In between the courses at Bouchon, and after we said goodbye to our professional photographer, our family members honored us with some speeches. To be honest, the speeches were not something that Mr. Mole and I thought a lot about during the planning process. We didn’t ask our coordinator at Bouchon about their timing until four days before our wedding—and I totally forgot to ask my father about his speech until the rehearsal dinner! Clearly, though, our family members put a lot of thought and care into their speeches to us. Their words made us smile, laugh, and cry—and sometimes all three at once.
I really cherish these photographs of our family at Bouchon. After all, one of the best parts of a wedding is being able to celebrate with the people who love and support you and your relationship. (So, huge thanks to A, who came through yet again with these photos.)
My father was up first. Now, my father is an excellent speaker. In September, he brought down the house at my sister’s wedding; unsurprisingly, he did the same at mine.
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My father has long remarked how happy I seem with Mr. Mole—and how happy he is to see me with such an amazing partner. He ended his speech by toasting to our continued happiness.
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Mr. Mole’s father was up next. He talked about how wonderful it was to have our families join together that night as Mr. Mole and I became husband and wife. He even got in a joke or two about how Mr. Mole should have proposed earlier. I have to admit that I laughed pretty hard.
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Our sisters were next. My sister gave an incredibly touching speech about how much she looked up to me as we were growing up; Mr. Mole’s sister gave an equally emotional speech about how much she enjoyed growing up with a younger brother.
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Now, I know that traditional etiquette says that you should never raise your glass along with others when the toast is in your honor, but we were so moved each and every time someone spoke that we raised our glasses in thanks to the speaker. Sorry, Miss Manners, for playing a bit loose with the rules. Thank you, everyone else, for moving us so much that our glasses had to follow.
By the time that the toasts were finished and the cake was eaten, it was near the end of the night. Surprisingly, though, our baby nephew was still wide awake, hours past his bedtime! He had a quick costume change out of his tiny suit into a striped pair of pajamas.
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By this point, Mr. Mole and I were ready to change into our pajamas as well. After saying goodbye to our last guest, we made our way from the Venetian to the Wynn. We had all intentions of taking a cab, but by the time we found an exit to the labyrinthine casino, we were only a block or so away from our destination.
We made it to within 100 yards of the entrance of the Wynn when Mr. Mole, sidestepping a group of drunk and cheering tourists, stepped on my dress. RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP! A foot-long horizontal tear appeared across the bottom of the organza. Mr. Mole immediately went white in the face and started stuttering an apology; I laughed it off and shut him up with a kiss. I reminded him that my wedding dress just needed to survive until the end of the wedding. It did. And it could—and would—be fixed. And we were married. Successes all around.
(Do you see what I did with the recap’s title, now? Double meanings!)
When we finally entered our hotel suite, we saw that our bedroom had been decorated. Our bed was blanketed with the rose petals from our ceremony aisle, and our keepsake marriage certificate was placed in the middle. This lovely scene lasted about as long as it took to take a picture before we removed the certificate, shoved the petals on the floor, and face-planted on the bed.
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Getting married is truly exhausting. The day is so full of energy that it leaves you without any by the end of the night. It’s a good exhaustion, though: the type of tired you feel at the end of a day when you laughed the most, smiled the widest, and were the happiest.
All photography in Las Vegas by Brian Saculles, unless otherwise noted.
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I’ve always wondered how one actually *sleeps* on a rose petal-strewn bed! 
You’re so happy-go-lucky, it’s inspiring!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for the wonderful posts..it makes me feel i am NOT the last romantic on Earth
Those speeches sounded so heartfelt, and how cute are the striped pajamas! It’s awesome you just laughed off the dress tear- you’re right, it survived the day! Congratulations!
Your speeches seem so sweet, they’re always one of my favorite parts of a wedding!
I never knew you weren’t supposed to cheers in your own honor, oops! I felt the same way about my dress, it served it’s purpose for the day so by the end of the night I was far less traumatized by any damage it had felt!
Love this post Mole! It is so sweet and such a true reflection of what the day is all about!
Everything about your wedding is so lovely. I can only hope, come my day, that I’m as relaxed and in-the-moment as you seem!
Good to hear of a non-Bridezilla reaction when a dress accident occurs!
I just adore your posts. I have to say.
Also, You are so right!! The only thing you can do at the end of the night is go to sleep…
“The day is so full of energy that it leaves you without any by the end of the night. It’s a good exhaustion, though: the type of tired you feel at the end of a day when you laughed the most, smiled the widest, and were the happiest.” It really is. And you know, I can say 9 months out from my wedding, thats still how I remember it. Exhausting, but in the best way possible!!
@Miss Dragon: I remember being vaguely annoyed about picking up the petals before jumping into bed; that is a sign that I was too tired! Who is annoyed by roses? 
Re the dress: now I am just wondering what to do with it! It’s probably too damaged to sell, unless I find a buyer under 5’3″ or so. (All of the damage is around the hem in the front and side.) I don’t want to donate something in such a condition. So, for now, it’s just hanging on the back of a door in our apartment!
Mrs. Mole, Los Angeles/Las Vegas Age and Occupation: 29, Test Prep Instructor Fiance's Age and Occupation: 31, User Experience Architect Engagement Date: April 2011 Wedding Date: January 2012 Venue: Wynn Las Vegas/Bouchon Bistro About Me: I’m a Wisconsinite-turned-Angeleno who is planning a destination wedding in Las Vegas. I am passionate about education: I spent 23 (!) consecutive years in school, and now I work to help other people get into graduate programs. I love running on the treadmill, buying bath products from Lush, learning new moves in step aerobics, and exploring my neighborhood on foot. I am sometimes snobby about food, but I am rarely snobby about books. I read everything from Geoffrey Chaucer to Iris Murdoch to Chuck Klosterman to Candace Bushnell. My fiance and I are getting married on our third anniversary!
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