Weddingbee Blog

On January 8, 2011, I woke up at 7AM to see the sun streaming in through my window. It felt like any other day. Except it wasn’t. And I felt like any other girl. Except there was a giant white dress hanging by my bed, and I wasn’t just a girl—I was a bride, and it was finally my wedding day.

After the stress of the day before, I was relieved to find myself well-rested and relatively sane. I ate breakfast while sitting on the end of my parents’ bed, talking to them about the day ahead of us. By 7:30, Nicki, my hair and makeup artist, had arrived to start setting up her things, and I took the time to attempt my hardest task of the day: putting in my contacts. You might remember how much I dreaded putting in contacts. Well, despite my lack of practicing (bad bride!) they each went in on my first try. Big sigh of relief.

And then all I had to do was sit and let Nicki do her magic. The ceremony wouldn’t begin until 3PM, but we planned to have a first look and take pictures before the ceremony so that is why we started getting ready so early.

I got ready in the conservatory, which was down the far end of the house, because there Nicki could take advantage of the perfect lighting and I could have a little bit of time to myself to prepare my nerves.

While my hair was getting started, I heard a little bit of a kerfuffle down the hall, and then the sound of my dad’s car driving off. I found out later that he had accidentally left his tie behind at the other house, which isn’t something that would have worried me at all, because he could have just worn another tie, but for my dad it had to be that tie or nothing, because I gave it to him for Christmas! I couldn’t help but laugh once he returned with it, looking quite proud of himself.

One relieved (and dapper) father of the bride!

(guest photo)

Meanwhile, the girls got ready in the living room. Their hair and makeup was done by our friend Claire, as a gift. We met Claire when she came to teach at our school in Papua for a year in 2005. Our family sort of adopted her back then, and we have been close ever since. Luckily for us, she also happens to be a woman of many talents!

It is hard not to smile when you are around Claire!

MOH’s hair came out perfectly with some of the rose hair pins I made.

A summer wedding means lots of sunscreen to apply. And, yes, that is a Christmas tree in the background. It was only Jan 8, after all.

As I was getting ready, I couldn’t shake the feeling that time was going so much faster than I expected. I wanted to yell out, “Stop! Let’s all pause for a second so I can let my mind catch up with everything that is happening!” I guess time doesn’t even stop for a bride though. So, instead I contented myself with munching on cashews whenever I had a spare minute, and slowly I allowed myself to let go and enjoy the experience.

Take a deep breath…

…and smile!

Nicki was truly a godsend during this part of the day. She was such a calming influence, and I knew that I didn’t have anything to worry about under her capable hands. She had even gone on a “pilgrimage” before the wedding to find the perfect shade of foundation for my very pale skin (I had never been able to find one that matched just right). Well, she succeeded, so not only did she give me a great wedding look, but she also helped me with foundation for my everyday look!

My mother had never had a professional do her hair and makeup, not even on her own wedding day, so I gifted her with that experience on my wedding day so that she would feel extra special. I think her smile here says it all:

Isn’t she gorgeous?

Because we started getting ready so early, I thought we would have more than enough time for everything. But, before I knew it, the bridesmaids were getting their last dose of hairspray…

…and it was time for me to start getting into my dress. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!

Did you ever feel like time was going waaaay too fast on your wedding day?

*All photos by Jane Sanders, unless otherwise noted.

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So far in the Earrings recaps….

• We welcomed our guests with pizza on Wednesday, DIYed our flowers on Thursday, and had a nightmarish Friday