Weddingbee

…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!

• Making the Band
• Are You Thirsty?