Weddingbee Blog

I stared vacantly out the window of Mr. Tartlet’s car, watching the power lines hypnotically swoop by as I listened to the purr of the engine. The 21-minute drive over to his home was spent mostly in silence as we unwound after our emotionally charged rehearsal. Inside, a billion thoughts flew through our heads.

Me: “Holy crap, I hope everyone finds their way to the dinner OK. Should I call to check? Will traffic be that bad tomorrow? That person looked so. bored! at the rehearsal. What if everyone looks that disinterested? Will anyone make it (because of aforementioned traffic)? I should have worn different shoes. Global warming is a problem.”

Mr. Tartlet: “Mmm…food.”

…So perhaps I was the only one with a jumble of worries zinging around my cranium! Before long, though, there was no time for such thoughts: as one of the last to arrive, we found that the welcoming dinner was already buzzing with activity. Our stomachs made a beeline for the food (catered from Penna’s in Sterling Heights), served buffet-style in keeping with the casual and relaxed atmosphere:

There was a constant flow of people through the food line, with plenty of space to spread out and eat, chat, or just relax. A fair number of guests opted to hang out on the deck that Mr. Tartlet built with his dad and grandpa many years ago:

While others chose to congregate on the lawn:

Decorations were kept simple with a vase of springy tulips at each table, courtesy of the nearby Costco:

It was altogether an idyllic evening and the perfect setting to mingle and reconnect with loved ones from all over the world.

Our friends from Scotland

My beautiful godmother (center) and her husband (left), flew in from California for the event; she and Mama Tartlet (right) go way back!

As the sun set, the evening chill sent people inside or to the fire pit (that Mr. Tartlet and his brothers built; they’re quite the handy family!) to chase down the delicious Italian food with a few S’mores and some wine that his dad had made special for the occasion.

Between licking gooey marshmallow and melted chocolate off our fingers, we stepped aside to take in the scene and were again overwhelmed by how fortunate we were to be surrounded by such good company. A couple of our friends who couldn’t make it to the wedding took the time to drive all the way out to the dinner, even though I’m sure they had plenty of packing to do for their weekend travels. My girlfriend (on the right in the picture below) and her husband had a long-overdue vacation that they worked around our wedding:

They’ve since moved away, so time with them was very precious (miss you so, M)!

After a few pool matches, plenty of dessert, and a twilight game of Beersbee that became increasingly amusing/dangerous as the evening wore on, the night did have to come to an end; we had a little something going on the following day that required a bit of rest! As we made our exit, Mr. Tartlet had enough energy left to try and be fly, flashing a “W” to indicate the initial of his last name that I’d be tacking onto my own in less than 24 hours:

We drove back to the hotel, and while Mr. Tartlet was in the shower I placed this on his pillow:

Sumptuous, thick pages

In the privacy of our room, I nervously gave him the album that Aruna B. Photography had designed from our boudoir session. Inside the front cover was this message, a quote from one of my favorite Broadway musicals:

“A new lease you are my love, on life, all my life.”

Wordlessly we held each other, knowing that tomorrow our new lease on life together began in earnest. Tomorrow, we would finally say “I do.” Up next: our wedding day begins, and there’s so much to do!

*All photos personal or courtesy of family and friends

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