Weddingbee Blog

While we were finishing up our formal photographs, our cocktail hour was already in full swing. Well, to be honest it wasn’t really a cocktail hour, it was a cocktail hour and a half.

We made the decision to extend a bit longer than the standard hour for a few reasons.

We didn’t want to feel rushed to fly through photos, and since we were being introduced into the cocktail area (more on that in a moment) we wanted to have some time to mingle ourselves. Oh, and I was determined to see our reception room before anyone else did, as in between pictures but before introductions. I was a crazy lady about this, and wouldn’t budge no matter who said it would force us to run from one area to the next. What else could we do? It was either extend the time or make the gap between the ceremony longer. Well that was never much of an option for us, I didn’t want all of our out of town guests to feel abandoned during any “dead time.” So they mingled and took advantage of the bar while the Mr. and I literally ran from one side of the Jefferson Hotel to the other to check out the room.

The room, oh the room! I had been imagining for so long what it would look like, how everything would come together. Between our amazing planner Windy, and the staff at the Jefferson I was not disappointed! The image I had in my head for so long was perfectly executed in front of my eyes and for the first time I was completely speechless!

The flowers, the menus, the signs, the monograms! Everything was so beautiful, so perfect! I was so glad that we got to see everything untouched like that, before the guests came in. I was walking around touching everything with Windy when Mr. Cloud came up behind me, put his arm around my waist and said, “Wow, you did it!” For the millionth time that day, my heart melted as my husband told me he could finally see my vision and to him it was perfect. At that point I didn’t care anymore, I didn’t care what anyone else thought or saw, him saying that made it all complete. I wanted to stand there and keep soaking it all in, but we had places to go and people to see! But before we could join in the cocktail fun we had one special picture to take.

Our furbaby Bella had been up in my suite with me since the night before and had been snuggled up on the king size bed when our best man went to check on her after formal pictures. She was still pretty tired and nervous, but luckily was willing to cooperate for a few pictures.

We ran back around the hotel to the main lobby and sipped champagne while we waited for our first introduction (and by sipped champagne I mean guzzled between stuffing our faces with the appetizers that were brought up to us- I was starving!). I know most people don’t get introduced as man and wife until the big intro into the reception, but if your reception happens at the Jefferson, you ALWAYS go into the cocktail hour. Why? Well, it’s all about the stairs…

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The rumor is that the stairs in Gone With The Wind were modeled after the Jefferson’s. If you are a Jefferson bride, you walk down the stairs. Finally after all the planning, and hard work we were standing at the top of those stairs, being announced for the first time as Mr. and Mrs.!

We made it down the stairs (heels and a big dress, we were both nervous about an embarrassing fall), but weren’t really sure what to do next. Oh yeah, these people are here for us! Hugs all around!

And while we tried to make our way around the room and see all of our guests, Daddy Cloud decided he too wanted a moment on the stairs. So he collected the guys from his poker group and they posed for our photographer!

Before I knew it they were ringing the dinner bell (yes, they really had bells to ring!) and our guests started to move down the hall to the reception room. It was time to start the real party!

All credit for the images above (unless otherwise noted) go to our incredibly talented photographer Jessica Oriole Salay and amazing second shooter Jenny McQueen for Oriole Photography.

Miss a part of the Cloudy wedding? Catch up here…
Up and Away : The Tooth And The Breakdown
Up and Away : The Bridal Party Cleans Up - The Ladies
Up and Away : The Bridal Party Cleans Up - The Gents
Up and Away : Thank Your For Coming OOT
Up and Away : Favors For A Cause
Up and Away : The Bachelor Party Rules
Up and Away : The Girls Hit The Salon
Up and Away : Tea With My Ladies
Up and Away : Practice, Practice, Practice
Up and Away : An Embarrassed Bride
Up and Away : The First Chance to Celebrate
Up and Away : Time To Get Pretty
Up and Away : The Boys Chanel Their Inner GQ
Up and Away : A Little Somethin’ Somethin’
Up and Away : The Dress Of All Dresses
Up and Away : The Walk Of A Lifetime
Up and Away : We Do (Finally!)
Up and Away : Striking A Pose
Up and Away : A Brief Recap Interruption..