As the ladies made their way to the wedding site, the men were putting the final touches on their attire:
{guest photo}
They were then relegated to the garage, so we could take over the house to put on the dress.
{guest photo}
Aunt B stood guard at the garage door to make sure Enginerd didn’t come wandering out, and we made our way inside:
{guest photo}
I pulled on my stockings, spritzed my perfume, and stepped into the dress. There were a few moments of sheer panic when the zipper of the dress was a little stuck, and I feared I’d put on too much post-marathon weight to fit into it! But MOH Ginger wiggled it a bit and all was well – I was in the dress and for the first time that day, felt like a bride. All of us started tearing up, and I had to distract myself to keep from ruining my makeup. So I asked BM-N to help me put on my necklace:
{personal photo}
The curtains were drawn, but the windows were open. I could hear all of our guests mingling and laughing outside, to the soundtrack I had meticulously created weeks before. And then, it was time…
Our mothers kicked off the ceremony by guiding my stepfather down the aisle:
All the guys waited outside for the ceremony to begin, and most of my ladies went to join them. Enginerd and his dad (and our officiant!) made their way to the aisle:
{guest photo}
MOH-Ginger stayed in the house with me until Mr. E was down the aisle and out of sight. Then she helped me out to the waiting area, and we all stood there, trying to hold back the tears. GM-K and Best-M didn’t do very well.
Two by two, I watched each pair head for the aisle. MOH-G adjusted my dress one final time, and she was on her way. I took a few deep breaths, and waited for DOC-LM to give me the cue to begin:
*All photos in this post courtesy of Mark Hayes Photography unless otherwise noted.
Up next: Down the aisle we walk.
Previous Episodes:
- The ladies beautified.
- We rehearsed!
- We unloaded and assembled.
- Someone unplugged the fridge
- The Music Played
- We Honeymooned
