The Greatest Day EVAH!

Hello and welcome! Sit down, grab a cup of coffee, and join me as I relive our wedding day, one of the best days of my life! Click on any of the images you see for a larger view :)

Our wedding was amazing. Simply wonderful.

March 29, 2008 started off with my mom making me scrambled eggs with cheese, my good luck breakfast.

My girls and I headed to the salon to get our hair and my make-up done. Thank goodness my friend Gabe was along to take photos!

From top left going clockwise, my good friend Heidi, my hair with borrowed hair clippies, sister Emmi, sister Lindsay, Mom, sister/Maid of Honor Molly, and me getting the massive bump in place.

It was seriously so much fun getting dolled up and fawned over. Even a couple of the girls at the salon had tears in their eyes. They were all so excited to be a part of the Big Day! We piled into the van and headed off to the church.

Our waiting room would be the church's nursery, so there was no shortage of toys ... or mini toilets

Sorry, Gabe, this picture is too funny NOT to include!!

We spent the morning chatting, snacking, and just generally having a great time. All the while I kept thinking about Timmy and how he must have been feeling.

Photo credits: Photography by McCartney

Apparently, the room that was promised for Tim and his men to hang out in was locked. Our uncoordinated coordinator supplied by the church? She didn't have the key. So the men folk hung out in the hallway. Tim had to hide in the bathroom every time I had to walk by.

From left to right: Tim's friend Dave, brother/Best Man Jesse, Tim, his friend Aaron 
(Photo credit: Photography by McCartney)

There were tons of pictures. Tons of waiting. And then ... it was time.

Pachelbel's Canon in D began to play. My good friend from high school, Ann and Rachel, were my musicians. It was time for the wedding party to walk down the aisle. But wait! Why weren't they going? What was going on?

Ah, the uncoordinated coordinator struck again, telling the wedding party that that wasn't the song they were supposed to walk down to, despite protests from my sister who helped me pick the dang music out! But finally, they were on their way.

It was my turn. I stood at the top of the aisle and looked down and saw Tim. The man I was about to marry. I couldn't get down there fast enough! And then, oh, and then .... the string quartet began. My one single piece of my dream wedding that I so badly wanted but didn't think we could afford. It was a surprise wedding gift from my parents. My dream wedding had come true.

Photo credits: Photography by McCartney

For the record, that was the best kiss of my life. It has yet to be topped :)

Since this was a Catholic ceremony, and Catholics have a reputation for long wedding ceremonies, our guests had settled in for the long haul. Only, Tim is Lutheran and so his his family. So we didn't have the full mass, just the wedding ceremony! So when, after about 15-20 minutes, Tim and I and the rest of the wedding party started walking down the aisle, the crowd looked confused. They didn't know what was going on! After all, this was a Catholic service, we still had at LEAST an hour to go! But my grandpa figured out what was going on soon enough and he stood up and started clapping, which everyone else did soon after.

And when Tim and I reached the end of the aisle ..... the uncoordinated coordinator struck again. The doors to the Sanctuary were shut. Not just shut. Locked. Thankfully she managed to find her way back to us to let us out :)

After the ceremony, there were more pictures. More laughter. More fun. We headed down to a place Tim and I had scoped out earlier as a great place for some fun, outdoors pictures. Too bad it was 40 degrees and WINDY!!

Photo credits: Photography by McCartney 

Bonus points if you can tell us WTF Molly is doing in the pic in the upper left.

Then it was off to the Hilton Hotel for the grandest wedding reception I have ever attended in my life. There was a social hour in the hallway outside the ballroom where we had our receiving line and took shots of Anisette, an Italian wedding tradition.

Photo credits: Photography by McCartney

Then, after a grand march that included surprise plastic baseball bats, it was off to a scrumptious dinner. My father, step-dad and Tim's dad all gave wonderful speeches. Molly's speech moved me to tears, as did Jesse's, only his was from laughter. It was beautiful.

Photo credits: Photography by McCartney

And then there was dancing. And drinking. And overall merriment. Our first dance was to "Hard to Concentrate" by The Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Photo credits: Photography by McCartney

At the end, we were exhausted, but so, so happy. I truly did marry my best friend, and I'm so excited to be able to spend the rest of my life with him!

Photo credits: Photography by McCartney