we are greeted by two very docile and friendly beagles. We head to our room upstairs for a post wedding selfie and relaxation. I have packed almost everything I needed minus one item which is usually on my wrist. A hair tie! In a moment of ingenuity Julian wraps his bow tie around my hair so it won't be soaked in the shower.
The next morning we walk to a brunch place only five minutes away. Even though it's a Saturday we snag a seat at the “bar”. We engorge and Julian tells everyone within a ten foot radius that we got married yesterday. This is the first time we have officially brunched together.
As we drive off towards home, the airport and then our honeymoon to see Elton John in Las Vegas I feel very happy and lucky.
As a reforming perfectionist I don't like to say anything is perfect anymore. The fun in life is in imperfections. I'm sure there is a more eloquent version of that quote somewhere. But the day was pretty great and I couldn't imagine it being any better even with 364 days worth of hindsight.
