Weddingbee Blog

At long last: a Taco’s journey from Miss to Mrs.

Rewind: Several months prior, a friend got me a spa treatment at a fancyschmancy hotel in SF. Old-me thankfully saved it for wedding weekend, because I needed it. I headed straight there after a short day at work on Thursday for some mega-exfoliating and moisturizing. As texts and calls started erasing my post-spa relaxation, I took a minute to chill on the balcony at the hotel. Glorious alone time! The antenna tower is one of our landmarks. So’s the fog.

Ahh.

Friday’s rehearsal and rehearsal dinner was a somewhat stressy affair, as it always is when people’s understanding of their duties ranges from crystal-clear to incredibly fuzzy. But having the day to relax with my bridesmaids, brunch, presents, and mani/pedis (massage chairs included!) set the stage for a great weekend. If you’re wondering what to gift your bridal party, I got the girls different things, big and small, I thought they would like: among them, letterpress recipe cards, a hand-painted baseball-themed pilsner glass, a cameo pendant from Etsy, a pink-ribbon portable purse holder, and vintage palm-tree glassware. All the fellas (groomsmen, ushers, friend emcee, and friend officiant) got high-end booze.

On August 14, 2010, I woke up on my own (kinda a feat in itself), and updated my Facebook status from bed to a simple “HELL YEAH!” which is what it read once we got engaged. Hairtique MeMe and Beauty Mark Ink showed soon thereafter to get crackin’ on me and my five ladies-in-waiting.

I knew I had to eat (especially since champagne was involved), even though anything beyond handfuls of pita chips didn’t sound good at all. Thanks to my dutiful bridesmaids who made everyone sandwiches, I had a much-needed bite while my hair was setting.

All pics, starting at this sexy eating one, by Ashley Forrette and Gem Photo

Business is still business. Let’s do this.

Me and Bridesmaid JS aren’t sisters, but we get that a lot.

I got my brows waxed a week prior, but Vanessa filled them in a bit to make sure they stood out.

Expectant face showed up a lot over this period.

On the phone. I think a groomsman just showed up (like, from another country), so happiness ensues.

Does anyone remember that episode of Full House with Jesse Katsopolis’ Faceguard 2000? Hairtique MeMe has one of her own!

Just as I did when bachelorette festivities and my bridal shower rolled around, I got all warm and fuzzy thinking about how much these people did for little ol’ me. I felt really thankful to share a perfect morning with my ladies. Vendor types all showed up when they said they would, and (this was key) there weren’t too many people milling about until we left for the venue. I’m pretty social, but even I probably would’ve freaked if there were too many folks in the room with us. There will be plenty of socializing later!

Per my style, we ran late on the hair and makeup, but I don’t remember caring that much. Ah, day-of zen.

All the gals looked fantastic.

Many photographers have told me how much they like the getting-ready part of the day. The classic dress-hanging photo is an integral part of that, mostly in the dress being a symbol of the exciting day ahead. There were really two kinds of excitement, for me: the anticipation and the actual participatory enjoyment (dancing, eating, laughing). Half of the wedding experience was enjoying the anticipation, even though, for months, I wondered if the damn day would ever get here. It makes perfect sense now that all the Mrs.’ before me advised to just soak in every moment.

This dress is, once again, hanging on a door. But it’s a door in our apartment. And the dress, which I worried wasn’t pristine enough for prime time, is happily thrashed. It had a hell of a time and I still like looking at it. Uh, yeah, that also means it hasn’t been cleaned yet.

Hot, indeed. That was a present from my MIL; all three of her daughters-in-law wore one at her wedding, I hear. Ashley did some fun things with my jewelry, perfume, shoes, and hairpiece, seen here.

That there is me getting into the dress, not staring into Bridesmaid JB’s fab cleavage. I’m normally pretty relaxed about clothing (i.e. walking around naked in shared hotel rooms and the gym). So when I was a little giggly getting into my dress while only wearing my something-blue undies, Bridesmaid JS correctly wondered why I was suddenly shy. Nerves?

Bouquets (!), courtesy of Amy Burke Designs. I was so excited when they showed. Mine has purple calla lilies and red and burgundy roses. The gals’ are green calla lilies with funky black feathers.

Aaaand, that on the right is me putting on either my mom’s pearl earrings (something old) or Bridesmaid A’s stud earring (something borrowed). You can kinda see my <3 tattoo (Mr. T has one, too).

If we can quickly fast-forward to now, note that my upside-down bouquet-drying technique didn’t work so well; I probably shouldn’t have had one side touching a door. Let’s just say mold and unidentifiable sticky bits were involved, so, beware, especially if your abode trends toward humid. I did salvage a handful of properly dried blooms and the stem wrap for our wedding-keepsake box.

Dramatic hallway shot…is dramatic. We were on our way out of the hotel and ran into my sis-in-law on the way.

Bridesmaid JB on dress detail on the way out of the hotel lobby. Expectant face makes another appearance.

At some point while me and the gals were getting did, my mister and his fellas spent some time getting ready, too. Emily at Gem Photo caught these.

Philioleucadendron (or something like that) with seeded eucalyptus for the groomsmen and ushers. Loves.

And he wore it so well.

And we’re off…

Flip flops went on for a 10-minute walk to the venue. Walking around San Francisco in a wedding dress is up there on my list of favorite things I’ve done. You really only do it once with the same effect, wedding-dress pub crawl (which I still want to do), aside.

Next up: First look and bridal party portraits.