Getting Ready

The night before the big day we hung out with most of the wedding party in the gazebo in front of the Tour Inn where most of the wedding party stayed. When it came time to finally crash, I found myself with no real place to sleep. The bedding arrangements had somehow gotten confused by people crashing at different times, an because no one would let Chris and I sleep in the same room the only open spot left (with him) was off limits. I ended up being one of the only people without a bed the night before my wedding, which still amuses the heck out of me. I slept on my mom's couch. At least I didn't end up sleeping out on the deck like Boo.

The next morning the efforts to try to prevent Chris and I from seeing each other didn't last long when I ended up trapped in the bathroom because he was in the livingroom. We settled on simply not letting him see me in the dress.

It didn't take long for the house to explode into activity. We had a lot of friends who really pitched in. We want to thank everyone who helped, especially at the last minute, pull this thing together. Chris Walker how gave us a ton of extra decorations and inspiration, not to mention the 100 other ways she pitched in; Dennis Walker for fogging for bugs; Nick Walker for helping get the arch to where it needed to be. We want to thank Angela and Sue for taking care of 50 small details we either hadn't anticipated or had miscalculated. And we want to thank Diane for fixing Kenzie's flower girl dress so beautifully.

While the the bridesmaids put together the center pieces and decorated the tent, Nick and Jason pulled rocks out of the crick to use to hold down the tablecloths. Then Kenzie and Mason washed the rocks. It was gorgeous, warm, and sunny out the whole time.

Matt Walker graciously agreed to cue the music for the ceremony. When I went to get it all set up; I was horrified to discover that half of it was gone. I had to go sit in the parking lot of the Tour Inn to get it back. Our pre-ceremony songs included "White Wedding" by Billy Idol and "Chapel of Love." The processional was a beautiful intstumental version of "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper, followed by the Wagner Wedding March. "Banana Wind" by Jimmy Buffett was cued up for when we signed the contract, and the recessional was "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz (before it became the most overplayed song on the radio, ha). Granted, none of this actually happened, but it was a nice plan, no less.

Kristen was a huge help; she put together my gorgeous white and red snapdragon bouquet and did hair for bridesmaids and friends. It was a bit of a madhouse because the bridesmaids, since they were already on hand to help with all the setup and other craziness, all ended up getting ready in my mom's one bathroom house, but it worked out in the end.