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As guests went inside and took their seats in the ballroom…
… my mom pinned my bustle, I changed out of my veil and put on the hair flower I made. And we were all announced. Then… there was the first dance. We had practiced after our one session with the instructors, for several nights. Mr. P had studiously written down notes for himself. But we choked! Check it out! We looked so awkward that at one point, I decided we should dance separately and end it quickly!
Everyone clapped and hooted in good cheer and fun. And with that we all sat down, and we started our meals. We had a sweetheart table which helped make us accessible.
People came by and chatted. At one point as dinner was being served, a poor server dropped a large tray of food all over Michelle and broke Graham’s camera! Yet another quirky moment! I started clapping as did everyone else. The hotel handled it quickly and professionally. They took Michelle to get a new dress from one of the shops and gave Graham a generous check for his camera. I barely blinked and it was taken care of! Again, we didn’t let it ruin our wedding, but it was just a side note on our wedding journey!
The calm before…
Oopsy!!
We had so much fun eating, drinking, and savoring the moment!
Throughout the night, friends took pictures of themselves at our “Faux-to-Booth”–a cheap and easy fix to our non-existant photobooth budget: Mac has a photobooth program! And so we just set up our computer and asked people to join in on the fun! At the faux-to-booth table, we left cards and encouraged people to upload their photos from the day.
We also asked everyone to sign our guest “book”–which was actually a photo matte for the large group photo that we took with everyone. It would eventually look something like this:
I finally got somewhat of an appetite and enjoyed a bit of my meal. After the fifth course, I went upstairs to change into my reception dress (which my mom made)!!! And we had the toast. Mr. P’s brother was so nervous, my sister was magnanimous, groomsmen Augustin was suave, and groomsmen Berk was HIGHLARIOUS!
Then we cut our hideous cake! It even tasted bad! We laughed. My mom took that opportunity to do a random speech, which oddly made everyone tear up! Mr. P’s dad, of course, got in on the action and made a speech, too.
****************************
I. LOVE. YOUR. WEDDING.
I was surprised how easy it was to let little snags/details/mistakes go on the day of, and I love how you and Mr. Perfume had the same attitude! Also you both look incredible!
your first dance reminds me exactly of how ours turned out. And that is exactly why I’m against couples taking pro dance lessons now! Just go with the flow and do whatever you want, it always looks more fun and less choreographed that way!
I love that despite all the little hitches, your wedding still seems perfect! Looooved the first dance video! That would totally be me and Mr. Turtle!
gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous 
love it all - even the cake!
yay!!! can’t get over that awesome seating chart. and i love all the pics of you and mr. perfume at the table–you look so happy and sweet! i cannot believe your mom made that gorgeous dress–you are too adorable in it!
I love your wedding too… It’s pure perfection. Sigh!
And can your mom please open an Etsy shop? I’d pay a fortune for that reception dress! It’s so stunning!
The ballroom is so beautiful with those high ceilings and all the light! Thank goodness you were able to laugh off all the errors!
You are seriously gorgeous! The details of your reception are so classic - I love them!
I’m glad your bloging about what went wrong and how you handled it and didn’t seem to let the issues affect your day. Were you always this calm about the mistakes are did it take a while to get to that point? I’m trying to forget what went wrong on my day specifically the weather and the photog.
Beautiful reception and I love all the details! The faux-to-booth area is such a great idea Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks guys!!! Not perfect, but definitely memorable!
@amariem25: I agree, there’s no way we would have turned in to Fred and Ginger no matter how many dance lessons!
@Mrs. Cheeseburger: Haha! Cakewreck!
@Kate: Kate, she does!!! It’s http://www.etsy.com/shop/pcolquet
@kayakgirl73: During the weekend, I blew the glitches off, as I was really really looking forward to dancing and EATING! But in the months that followed, with the strange and real post-wedding blues, I was a little down about some of the pictures and the cake. But after a couple months of not thinking about it, I now look back, after our one year anniversary and honestly smile!!! It always helped me to think of my very favorite moments and those were right after the ceremony, surrounded by our close family and friends with their honest and true happiness!
@Miss Argyle: BLUSH! Thanks, Miss A.
I absolutly love your hair. Do you have any good close up pics of your hair. I have been looking for good inspiration pics and have not found any good ones of a side chignon. I would love to use yours as inspiration if you dont mind.
Love your reception dress! I actually found it a few months back on Etsy and was considering buying it for my own wedding!
I love your table decor, the tables just look so dreamy! And your cake may have been ugly, but at least from afar it doesn’t look bad!
love how you just went with the flow with your dance. i <3 it a lot. and your reception dress…wow!
@miss.skinner: Thank you! If you PM me with your email address, I’ll send some to you!
@gcwest: You’re such a good researcher!!!
@Lillindy: Haha! Not *that* bad!
@tea: It was awkward but fun!
your first dance is so cute!! i love that you still got in ‘The Dip’ at the end 
great recaps. and yes, your ugly cake looks pretty decent from afar!
How about your recaps just go on forever?! Love them all, even with all the little mishaps, your wedding seems perfect!
You are officially my dealing with stress at the wedding role model. I love how you just make all the little mishaps seem funny.
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Mrs. Perfume, DC Age and Occupation: 36, Consultant (and Part-Time Professor) Fiance's Age and Occupation: 41, Consultant Engagement Date: May 13, 2008 Wedding Date: May, 2009 Venue: The Homestead, Hot Springs, Virginia About Me: I'd like to think that I'm a modern day Little Edie Beale. Only not as..."talented". More realistically, I'm a foodie who can't bake; a dancer and dilettente; an art collector with a penchant for the whimsical and subversive. I live in the city and adore the country, but not much in between. I like smart design, great craftmanship and good value. Most of all, I love the new vintage aesthetic: classic, sweet, delicate, bespoke. If I had to do it all over again, I'd go for a culinary arts degree rather than a PhD; but wouldn't trade Mr. P for the world.
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