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Mrs. Lovebug, Tucson Age and Occupation in 06: 31, Writer Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Professional Game Show Contestant Engagement Date: February 18, 2007 Wedding Date: April 19, 2008 Venue: Historic Inn About Me: Likes: blogging, wikis, semi-colons, cuddling, fragrant flowers, syntax, and spooning. Dislikes: typos, dangling modifiers, flypaper, citronella candles, and run-ons. If I had my druthers, I'd exchange simple vows in a candlelit library. But I lost my druthers long ago...anyone seen them?
About Mrs. Lovebug

…So there I was, a few short steps away from where I would begin my walk down the aisle. I’ve thought and thought about how to best describe that feeling, and the closest I can come is the word “confluence.” As in, the merging of things, especially as refers to bodies of water.Because really, that’s what’s it feels like. Like all these rivers of emotion that have been building and building all throughout the months of your planning (excitement, anticipation, anxiety) are suddenly flooding their banks, and they’re joined by other, new feelings: bewilderment, awe, solemnity, gratitude, vindication. Everyone’s mix will be different, and highly personal. But whatever yours is, it will rock you.

But then you just sort of go empty and calm, and this incredible peace comes. There’s a moment between the ending of one song and the start of your song where time stands still. You take a deep breath, gather yourself in to the experience, and give your kick-ass photographer one last smile:


And now, it’s time to…Wait just a second, people! Does something seem MISSING to you?! Maybe, like, say, oh, THE GROOM?! Where has he been all this time??

We’ll get back to the ceremony momentarily. But first let’s see what Mr. Lovebug’s been up to, shall we?

Alas, Mr. Lovebug did not have the luxury of a groom’s chamber at our venue. He dressed alone at home that morning, and rode over to the venue with his parents in the afternoon. And he did a bang-up job, I say!

Mr. Lovebug sported a two-button tuxedo from Armani (a prime example of some serious pennypounding), an Armani silver tie, and some seriously spiffy cufflinks:

But since I was still running around setting stuff up, he was under strict orders to keep himself scarce, so we wouldn’t bump into one another.

Yep, that’s right. Miss Lovebug, progressive bride extraordinaire, the girl who’d shown her fiance her wedding dress by modeling it for him (more on that later), suddenly went old school. I decided, at the last minute, that I wanted to wait and have our First Glances moment as I walked down the aisle, traditional as all heck. (And I am so, so glad I did…)

But people, we almost flubbed it. Twice, we accidentally ended up within inches of one other. But both times, someone caught Mr. Lovebug, grabbed him, and spun him around a corner, while I was instructed to beat a hasty retreat. Here he is, a few feet from my (open!) bridal chamber door, jumping behind a wall to hide:

These close calls were hilarious, though, and just added to the anticipation.

Other than to avoid crossing my path, Mr. Lovebug’s job was simple:

1) Pace.
2) Pose.
3) Repeat.

He got quite good at it, too. Check it out:

(Mr. LB calls this the “nervous hands” shot. Says they were sweatin’ something fierce.)

He’s so disgustingly photogenic. And for the record, I have smiley versions of all these portraits, but I’m a total sucker for his Tickle Me Emo face.

(For that last photo, Chris told him to pretend that no one had showed up to wedding. Which, incidentally, would have looked like this:

At least, as reflected in Chris’s sunglasses - one of his assistants took the shot.)

Mr. Lovebug did have more to do than sit around looking dashing, however. He had to double and triple check on the rings…

…and he had to make sure that Chaucer - our English Mastiff puppy/ring bearer - was all ready for his big performance!

Chaucer arrived, about half an hour before the ceremony started, accompanied/handled by our friend Ben:

Mr. Lovebug had a few minutes to hang out with his best friend, nuzzle a bit, and give him a puppy pep talk:

For this shot, Chris told Mr. LB to just lean his head in - with perfect timing, Chaucer did likewise, to the “awwww!s” of everyone watching.

Believe me, the bonding I was doing with my girlfriends in the bridal chamber was nothing compared to what was going on here. I love our puppy…but Mr. Lovebug would take a bullet for that little guy. So when he came trotting up the aisle toward us, it turned out to be one of the most emotional moments of the day…

But first! Back to the task at hand…reviewing his vows with our amazing officiant, Melissa Mantha:

Melissa was one of the wonderful surprises of our wedding. And we found her, of all places, on the internet.

I had, to be honest, low expectations for finding an officiant we’d really click with, much less one listed in an online clearinghouse (which is where we started). I left a message on the voicemail of a toll-free number, stating our wedding date and our desire for a secular ceremony. When Melissa called us back, I immediately fell in love with her voice.

Then we met her, and I pretty much fell in love with her. She’s every bit as sweet, endearing, and genuine as she looks. She’s also well versed in several religions. Of course, she performs nonreligious ceremonies, as well; her specialty is working closely with a couple to create a unique, personalized event, using pan-cultural rituals, readings, and/or prayers.

The handful of times we met with Melissa, she very quickly drew us out and had us talking about our families, our relationship, our strengths and weaknesses. Talking to her is like talking to a good friend who really listens and “gets” you.

The book she’s holding is the ceremony book I made (but didn’t blog about). It contains the full text of the ceremony we wrote, including the readings and our vows (which she kept covered until the last minute).

A quick (unprofessional) pic of the book’s title page, with the “name” of our wedding and info in Feel Script:

I am so, so glad I took the time to put this book together. It’s a great keepsake, it looked much prettier than some random binder, and some of the guests mentioned what a thoughtful touch they thought it was. Plus, having our separate, secret vows in it - that only Melissa had seen both sets of - really made it special, when it came time for each of us to read from it.

And speaking of vows, it’s almost time to exchange them! Just have to make sure everything and everyone is ready…

Pomanders, check.

Reserved signs with tissue idea copied from Mrs. Cherry Blossom, check.

Booze and candy for the wine and chocolate ritual, check.

String quartet, check.

Guests, check. (Or as I like to call that shot, Quality Vs. Quantity. :) )

Programs/poems, check.

Of course, all of these details were, at this point, beyond my sight and beyond my control. I was around the corner, just waiting to begin my walk.

And in case you’re even thinking about losing interest, in the next post…

1) A massive tree branch will break and nearly kill a photographer.
2) Our officiant will cry at the very ceremony she’s performing.
3) My very favorite photo of the whole wedding will be posted!

38 Responses to “One Lucky Day, Con’t: A Groom Worth a View”

1.
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Miss Lovebird says:

At the edge of my seat here! Can’t wait to read more!

2.
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Miss Hummingbird says:

Aw! I love it! I don’t even know you in real life, but your posts are killing me!
Can’t wait to read more! :)
P.S. Your dog is awesome.

3.
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Miss Hydrangea says:

UGH! I want to read/see the rest!

4.
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Miss Canary says:

I was sucked in and hung off every word! More more more!!!

5.
Marisa says:

Lovebug I am so addicted to your wedding! More, more, more! LOL!

6.
jkl216 says:

Lovebug, you are such a tease! ;-)

I’m Looking forward to reading the rest!

7.
GorgesViola says:

AAAGGGHHH!!!

8.
brendalynn says:

ack, a cliffhanger!

no need to tease us, we’re already addicted

9.
Nicole says:

I hope it’s ok to copy your ceremony book idea! I was just working on the ceremony wording last night, which we are completely writing ourselves for the most part, and I was thinking about how to nicely organize the ceremony wording for our Pastor. It’s wonderful that the book can be a keepsake too. Will you post more about how you put the book together and where you suggest purchasing materials from?

10.
Megan says:

I’m in love with your entire wedding (thus far). I cannot wait to read/see more!

11.
Charmi says:

these are the best posts! i also LOVE your dog!

12.
Michelle says:

Ok - Im with Nicole - Im stealing your Ceremony Book idea… soo… pretty please post details!?!? Did you do the whole thing by hand? Was it a My Publisher.com type of thing?

oh - and Im with everyone else…awwww at the puppy moment. ah - and nothing funnier than you continually calling him puppy and little when hes HUGE! =)

13.
louisvillegirl says:

i’m waaaaaaaiting…
i love all of these shots and of course the pups :)

14.
Jen says:

I want to pictures of the puppy coming down the aisle!

15.
NoveBride08 says:

I am head over heels in love with your wedding and of course your puppy!!!!

16.
marianneinvan says:

Lovebug, you’re killin’ me! The photos are stunning, and I’m totally anxious to read the next post!

17.
beanchar says:

Glad to know the wedding professional lost it, b/c I am– yet again– choked up at the end of one of your recap posts.

I was just rolling along… reveling the Mr LB eye-candy and the puppy cuteness, thinking “No prob, imma keep it together this time!”

I made it ALL THE WAY to “separate, secret vows” and HELLO VERKLEMPT!

18.
puffykins says:

i hope you can post about your ceremony book. its a lovely idea!!!

19.
LeahB says:

I can’t wait!!! And I love Chaucer and if I lived anywhere near you, I might steal him :-D

20.
Nstar says:

I don’t think any of us are even close to losing interest :)

21.
jenniferb says:

You are such a tease! I heart Chaucer.

22.
adoree says:

More! Please post more! I’ve been waiting for weeks now. =D Your wedding was so beautiful!!

23.
mlindsey says:

Your ceremony book was a wonderful idea. You have so many thoughtful and personal touches that make me regret getting burned out and saying “puck it”.

And again, I say, Chaucer is the cutest ring bearer. Ever.

24.
Squishy622 says:

So gorgeous, all of it!! Can’t wait for more.

25.
nowiknow says:

Lol! You totally need to post EVERYTHING! Everyone wants to see all of your wedding NOW! :P It’s too good!

26.
golden says:

I absolutely L-O-V-E your wedding and posts and cannot wait for more details!

27.
Tea says:

how could anyone even THINK of losing interest? i shun them if they do. SHUN!

i can’t wait for the next installment! yay!

28.
AliCherri1 says:

I am in LURVE w/ your dress!
and please like you need to temp us w/ a tree branch near death experience, we’re all waiting.

29.
Erin says:

I love that you covered the groom’s day too!

30.
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Miss Tiramisu says:

adding to the chorus… love love love!

31.
Revmelissa says:

The book idea is actually something my brother and sister in law did at their wedding and I loved it. So, I passed it along to Miss Lovebug.

You can do it so many different ways. Just get creative. I do hope Miss Lovebug shares how she did it. It was perfect.

32.
mrsallgood says:

FABULOUS!!!
Still waiting..

33.
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Mrs. Onion says:

I love the book idea — very nice touch and I’m sure you’ll be thrilled years from now. Looking forward to the rest of the photos.

And I love the “near miss” twice — must have been pretty funny to try to avoid each other until the ceremony.

34.
natalie n says:

very sweet…i love this!!

35.
chibride says:

Your wedding is amazing. Your puppy is the cutest! I’m so anxious for the next installment.

36.
NearlyMsSubrosa says:

Losing interest?! I’m on the edge of my seat! This is the best wedding ever! :)

37.
Sandy says:

HI! Rev. Melissa sent me your link. :-) She was our officiant too a few years ago…We became friends afterward and I miss her dearly! I was soo sad she moved out of our state!

You wedding was beautiful! I am glad everything worked out for you. I have been around enough wedding to know that is isn’t often things go on without a hitch!

Many happy years to you!

38.
ktdid23 says:

I’m in love with the ceremony book idea… details, please!!!


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Mrs. Lovebug Mrs. Lovebug, Tucson Age and Occupation in 06: 31, Writer Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Professional Game Show Contestant Engagement Date: February 18, 2007 Wedding Date: April 19, 2008 Venue: Historic Inn About Me: Likes: blogging, wikis, semi-colons, cuddling, fragrant flowers, syntax, and spooning. Dislikes: typos, dangling modifiers, flypaper, citronella candles, and run-ons. If I had my druthers, I'd exchange simple vows in a candlelit library. But I lost my druthers long ago...anyone seen them?