It started on Tuesday, November 16th. RJ & I were all packed up & ready to go, and my boss was nice enough to let me off very early in the day, so I was able to go get my toenails done and do some last minute errands. RJ & I had spoken many times about what we had packed, and we were trying SO hard not to forget anything. I was in charge of the checkbook, which was clearly a brilliant idea because I never forget anything! We arrived safely in New Orleans late Tuesday night. The rest of my family flew in/drove in on Tuesday night as well, but I wasn't able to see them due to the late hour.
Wednesday morning was my nephew Jack's 4th birthday, hosted by RJ's wonderful grandparents. Now that was a fun party! It was awesome to see my entire family (minus my brother-in-law, Brian, who arrived Friday) together at once.
After the party, the work (and stress!) began. The first major hitch was when we went to pay the balance due on the reception (which was no small amount), and we couldn't find the checkbook! That's right. Me, Miss Responsible, the girl who never breaks a promise. I had forgotten to pack the checkbook. Thank goodness for brothers though - RJ's brother Casey was able to save the day. Whew! The second major hitch was when we went back to the Mardi Gras shop where we had planned to buy all our masks for our centerpieces, and their inventory had been significantly reduced since our last visit. Luckily, RJ's cousin Jennifer, the art teacher, is a miracle worker, and she was able to design and execute gorgeous centerpieces with the materials provided to her. Awesome.
On Thursday, RJ & I were running around all day trying to get our last minute stuff done, when we realized we hadn't heard from anyone in my family in awhile. And they weren't answering phone calls/texts. What the heck? I'm the baby of the family; I'm not used to being ignored! We found out later in the day that my dad had passed out due to low blood pressure and gone to the ER via ambulance!! I was so scared! By the time I heard about it, they were releasing him. My family was smart to wait to tell me. Also on Thursday, my sister came down with a 24-hour flu, and she was unable to attend the Bachelorette Party that she had worked so hard to plan for me. We had a lot of fun without her, but she was definitely missed!
Friday morning, our photographer, Theodore, took some pre-wedding pictures in the French Quarter. Then we attended a luncheon hosted by some of RJ's extended family. The luncheon was lovely, but we got a text from Theodore in the middle of dessert, telling us that one of his two camera cards had been corrupt, and half the pictures were lost. That was hard to hear!! He offered to do a make-up session, but we just didn't have time. Friday night was our rehearsal & rehearsal dinner, and I think those were the only things that went smoothly all week!
Saturday was THE BIG DAY! I woke up early in my parents' hotel room and was ready to start my day! My dad, on the other hand, wasn't feeling so well. I guess he came down with the flu, and he was miserable all day. I told him all I cared about was that he walk me down the aisle (which he was able to do). My father-in-law told me later that my dad had his head resting on the pew in front of him during part of the ceremony. Poor guy.
Anyway, back to the wedding morning - my sister, my mother-in-law, and I had a hair & make-up appointment, and they served us mimosas - yum! Two major hitches that day, and each one almost caused me to have a breakdown! The first was when my brother, who was also my DJ, was unable to get into the restaurant and set up the PA system at 1:00 as scheduled. The owner of the restaurant promised Ryan would be able to set up then, but no one showed up to let him in until 3:00, which is the time our family pictures were scheduled to begin! A complete stranger saved the day on that one. The guy my brother had rented the equipment from set it all up for him as well. He got a BIG tip from us! Also, RJ realized at 1:30 that he never got his tux pants hemmed! His grandma and his Great Aunt June make wonderful last minute seamstresses.
I have to say, even though all those things went horribly wrong, when it was 5:00, and my guests had all arrived, and I was waiting in the bridal room with my mom and my sister, and the church decorations were perfect, and the flowers were better than I could have imagined, and the bagpiper was playing his beautiful song, and my dad was in the entry, waiting to walk me down the aisle, and I knew RJ was waiting for me at the front of the church... all the stress melted away, and I was intensely happy. Maybe the happiest I've ever been! The ceremony was ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL. Every single person in my family & RJ's family helped to make sure it was that way, and I am so thankful for each and every one of them. And the best part was, when it was all over, RJ & I WERE MARRIED.
We drove in our rented truck, which RJ's brother
