the wedding, tidbits, part II

almost 2 weeks ago i promised to write more about the wedding, so i wanted to make sure that i wrote some things down before i forget them all.

let's see:

awkward moments:
it seems like the wedding weekend was full of these, being that nearly all of the bride's side had to drive down and stay in the only hotel in the area. and the hotel had promised each room at $60 a night but when the guests starting arriving, was actually charging $70 a night...so that caused some tension especially when the brides' Godmother accidentally let it slip that "the place wasn't even that nice" in front of the bride...

heartfelt toasts:
i thought i'd share the toast that i wrote for Jeannie and Charles, here it is:
Having known Jeannie since we sat beside each other in our 7th grade typing class, our friendship has proven to stand the test of time.

We were there through the ups: proms, road trips, first dates, graduations. and the downs: heartbreaks, car accidents, stress and exams. and through it all, i saw something that i admired in my friend Jeannie, i saw strength, loyalty and courage to face life's challenges.

and even if i am only one day older, i felt like many times that Jeannie was like an older sister to me, helping me as i helped her.

And so, i stand here on Jeannie and Chuck's wedding day, Jeannie looking radiant, and Charles looking like he just won the lottery, and i say "To the happy couple, i wish you the best of luck, abundant love and joy, and most of all, the wisdom to recognize the blessings that God gives you as you walk together down this road called life."

Jeannie, i love you with all of my heart and you know that you are like a sister to me, so Charles, today, you're getting a bonus sister-in-law, me! Cheers to the happy couple!

temper tantrums/mini-meltdowns:

i can sum this up by saying only a few things,
1-the bride didn't want any help getting into her dress until she realize that it is hard to get into a dress all alone,
2-we were running 35 minutes late for pictures (the wedding went on time, but the pictures were a little cramped for time),
3-as i tried to help her get the back of her dress laced up, i pinched her skin (unknowingly) into the dress and it really really hurt her before i realized it and let it go,
4-being thoroughly pinched made her a little wound up and she wanted me to let the thing go for a second so she could breathe, but when her mom stepped in and tried to help, she got really mad and was like

"just take the dress off!!!",

5-her mother says to this: "Jeannie, you don't have to be such a bitch",
6-Jeannie flies out of the room, down the back hallway and into the tiny bathroom and locks the door behind her,
7-i follow close behind,
8-Jeannie's mom follows behind me, her grandmother behind her, and her sister behind her grandmother,
9-gay makeup guy and hair-do lady stand in the living room looking wild-eyed,
10-as we crowd around the bathroom door, Jeannie says for everyone to GO AWAY,
11-i calmly tell her that we have to continue lacing her up if we are going to be on time,
12-the door cracks open, you can tell she's crying, she says "ONLY YOU" and reaches out and grabs my hands and yanks me into the tiny bathroom,
13-i hug her and tell her that it is alright and that everything is going just fine,
14-she tells me she loves me and that she is so glad i am there for her,
15-the dress gets on, it looks great, we touch up the makeup, the wedding is on!

as i stood there, hearing Jeannie's mother actually call her daughter a bitch in such a matter-of-fact way on her wedding day, i just thought, thank GOD she is not my mother.

inappropriate gestures:
apparently one of Charles' uncles is totally drunk 100% of the time, so being at a wedding only coincided with his affinity for drunkenness, which meant that while we were out boogie-ing on the dance floor, this RED-faced, totally drunk OLD uncle walks out on the dance floor and stands behind Jeannie and does the thing where it looks like you're doggy-styling someone. totally unnecessary and totally gross!

European kiss-kissing with a beautiful Portuguese man:
Jeannie is Portuguese, and Jeannie has family that is Portuguese, and these family members include one such fine young gentleman who, upon his departure, grabbed my face and gave me 2 European style kisses on the cheeks. seeing as to how this was the first time a man besides Seth or my Dad had touched my face in months, i promptly melted into a puddle on the floor.

dancing until my feet cramped:
i danced like it was going out of style. i did them all: the Cha Cha Slide, The Charleston, The Electric Slide, and yes, even the YMCA. Why? because at my own wedding i was semi-disappointed when no one danced, and because i was in the wedding, wearing a special green dress (awful alterations and all), i got my butt out there and made some memories!

and my feet definitely cramped up and my toes felt like they were stuck together for a large portion of the 8 hour car ride home. :)