Let's Fall in Love: All Dressed Up and Somewhere Important to Be.

My friends were dressed.  My hair and make up were almost complete.  Suddenly, what felt like just minutes after waking up, it was time for me to put on The Dress. I was anxious (no surprise) about the dress.  I had HUGE anxiety in the month leading up to the wedding about how it would fit, how I would look, and how all the changes I made to it would work out in actuality.

The Dress was hung in the doorway of the suite, out of the flurry of the food and make up happening in the rest of the room.  It stared at me all morning.  My friends dutifully oohed and aahed accordingly, while the knot in my stomach continued to wind up.  As my hair and makeup moved towards being finished, Bmaid Adrienne offered me part of a Jimmy John's sandwich and champagne.  I could barely speak, much less eat.  My nerves were officially shot.

And the dress continued to stare me down.

But alas... the time for stalling and hand-wringing was over.  No turning back.

So St MOB grabbed the dress from where it was hanging in the front room and met me in the other room.  Our photographer, being a dude I've known since middle school and all, stayed out of the way for the undies parts.  But man, getting in that dress was pretty smooth.  I stepped into the crinoline and the dress in one sweet maneuver, and I only almost fell over twice. I don't know why women gave up wearing ballgowns every day.

I stayed upright, and The Dress was on.  A couple of my friends peeked around the corner from the bathroom where they were finishing their make-up.  I will never forget the matching expressions on their faces, the same sweet, excited smiles.  I recognized it from their own wedding days.  There's just something magical about a girl in her wedding dress, and much to my surprise, I was no exception.  

It sounds so ridiculous and cheesy, but it really was magic.  Mom zipped me in and fussed with the buttons I had borrowed from her own wedding dress, and there I was.  

You know the funny thing?  All that anxiety, the nerves, the worry over this damn dress just ... evaporated.  The knot of nerves in my stomach eased for the first time all day.  All the tears I had held back, all the angsty emails I had exchanged with friends, well they all just faded away.  Before this moment, it was just a white dress, but not anymore.  I was standing in a queit hotel room on a bright September morning, in my wedding gown.  That's the moment I became a Bride, and there was nothing in the world that could bother me.

At least, maybe after some adjusting...

Twenty-something odd layers of crinoline and tulle don't just fall into place by themselves, you know.

It was a serious undertaking.

Which would be nothing compared to what the bustle would entail.  There's sheer terror in Seester's eyes, people.  There were over twenty ties under there, and she's really good at math.  She knew what she was in for later.

So after what felt like hours of fluffing ...

And tugging ...

And okay, maybe some lingering nerves ...

Everything fell into place.  For real.

I put on the jewelry I had carefully chosen for the day: vintage pearl earrings and cocktail ring, and the heart-shaped pendant set with the diamonds from my grandmother's wedding rings.  

Mom kissed me and told me how beautiful I looked.

My friends nodded, smiled, giggled in approval.  Mom might have squealed a little bit.

Kate helped me into my Something Blues.

And I was finally a BRIDE!

And only just a little excited.

I was ready to go get married (or dressed, at least).  But first, there was a very important reveal just around the corner.

A very important man was waiting to see me.

In case you missed it ...

I bought a dress and completely changed it.

We had a marathon final week of engagement.

I giggled my way through our rehearsal.

Mr LikesIt got grilled at our rehearsal dinner.

The groomsmen ran amok in downtown Springfield. 

The girls got gorgeous. 

We exchanged mushy wedding-day gifts. 

The guys got fancy and then got dancy.