the wedding day!

i've been putting off blogging the wedding day, but for no particular reason.  although maybe it's because i didn't think i'd taken a lot of pictures - again, just trying to live in the moment and enjoy the day to the fullest - and the official photos have a turnaround time of TWELVE weeks.  

oh well.  that just means i'll do another post in a couple of months after those have arrived and i get the couple's blessing to share.  meanwhile, as it turns out, i actually do have a pretty good number of photos and so here we go!

the guys had an 8am tee time, while the old lady and i had an 8:30 spa appointment for some pampering.  i threw on a dress i'd bought at the roxy store during our shopping trip a couple of days before and headed out the door.

i headed up to the resort and met with the old lady, and tried to smash down all the emotions i was already experiencing.

these were the essential oil themes we were invited to choose from for our spa experience.  i went with "inspire," while she chose "meditation."

we were shown to the waiting area and then it was just a few minutes before our therapists came to get us.

my room had a lovely view, although i guess it was mostly wasted because my eyes were closed for most of the time i was in it.  we'd booked a package that included a sugar scrub, full body massage and then foot treatments.  it was lovely.

i was done first, and kicked back on one of the lounge chairs to take in the view and wait for my daughter to join me.

"would you like some champagne?"  hell yeah, we would!

then we parted ways, with her heading back up to her room where the girls were already waiting for her while i went back to the condo to grab the bean and the stuff we'd need to get ready for the rest of the day.  and then as soon as we got up to the bride's suite i got to work on putting the favors together so that they'd be ready for the coordinator to take when she arrived.  we'd ordered some hand poured soaps in hawaiian inspired scents that just needed to be bagged and tied with the favor tags.

the girls' robes and gifts were laid out on the couch.

the hair and makeup artist that the old lady had arranged for us arrived a little early, and so she started working on the bean's 'do first.

since the bride is very picky about how her hair is done, she'd entrusted her BFF rock-ell with her wedding hair.  it seems like it should be really simple, since she just wanted to leave it down but curled and loose and beachy, but it is very easy to screw up hair in her eyes.  heh.  anyway, it was beautiful as expected.

this was the floral hairpiece that the kids had ordered for me, which i loved.  it was a little tricky to put in as even the hair stylist had a little difficulty figuring out how to attach it, but she made it work.

the bridal bouquet was gorgeous, and her "something borrowed" was the hub's great-grandma's brooch that i'd pinned on my own bouquet when we got married all those years ago.

here's the box for the ring bearer, one of the flower girls' crowns and one of the stir sticks that would be used at the reception.

the photography and videography team had arrived in the meantime, and they were really friendly and fun to chat with while they did their thing.

it had turned into a very appropriately gorgeous day, with the sun breaking through the cloud cover that had made for a fairly chilly morning.

dresses!

and then in what seemed like no time at all, it was time to get dressed.  after putting our own dresses on first, we gathered in the center of the room to help the bride put her gown on.  it was such a lovely moment.  and then there were more and more pictures (which was driving her crazy, i'm sure).

let's back up for a second.  because LOOK at the bean.

meanwhile, in the guys' suite...

rock-ell had gone over there to bring the fiance a note and gift from his bride, and her husband (the best man) dropped by to bring his gift to her.

we took one more group picture, and then it was go time.

LOOK AT MY BABY.  sigh.

these are the only pictures i have from the ceremony as of now.  her BFF/officiant did such a spectacular job with the ceremony, talking about how perfect these two are for each other, weaving in some wonderful memories of their friendship.  it was absolutely perfect and lasted just the right amount of time, and all of a sudden those crazy kids officially became husband and wife.

and then it was time for even more pictures.

the bean, by the way, is surprisingly wonderful with small children.  they love her.

i love this picture.  it's so sweet.

the moment we were no longer required to stay for more photography, the bean and i headed back to the condo for our costume change.

while the bride and groom finished up their photography session:

the rest of us congregated at the reception area and got the party started.

cousin seven was there!

introduction of the wedding party:

the hub got up for his speech, which i loved.

and then the kids said a few words too.

the old lady danced with both of her dads, and unbeknownst to me she'd chosen john mayer's "daughters" for her song with the hub.  that's the same song they danced to at our wedding, and that's the moment when it all kind of hit me and i burst into tears.  like, i was sobbing.  sheesh.

we had a really fantastic bartender for the duration of the reception, and he'd thrown together a drink he called the "hula girl" that consisted of malibu rum, vodka, pineapple juice and a splash of cranberry juice.  it was really good, which contributed to the fact that i spent pretty much the entire evening alternating between the dance floor and the photo booth.  i'm a terrible dancer and i typically hate dancing, but i was out there for the whole damn thing.  even the bean got out there - although it took her sister going to the DJ and requesting BTS songs to make it happen.  everyone had a great time, or at least i think they did.

it was the most wonderful day, pretty much everything we'd all hoped for, and we were all sad to see it end.  but like all good things, it had to at some point, and all of a sudden it was over and we were heading back to the condo.

and now i have a son!  i love them both so much.  what an amazing day full of laughter and love and memories to cherish for a lifetime.