DJ suggested that we should, at some point, write about the wedding. Since we have a few photos now, I thought we could give it a go. We wrote about how we met and the proposal on our site on the Knot,
(Our Wedding), but we haven't written about the wonderful events that came before the wedding or the wedding itself.
As the Bride, I got to have the most fun with wedding events, to include shopping for a dress with Mama and Jill in November and a Mary Kay makeover brunch with Mama, Caitlin and Angie in February. We had a great time both times, including snarky side comments, and I walked away with a lovely gown, and from the MK brunch, we all walked away with happy skin and Caitlin with day-glo eyes ;).
A few weeks later, in March, Sharon, Jody, Laurel, Kendra, Stacy, Mary Helen, Betty, Karla, Norma and Ellen threw a shower for me at the Sexton's home in Pryor. I cannot overstate how fantastic this shower was. I sat on a "throne," surrounded by presents and dozens upon dozens of friends and loved ones, women who taught Sunday school classes and helped me along life's way and women who shared the pains and joys of growing up with me. Aleisha was kind enough to drive to Pryor and serve as my secretary, and Mom stayed with us while Mama ran off with Sydney (adorable little baby girl!). DJ and Daddy dropped Mama and a bunch of presents that had been left at Curves, and I think the rooms filled with women made DJ run like a rabbit! I'm still writing thank you notes, but they are nearing completion.
In late March, Caitlin and I spent a Saturday trying to turn some costume jewelry, including some of my Grandma Kester's, into a brooch bouquet. Caitlin did a wonderful job with the materials we had, but even after many hours, it was clear that our technique was not perfect (a month later, my Aunt Regina showed me how it was done, but it was too late!) We did have a great day, however, and DJ and I shared some of the home brewed Cider we'd created with Caitlin and Cliff. It should be noted that no cider we tried in Scotland could touch it! So, clearly, we CRUSH cider.
In April, Jill threw us a shower in her home in OKC. This shower was wonderful and very different from the Pryor shower. Afterwards, Mama said, "That was the nicest 'roast' I have ever been to!" I could not agree more. While the shower in Pryor was incredibly amazing and overwhelming with people, presents, and activity, the shower at Jill's felt like a gathering of friends that would be repeated again, although, sadly, not with so much focus on and presents for me ;).
Late in April, we had a Bachelorette Fest in conjunction with the Norman Music Festival. I tried to persuade DJ to come along, but I don't think he realized I would be gone for the whole weekend, so he demurred. We had a bit of slow start (I was responsible for the invites, and I was slammed at work and so I failed spectacularly). Nonetheless, Jill, Tracy, Aleisha and I started out at the West Side Louie's in Norman with great food, to include my all-time favorite appetizers, fried green beans and a couple of drinks. Aleisha peeled off for a bit to take pictures of Alec and his date to the Prom (he looked adorable, as always!) and rejoined us at the Music Fest. We had a great time wandering the streets and going from stage to stage. We met up with Dawn, and then Lance and Stacy joined us as well (bearing a light up cross for me to wear) and we spent some time at McNellie's then traversed Main Street down to the Red Bull tent, using our VIP passes to dance and drink and for two of our party, to mend fences (yay!!). Tired of the free flow of booze and marginally awful music, we moved our party to Libby's Cafe where Mike Hosty was playing far better music. We danced and drank a couple of beers and enjoyed the open air. It was a great night with some of my favorite people in the world.
The next week, I gave my final final exams at CU, turned in grades and drove to Pryor for the gauntlet of last minute wedding preparations. Mama and I worked very hard (she worked hardest) to finish the reception hall, purchases, bridesmaids' dresses, and general organization, roping Daddy into a bit of labor as well. Gigi, devastatingly, had to cancel her trip due to a terrible medical issue, Alec made the state finals in soccer and so he and Aleisha had to beg off, and Jocelyn and Jeremy spent the night in the Houston airport due to a cancelled flight just to make it there for me. If it weren't for my lovely aunts, Barbara, Regina and Arlene, wonderful cousins, Brenda, Laura and Marcia and fantastic friends, Sam and Shelly, the ceremony and reception would have not been so lovely.
On Friday, I got a little pampering with a manicure (that sadly did not even last until the rehearsal) and then the rest of the wedding party began arriving. My darling brother, James, and my Man of Honor, Brady, and Maid of Honor, Dawn, as well as my lovely bridesmaids, Jocelyn, Jill, and Shelly all arrived. DJ, Mom , Pop (his Best Man) and Nikki, as well as his handsome groomsmen, Sam, Travis and Jeff made it on time for the rehearsal at the Webster Park. As a note, Kathy and Bob Webster's generous gift of possibly the most beautiful wedding venue ever made our wedding so wonderfully special and unique. Julia awaited us, prepared with a clever and specially tailored wedding ceremony - it was the first wedding over which she had presided, and I cannot thank her enough for the time and effort she put into making it perfect. Travis noted a few obstacles to perfection and took it into his own hands to fix anything he could (he even made Jeff get places on time, a true miracle!). After deciding that one go-through was all we needed, we decamped to the Mid-America Grille for our rehearsal dinner (Daddy stayed behind to entertain the Huckaby troops that had descended with a smorgasbord of goodies). Marty did a wonderful job of ensuring everything was perfect, from deep red roses to champagne to a lovely memory board with our picture and invitation. The food was, as always, delicious and well presented and the wine flowed freely. Thanks to Mom and Pop for a lovely dinner and wonderful toasts! I have gotten so used to all the feting that I expect people to buy me things and drink to me wherever I go, luckily, they do! Afterwards, Sam threw an impromptu Bachelor party at Heath's Bar on Mill Street. The bridesmaids and I crashed it, of course. We danced and drank and Kari made sure we got everything we needed. Brady, short on day's worth of sleep, held up really well, with Jill's help ;). We met a psychic who told us we would have a long and happy marriage and three kids (two boys and a girl) and Dawn occasionally danced off with the psychic so we could canoodle.
Next up: The Wedding Day.
More communications to follow....
