Wedding Blog

We finished up at the spa, hopped into our respective cars and drove up to the hotel. We quickly checked-in, freshened up and changed. I put on my Ralph Lauren black and white striped dress - but my boobies were NOT going to fill it out. I had to improvise by taking my black wrap and tying it in front to not only cover up the vacant area, but also to hold it up!

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First thing I did when I got to the winery? Why grabbed a glass of wine, of course!

I’m not gonna lie—with all the stress, I ate very little the week before the wedding. For most brides, the five (or possibly more) pounds I lost during that short period of time would have made them elated! But I was just worried that my dress might look a little… empty. Truth be told, I was a bit on autopilot and felt pretty crazy and rushed through the entire rehearsal. It didn’t help that the weather was gray, misty and looking very much in favor of rain.

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R.H. Phillips Winery under a haze of rain clouds.

Once everyone had gathered, we all headed up Olive Hill to start the Rehearsal. We decided to walk - instead of drive - to the top of the hill and it became a sort of adventure. Even with the rain clouds looming ahead, it was absolutely, breathtakingly, gorgeous out there!

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Trekking up Olive Hill to begin the Rehearsal.

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A sneaky peek at our Flower Girl through the grape vines on Olive Hill.

On my earlier recap post, Mrs. Penguin had asked if we had needed to reserve tents in case of weather problems. Due to my stubborn-ness and overly-optimistic attitude, we had passed on the tents. The weather reports were pretty much 50/50 on the rain factor and I wasn’t going to spend another $3,000 on tents when we were already in financial limbo. Sure, we had worked out plans for rain, but they involved cramping 150 guests in the Tasting Room and removing tables when it was time to dance; it would have ben less than ideal.

However, I figured that the rain would clear up the next day. So for the moment, I was fine with it. Even when it started to rain on us during the rehearsal. It added a little humor to the moment when my MOH and Flirty Bridesmaid pulled their coats and sweaters over their heads. They weren’t the only ones hiding from the sprinkling rain.

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MOH protects herself from the rain with her coat.

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We laugh mid-ceremony after catching a peek at Flirty Bridesmaid swathed in her cashmere cardigan.

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Cousin Pomegranate (who just became engaged YESTERDAY!!!) and Flower Girl Allie huddle together in the cold.

Our coordinator (I won’t mention much of her because I’ve never been 100% pleased with her services—and friends and family did more for me on the actual day than she did) ran us through walking down the grassy aisle three times before I finally called it quits. Three times was more than plenty and I was HUNGRY!

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Mr. Pomegranate and I walking back up the aisle for the first time.


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Ceremony rehearsal times two! I love this shot of our hands.


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Walking back up the aisle after rehearsal number two. I completely forgot my ribbon bouquet in the back of my MOH’s car. That didn’t mean I couldn’t fake it!


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Rehearsal number three - that was where I started to get bored… and hungry.


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All lined up in a row.


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Mr. Pom and I heading back down after the rehearsal together, taking a moment alone before dinner.

We headed to the Tasting Room where Liz, the R.H. Phillips Tasting Room Manager, had set up some tables topped with Cabernet and Chardonnay R.H. Phillips wines, the perfect centerpiece. Our friends and family gathered to visit while dinner was served. The conversation did not cease, with groups sectioned off in their own little worlds. It was nice, peaceful and relaxing - and the food? It was FANTASTIC! We had Cabernet Braised Short Ribs with Gorgonzola Polenta and fresh Grilled Vegetables. The ribs were all locally raised beef and vegetables from the local farmer’s market—because Liz is green like that.

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Groomsman Brian enjoys a joke from Best Man Beau.


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Ring Bearer Landon enjoying his spareribs, polenta and veggies.


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A nice shot of the entire group enjoying dinner.


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My iPhone never left my side - Travis obviously caught on to my addiction and captured this little memento.


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Flower Girl Allie had some major fork balancing skills.


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She began to try to get others in on the action, visiting each table to teach us how to do it.


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And it worked! Blonde Bridesmaid gets in on the fork balancing action.

While dessert was being served—a Hot Fudge Brownie Sundae—Mr. Pomegranate and I made a little toast to thank all of our friends and family. We handed out our parents’ gifts - Ginger Elizabeth’s Chocolates for our Moms and Old Soul Coffee for our Dads. They were subdued gifts—we had planned on following the footsteps of Mrs. Penguin in buying digital photo albums, but those had to wait until this Christmas. They were thank yous, nonetheless.

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Mmmm…brownie and ice cream!

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Flirty Bridesmaid looks like she might cry during the toast.

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MIL Pomegranate opens the Ginger Elizabeth chocolate box.

We then handed out our Wedding Party gifts. This kids received giant bins full of fun Target $1 aisle stuff. The boys received mini bottles of champagne, utility knives (for the local boys), favorite books of Mr. Pom’s (for the visiting boys), and some other little novelty items. My girls received their huge bags of fun. Inside each Marc by Marc Jacobs bag, was a freshwater pearl necklace, freshwater pearl earrings, a moss green pashmina, a handmade Japanese knot bag made with fabric from the wedding, tissues, customized stationary, a USB jump drive (that I had won from a contest) and a mini Pommery Pop bottle of champagne (they have a wrist strap!!).

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Ring Bear Landon lugs around his Dragon and Knight themed gift basket.

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Flower Girl Allie demonstrates the blanket and pillow portion of her Princess themed gift basket.

Marc by Marc Jacobs
Each girl received a black MbMJ Basketweave Tote - I had to make friends with an employee from the San Francisco store, who shipped them to me. They kept selling out!

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Flirty Bridesmaid shows off her damask and green handmade Japanese knot bag, a project that truly tested my sewing skills (thank goodness for co-worker Gloria who helped me out there).

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Blonde Bridesmaid displays the freshwater pearl ribbon necklace. You can see the galvanized metal initials that I tied on to each Marc by Marc Jacobs bag - so that they could tell them apart.

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Flirty Bridesmaid holds up the pink crocodile print USB drive that I won for each of them in a contest.

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Flirty Bridesmaid holds up the Pommery Pom champagne 1/4 split complete with wrist strap, while MOH takes a gander at the black and white damask tissues in the foreground.

Mr. Pomegranate chose to give me his wedding gift at the Rehearsal Dinner because he wanted to BE THERE to see the reaction on my face. I had decided to give him one of the gifts I had purchased for him in exchange, as I figured it would throw him off for what he would be receiving the next day. Sneaky, sneaky.

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Mr. Pomegranate holds up the cuff links I gifted him. The REAL wedding day cuff links would be given to him the next day, but for now, he thinks these are them!

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Adorable yes? “Eye” and “Do” cuff links - because Mr. Pom is soooo money!

Mr. Pomegranate had driven to the ends of the earth to get the wedding day perfume bottle engraved for me. Apparently, laser etching and engraving on a bottle full of flammable liquid is a no-no. Somehow he managed to pull it off - and it definitely blew my mind. It will be something that I treasure for many, many years. The perfume came packaged with the matching Ralph Lauren body wash and lotion as well as a Massage Envy gift card.

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I think we can all agree that there should be a special place in our hearts for the Ugly Surprise Face - just as much as the Ugly Cry Face. I’m taking one for the team here by posting this.

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The engraved bottle of Ralph Lauren Romance that Mr. Pom gave me as a wedding gift.

The night was young as we headed back to the hotel. I had dropped off some Out of Town Gift Boxes at the front desk and after I checked on them, I planned to kick back and relax with my girls. We were staying at the Cache Creek Casino and Resort - so there was much to do. After all, who needs sleep the night before your wedding day?

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A shot of the girls and I before heading back to the casino - I SO had ugly rain hair, but my ladies all looked gorg!

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The R.H. Phillips staff is super talented - check out this glass action. Yeah, that’s how they clean up!

A special thanks to Travis Hoehne for joining us at our Rehearsal Dinner. It was a blast to have you with us and a great way to introduce you to the group before the big day!

Photo by MOH
Travis poses with Crafty Bridesmaid and Blond Bridesmaid.

Previously:

The Wedding: Our Pre-Wedding Financial Jitters