Weddingbee Blog

Hi! Welcome to the insanity known as our second dance set! Good thing I embraced the dancing because the crazy was about to kick up a notch.

The glow sticks were a BIG hit. Planning brides take note: guests will want to wear more than one; double the amount you think you’ll need. Our guests found inventive ways to wear them…

Necklaces, headbands, armbands, and even drink wraps.

(lower right: guest photo)

There were rumors of a strange tradition on Mr. PaC’s mom’s side of the family. I had yet to see it in person and wasn’t entirely sure what it entailed, but some level of embarrassment was inevitable. What is this tradition I speak of?

Instigators or very enthusiastic participants?

Yes, I know. I was speechless too. Yes, those are dinner napkins. On their heads.

I have no idea where it came from but they’ve been doing it forever. And since the wedding was my official joining into their family, I had to participate. Thankfully, I had an “out” for wearing it since I was the bride…but I did have to wave it around until the ladies were satisfied.

(guest photo)

I retreated to my husband, tempted to hide behind him until the napkin craziness went away. But it wasn’t going anywhere. I was the bride. There was no escaping it.

I shouldn’t have been surprised when Mr. PaC joined the dancing. The lights and glow sticks were irresistible.

Or, when the ladies encircled him. The napkin dance set off a wave of revelry that spread from person to person until the dance floor was packed. My grandmother? Kicking up her heels with the grandkids. My grandfather had to sit down because his pacemaker kicked in! Mr. PaC’s uncle who’d just had knee replacement surgery? Oh, he was pain-free that night! Best of all, we were enjoying ourselves.

DJ Z ended the dance party with Donna Summer’s disco anthem “Last Dance.” I am not a fan of disco and would have wished to end our wedding night to a song that had meaning to us. I pushed hard for Madeleine Peyroux’s version of “Dance Me to the End of Love“—a slow song and decidedly anti-climatic; Mr. PaC said no. But we never specified a last dance song and left it to chance…and I think the literal message of last dance worked well for our guests.

We would not have these great pictures had it been a slow, couples-only song.

When the last dance started, I was caught in the photo booth and squirmed away because, like it or not, this was our last dance song and I’ll be damned if I was missing it! I found Mr. PaC, but he was already dancing with someone else. What the hell?!

What the hell, indeed!

A family friend and Mr. PaC were waltzing around the dance floor. They had gotten into a conversation and realized a minute later that they were still dancing. It was one of the more amusing unscripted moments of the wedding. Still, I had to cut in on their tender moment and finish the dance with my new husband.

Spinning in circles.

One last hurrah!

Singing along… “Come on baby, let’s dance toooooonight!”

Ending it with a kiss and double high-five!

Things really heat up in the next recap! You won’t want to miss it, promise.

(all photos by Heather Fowler Photography, unless otherwise noted)

Catch up on our PaC recaps!

Days Before

• In the days leading up to the wedding, I wanted to be sedated.
• I walked the line between calm and stressed for the better part of our rehearsal day.
• “Don’t panic” and its friends were what Mr. PaC kept telling me on the way to our rehearsal dinner.

Wedding Morning

• Best wedding morning advice: wake up slow and tackle the day at your own pace.
• Once at our venue, our DIY projects were assembled with our own two hands.
• The girls get ready with champagne and chocolate-covered potato chips.
• The guys are ready… and waiting.
• She’s mine! All mine! (The dress that is.)
• Brown-eyed girl (and guy) portraits.
• Something old and new, borrowed and blue.

Portraits

• My sneaky groom has a secret heart when it comes to surprises.
• A first look for the two of us plus more couples portraits in the garden.
• With brother and sister standing by, we took our bridal party and family portraits.

Ceremony

• After fretting about rain, the sun came out just as our guests arrived for the ceremony.
• Maybe I was just a little amazed at how beautifully our ceremony had started.
• After waiting 19 long months, here comes Mr. PaC’s girl!
• We spoke of love and some verses in our ceremony.

Reception

• Cocktail hour began with a rockin’ start.
• That silly “Mahna Mahna” song we used to introduce our important people.
• Our first dance shows that we are truly better together.
• The parent dances allow us to appreciate the important people in our lives.
• Jammin’ the first half of the night away.
• Our siblings made sure we were toasted and roasted!
• Wildflowers, escort cards and other details didn’t go unnoticed.
• I request a moonlight serenade for my grandparents.
• We noshed the night away.
• We’ll still feed each other cake when we’re 64!
• I turned my camera on for some DIY photo booth fun.