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Weddingbee Blog
My dad is the first one to admit it, but he’s an old fart. He doesn’t look it, but he’s hovering around his mid-60s and has the energy of a 20-something-year-old. He’s also a part of a generation of men that knows how to dance. My pops has some mad jitterbugging skills. Unlike my first dance with Mr. Cookie, dad and I never practiced our father/daughter dance. When Paul Simon’s “Father and Daughter” started playing, he took my hand and we just started dancing.
After we wiped the chocolate cake goodness from our faces, it was time to take the dance floor for our first dance…
As silly as it sounds, Mr. Cookie and I are together today because he asked me to dance. Yep, our relationship started out old-school movie style. A confident and debonair Cookie spots a cute, single Cookie from across the room at a wedding, asks her to dance, they fall in love and get married. But wait, life doesn’t happen like the movies, and it especially did not for us Cookies.
Prior to the wedding, Mr. Cookie confessed a concern to me — he was a ball of nerves over our first dance. Knowing all eyes would be on us, my confident and debonair man got a bout of cold feet. We talked about taking dance lessons to ease the nerves, but with busy schedules we never found the time. So, a week before the wedding, we whipped out our iPod and went to the task of choreographing our first dance: a few turns, swaying back-and-forth, and a dip at the end. Our routine was sweet and simple and helped calm Mr. Cookie’s nerves.
When the first few notes of Eva Cassidy’s “Songbird” played, Mr. Cookie took my hand and twirled me onto the dance floor.
After our brush with near cake catastrophe, I was just happy we had cake. Not that not having a cake would have been a catastrophe. I would have married Mr. Cookie without cake, but the icing on the cake—so to speak—was that we were able to participate in the age ol’ tradition of cake smashing. Yes, this perfectly beautiful cake ended up all over both of our faces.
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For me, DIYing the wedding details was a labor of love. I had three rules regarding the details: 1. Keep it simple 2. DIY as much as possible to save money, but call in the professionals or enlist help when necessary 3. Keep within the theme: Rustic Elegance.
These rule saved my sanity on several occasions, especially the part about enlisting help. But I am not going to lie, DIYing most of the details was stressful. There were times that I ripped my hair out, shouted a few obscenities at my Gocco, and bandaged a few paper cut wounds. Putting together the details took months and months of blood, sweat, and tears, mixed in with a lot of laughter and fun. But when it came time to put the details in the trusting hands of my DOC to set up, I let them go. After I gave her the reins, I sat back and enjoyed the ride.
Mrs. Onion gave me the best piece of advice before we got married about savoring the details.
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Even though the alone time together before dinner was a wonderful pause to the day, Mr. Cookie and I were starving! I guess hiking up the mountain for wedding portraits burned more calories than we anticipated, and chowing down on appetizers wasn’t enough. So, we cut our “us” time short in order to appease our rumbling stomachs. A quick nod to the DJ and”Givin’ It Up for Your Love,” by Delbert McClinton playing in the background, and we made our grand dinner entrance.
Last Wednesday, I received news that my grandmother was losing her battle with cancer. Thanks to some frequent flyer miles, I was able to jump on a plane to Montana and say my good-byes. Her last few days would have been how she wanted, surrounded by her loved ones watching home videos and telling stories about the good ol’ days. Being a strong Norwegian woman she fought the cancer until the very end, and we are thankful that she is now at peace.
Although she was unable to make our wedding in September, she was with me. I pinned the doily that she crocheted for me under my wedding dress. She also called us during the reception to wish Mr. Cookie and I a happy life together.
I wanted to share with you this, the wedding photo of my grandparents in the early 40s. She truly was a beautiful woman inside and out. I am going to miss her cackling laugh, her lefse at Christmas, but more I will just miss her! Thanks Grandma for everything. I love you!
Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
Immediately following the ceremony, Mr. Cookie and I got stuck in an elevator. Well, sort of. There is an elevator from the lower to the upper floor of Ten Mile Station. We were suppose to go downstairs to quickly sign the marriage license and then back upstairs for pictures. Well, Mr. Cookie and I were all kissy face inside the elevator after the ceremony and we forgot to press the button. Literally after five minutes we thought, “Why isn’t the elevator working?” We pressed the down button, and magically the elevator started working. Duh!
When we finally got off the elevator, a wonderful surprise awaited us.
At this point in the ceremony, the world had melted away. Truly, I was oblivious to all things—sans Mr. Cookie and our vows to each other.
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Secret?!? Ummmm… I’ve been thinking long and hard about which secret(s) to divulge to the hive, and I think I am just going to say it! Besides the fact that I am a nail biter, theatre nerd, and coffee addict, Mr. Cookie and I lead a double life. That’s right, a la Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Mr. Cookie and I are covert, secret government agents. We rid the world of evil doers one criminal at a time! Yeah, not so much!
All kidding aside, my secret has to do with a squashed childhood dream. Some kids dream of being a doctor, lawyer, president, or veterinarian. Well, this cookie dreamed of becoming a professional figure skater. That’s right, at the ripe age of 5 I started reaching for Olympic gold!
Calling all Metro Denver bees!
We’re meeting for Happy Hour
at the the Irish Rover Pub on Broadway for
Come for 2 for 1 drink specials, good food, and great wedding converstation!
Metro Denver Bee Meet-up
TODAY Friday, November 7th at 5:00pm
Irish Rover Pub
54 South Broadway,
Denver, Colorado. 80209
(street parking is available)
Hope to see you there!
So, there I was — in the bridal suite all by myself. The bridesmaids, groomsmen and parents were in place for the ceremony. I could hear the faint melody of the string trio. And in comparison to the hub-bub of a few moments earlier, I was left to my own meditation.
I thought of Mr. Cookie’s and my journey together: the brief meeting at our friend’s wedding, the many sleepless nights on the phone, the bed and breakfast at Thanksgiving, the flight at Christmas in a blizzard to be home with Mr. Cookie, quitting my job in Washington D.C., hiking the Grand-Canyon together, Mr. Cookie’s proposal under the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and now our wedding day.
I turned to the mirror and took a look at myself, dressed as a bride with a veil on my head and bouquet in hand. There are so many narratives about this moment – none of which were real to me. But what was real was serenity. That even though the months and weeks leading to this moment were so gosh-darn stressful, what mattered now was being present. And never in my life had I felt luckier.
My dad peered into the bridal suite and said, “It’s time.” With a quick nod and a tear, I took my father’s arm…
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When last we left, my bridesmaids and I were trekking into the forest for bridal pics. Meanwhile back in the groom’s suite Mr. Cookie was getting himself ready for the big day.
According to reliable sources (i.e. Mr. Cookie’s Best Man), he seemed as cool as a cucumber. I had often asked him before the wedding if he was getting nervous, and so like Barney on “How I Met Your Mother” he played it Mr. Cool! On the inside, I knew he was as charged with emotion about our wedding as I was. This will be evident when you see the ceremony pics of Mr. Cookie.
Photo courtesy of Justin Spencer
By 7:00 AM, I was wide-awake. To be honest, I barely slept. The adrenaline, anxiety, and sheer joy of the moment hindered me from sleeping. I kept eyeing the alarm clock about every hour thinking, “Is it time to get up?” Since we decided to not see one another before the wedding ceremony, I kissed Mr. Cookie goodnight and spent my last night as a single gal with my MOH in a nearby Residence Inn. I tossed, turned, drifted into a fog, and then I was wide-awake.
Although I didn’t get the perfect night’s sleep, I was a ball of energy and nerves. I tried to eat a bowl of cereal for breakfast, took two bites, and was done. I could barely eat—too nervous. I guess my inner control freak was getting to me. I was so worried that all the DIY goodness that I had slaved over, and that I reluctantly put into the hands of both our parents to set-up, would not make it to Breckenridge intact. As I reach for my cell phone to appease my nerves, my MOH snatched it from my hands and rushed me to the nearest Starbucks. Once that caffeine hit my bloodstream, ironically the pre-wedding jitters subsided. What can I say, I am totally addicted to coffee and I had the best MOH ever!
We took a quick jaunt over to the hair stylist and then were off to Breckenridge.
Photo by me
I woke up the morning of our pig roast (the day after my bachelorette party) feeling really nauseated. I think it was a combination of pre-wedding jitters and that dirty martini I had the night before. Luckily, with the help of saltines and Vitamin Water, my nausea subsided by the afternoon enough for me to scarf down this succulent hog.
When I heard my cell ring and the caller ID said “Mr. Cookie”, I knew something was up. After all, the boys had already left our house for the baseball game, and we had said our goodbyes for the evening. It was really the tone in Mr. Cookie’s voice that gave me a hunch that he had a trick up his sleeve.
Per Mr. Cookie’s instructions, I went out to the garage and looked in the cooler. In it were two bottles of champagne, a dozen roses, and a card that read, ” Miss Cookie, Have fun tonight. Love, Mr. Cookie and his groomsmen.” And with that, the bachelorette frivolity began.
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Mrs. Cookie, Denver Age and Occupation: 25, Nonprofit Fundraiser/Theatre Designer Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Financial Analyst Engagement Date: September 2007 Wedding Date: September 2008 Blogging Since: May 8, 2008 Venue: Ten Mile Station About Me: With a degree in Theatre I never realized that planning a wedding was a lot like Theatre Management, until I started planning my own. I am a coffee addict, especially Starbucks' Grande Mochas, yummy! I love to cook (especially chocolate chip cookies for my honey), travel to exotic places, and be creative. As a couple, Mr. Cookie and I are extremely practical, down to earth, and children at heart. We live in a cozy abode with our adorable Pomeranian, and love to play board games and watch movies into the evening.
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