Wedding Fever!

Nine years ago today (April 6th), I walked out of this church with my handsome new husband and became his wife.   The day was clear, chilly, and a complete BLUR.   You spend all this time and energy planning the most perfect day, and it goes by so fast that I remember very little details.  I have decided that it is more fun to be a guest than to be a bride.  As a guest, you can then soak up all the fabulous details on the sidelines and not have to be the belle of the ball.

I'm thrilled though to share my wedding month with Prince William and Catherine Middleton.   I'm officially announcing that this blog has wedding fever.  This may come as surprise, but I've been doing some wedding planning again in my spare time between making snacks and diaper changes.  That's right!  This blog will soon be showcasing its own royal wedding on a gorgeous majestic estate.  There will be a seat and a piece of cake for waiting for you.

But before we leap too far into the future, let's look back at my little affair.  When I meet new friends and get to know them, one of the things that I always wish is that  I could have seen their wedding.  I don't have a time machine, but thanks to some scanners, I can now take you back to April 6, 2002, in Raleigh, NC.

Our wedding was held at 11 am at the First Presbyterian Church.  This is one of my most favorite photos from that day.  It was taken as my dad was about to walk me down the aisle.

The nerves set in at this point as the organ began to play Trumpet Voluntary, also known as the Prince of Denmark's March.   It's not a coincidence that Lady Diana Spencer marched down the aisle to the same music in her 1981 royal wedding.   My dad looked through the little church wall slots, and jokingly said, "Well, he showed up!"

The funny thing about that remark is that the groom was actually forgotten at his condo before the wedding.  He was waiting for his ride, but due to the hustle and bustle of the day, he was a little-forgotten detail.  He finally called his dad and said, "Where are you?"  His dad said, "I'm at the church, where are you?"  Lucky for me they went and got him in time for the ceremony.

I will not bore you with too many details, but I'll try to give you the information that I think you would like to know.  Like Princess Diana, I also flubbed up my vows.  I got my groom's name right, but I was TOO EAGER to marry him and said "I WILL" before the minister was ready for me to do so.  Everyone thought it was so funny, and laughed.  Now my husband tells me that he knew that I really wanted to marry him.



Our Wonderful Wedding Party

My ivory silk gown was designed by Pronovias Barcelona.   It was a three-piece gown, but I wore the brocade jacket most of the time because it was a chilly, April day.  I chose this simple, European design to go with my floor length Belgium lace veil which was first worn by mother-in-law in the early sixties.   It is exquisite in person and really the highlight of the whole ensemble. I was so honored and pleased that she gave it to me to wear.  I really felt like a princess with that veil. My sister-in-law was the maid of honor, and we chose an ice blue Vera Wang wrap dress for her.  She and my father-in-law were the only two attendants at the altar for the ceremony.   My gown was on sale and off the rack.  It originally had a price tag of $2500, but the designer gown had been discontinued, and I snagged it for about $700.

In 2002, the trend was to have a smaller, simpler bouquet, but you must remember that I grew up wanting a very regal bouquet so I ignored the trend.   My bouquet was filled with white roses, gardenias, and freesia.  It's been nine years now so I'm not so sure what else was in the bouquet, but I loved it and it was very HEAVY. 

Our reception was held at Second Empire Restaurant and Tavern.  We had about 165 guests attend, and like the future royal wedding reception at Buckingham Palace, we had butlered canapes.  I originally wanted a seated luncheon, but our numbers were over the seating capacity for that type of event. Our reception menu is a memory that is totally gone for me.  In fact, I don't even think I ate a bite which is why I probably can't remember it.  This is why I say it is more fun to be a guest!  My friends tell me that they loved the mini crab cakes, but that was the one item that got left out of our newlywed picnic basket.  I guess our guests ate them all!  I kept hoping to be invited to another wedding there, but it never happened.  In another post, you saw a photo of our southern, pound cake.  It was simple and embossed with our new initials.

And we were off to London two and half hours later.  It's hard to believe that it was nine years ago today that we got married.   Now we're the proud parents of two beautiful children.   I feel very blessed and fortunate.

Continue to check back with my blog for some more wedding fever as I take you to one of the most beautiful wedding destinations in the US.

Until next time, I'm off to celebrate with my hubby.