Wedding Blog

I thought a timeline of events would best describe the craziness of the morning of the shoot.

7:30 AM. I’m desperately trying to use Mr. Martini’s steamer to steam out the wrinkles in my dress, because I don’t own a steamer. Unfortunately, the steamer hasn’t been used in a long time, so the entire dress is starting to smell like mildew. It’s okay, I think. I can bear it, and nobody will know.

8:00 AM. Mr. Martini tells me that I have to find another parking spot for the car, because of street cleaning. I thought it would be okay because I’d be leaving by 9 AM for my makeup appointment, but he informs me that the car has to be moved by 8:30 AM. Mr. Martini heads to work (he was only able to take a half day) as I head toward the car to find another parking spot.

8:15 AM. I’m circling and circling all over Astoria trying to find a parking space. Then I take another look at the signs, and realize that street cleaning doesn’t start until 11:30 AM. I shake my fist in the air and cry out profanities.

9:00 AM. I wanted to leave by this time, even though it would only take about half an hour to get to my 10 AM appointment with Makeup Blush in Edgewater, but I have this knack for always running late and I wanted to get an early start. Of course, this is when I realized that I forgot to bring shoes. Any shoes. A single tear rolls down my cheek as I glare at the shoes I came in that morning - my Uggs. I shake my fist in the air and cry out profanities.

9:10 AM. I’m rummaging through the trunk of my car. I find a pair of silver shoes that I wore when I was MOH for my best friend’s wedding. I decide that these will work fine for the dress but there is no way I’ll pull these off while wearing a brown winter coat for the casuals. I head back into the apt, hoping that I have a pair of shoes in his closet somewhere, and wondering if the jacket will still look okay paired with Uggs.

9:20 AM. I find a pair of old knee length boots. They’re black. I’m wearing a brown jacket and a brown turtleneck. On a normal day I really wouldn’t have cared, but these were our engagement pictures! So upsetting - I had the same pair in brown at home. I close my eyes and tried to wish them to change places. It doesn’t work. I decide that those will have to do.

9:30 AM. I’m totally running late. My MOH told me that she used bed sheets to change clothes during her engagement shoot, so I frantically race around stuffing my bag with two bed sheets, my two pairs of shoes, and some makeup for touch ups during the shoot. That’s when I hear a phone ring, and it’s not mine. I follow the sound, and realize that Mr. Martini forgot his phone at home! It is him calling in the hopes that I am still at the apartment to pick up the phone. This is bad, I think. Without a cell phone, it could get ugly.

9:40 AM. I’m SUPER late. I run to the car, throw everything in, and bring up Makeup Blush’s directions on my GPS. I am halfway there before I realize I should probably call her to let her know I am running late. Then I realized I don’t have her number in my phone. Her business card is in my notebook, in my other bag, in Mr. Martini’s apartment. I cant’t call Mr. Martini at the office because his office extension recently changed and I don’t have his new one. Ever try typing an email while driving? I wouldn’t recommend it. Luckily he gets the email right away and gives Jiyee a call.

10:15 AM. I finally get there, breathing heavily and stressed out. But I am really glad to see her and am excited that she’ll be doing my makeup again. I take a moment to catch my breath, and sink in to the chair.

11:00 AM. I’m soooooo tireddd… I’m falling asleep… Jiyee laughs and assures me that I’m not the first client to fall asleep. She tells me to relax and get some rest, since I still have a long day ahead of me.

11:30 AM. I’m in and out of sleep, even while she’s doing my hair. I don’t even really know what I wanted to do with my hair, but I suggest something simple, with maybe some curls. She proceeds to give me natural waves.

12:00 PM. I’m wide awake now. I see my hair coming together, and I’m excited at how its turning out. I absolutely LOVE my makeup. She goes for a more defined (but still natural) look, and I’m very happy with the results. For a brief moment, I am no longer stressed out. I’m just happy.

12:30 PM. Trial is done! I have half an hour before I have to meet Mr. Martini and our photographers, Matthew and Chung, on the outskirts of Central Park. The city isn’t too far away, so I should be good with time.

12:50 PM. I only JUST pass through the Lincoln Tunnel into the city. Panic starts to sink in. I shake my fist in the air and cry out profanities.

1:15 PM. So much traffic. I’m nowhere near our meeting spot. Since Mr. Martini doesn’t have a phone, I can’t reach him! Suddenly my phone rings, and I pick up. A strange voice is asking for me. Turns out that Mr. M called his coworker from a pay phone, and asked him to conference me in. I feel so bad for his coworker - he has to listen to me freak out about being late and trying to figure out exactly how far away I am. But I have a good reason for freaking out - we only have two hours for the shoot, and we want to visit two locations AND change clothes. Mr. Martini asks me for the number to Cly Creation so that he can let them know we’re running late. I don’t have the number, since I’ve only conversed with them via email. His coworker saves the day by looking up the number, and then drops me on the three way call so that he can  dial in Cly.

1:30 PM. Almost there! I have to circle the block in order to park my car in the garage. While I’m waiting for the light to turn green, I see Mr. Martini across the street talking to two men holding cameras. I honk my horn to get their attention, but it being NYC, nobody ever pays attention to a car horn. I honk one last time for a good five seconds. I roll down the window and scream out Mr. Martini’s name. Everyone looks at me strangely and shake their heads at me. The light turns green, and I give up.

1:40 PM. I am a mess running from the garage to the meeting place, with my moldy steamed dressed rolled up and tucked under my armpit. Now it is moldy AND wrinkled. When I finally reach them, I am so flustered that I don’t even notice at the time that:

1. I forgot socks. I wasn’t wearing socks because I had my Uggs on, so this meant that I would have to stick my bare feet into my old black knee high boots.

2. The belt buckle on my dress was broken.

But at that moment, I was just glad I had made it….