My brother is officially a married man! This past Saturday, he married his high school sweetheart, Jenny, and it was a beautiful day. They had been dating since they were 15 and 16, and had been through numerous ups and downs – including a horrible year that had Jenny in and out of the hospital, due to Crohn’s Disease – and I never had any doubt in my mind this day would come.
It wasn’t a day without its own set of frustrations and drama but what wedding day is perfect? All that matters is the two of them and the love between them is evident.
The day for my mom and I started early (before 6AM) as we wanted to sneak in a run before all the craziness. After that, it was quick showers and then driving over to the salon for hair and make-up. I had been worried that my hair and make-up wouldn’t keep since I was getting it done so early (8AM for hair, 9AM for make-up) but I needn’t worry. My hair stayed put (and curled!) throughout the day and night and my make-up only required a few sweeps of a make-up brush to blot out any oil.
I also wore fake eyelashes for the first time in my life. Weird at first, but then I got used to them. But boy, when I took them off at the end of the night, I think my real eyelashes cried, “Hallelujah! We can breathe!”
I was really happy with the job the stylist did at the salon. He kept my make-up very dramatic so that when it started fading, it would look more natural. And it totally did! (Salon Solstice for any locals. Ask for Jayson. He’s the bomb-diggity.)
My mom’s hair turned out fabulous as well! A half-updo, with some pretty curls.
Doesn’t she look 35 here?! Hard to believe she has two children in their mid-twenties!
The next few hours were spent on the couch, watching TV and reading blogs. I didn’t do anything since I didn’t want to mess up my hair. We left around 2:30 to go to the hall. We helped put together wedding favors and make sure the hall was set up perfectly for the wedding.
All the bridesmaids and groomsmen started getting dressed around 4:00. I just want to say, again and again, how much I loved my bridesmaid dress! It’s a fun dress and I felt like a million bucks in it. I loved the color and the style.
Then we just had to wait for the ceremony to begin! We did a few run-throughs of the ceremony in the little waiting room we were in and I couldn’t help but snap a few photos of my nephew in his tux!
That’s the flower girl. My nephew called her his girlfriend, but when I asked her if he was her boyfriend, she told me, “No. We’re just friends.” YOU GO, GIRL! No need to get serious so soon, am I right?!
A sweet father and son moment captured. Mark was consoling my nephew for some reason I can’t remember. They are so handsome. 🙂
A picture with my brother! I adore this picture. It’s now on the lock screen on my phone.
Soon enough, Jenny arrived and it was a flurry of pictures as she got her dress and shoes on and we began gathering to start our walk down the aisle.
I managed to walk down the aisle and up the stairs without tripping, although I’m not sure if I was smiling. I remember telling myself to smile. Just not sure I did smile. WHAT IS THAT? I guess we’ll see when the pictures come out!
I was looking forward to seeing my nephew and the flower girl walk down the aisle but my nephew isn’t fond of having ALL of the attention on him and once he saw his mom wasn’t following him, he started crying and ran back to her. Her big grand entrance? On the arm of her father, her other hand holding her crying son’s hand. She took it all in stride, though, more concerned with making sure her son was okay than having her “moment”. (He ended up spending most of the ceremony on my mom’s lap.)
In any event, the ceremony was beautiful and before I knew it, Mark and Jenny were Mr. and Mrs.!
I’m going to be honest here: I’m not a fan of wedding receptions. It’s the introvert in me, I’m sure. But all the dancing and the socializing and the loud music… it’s not my thing. It prompted a conversation on Twitter about dancing at wedding receptions where I learned it’s perfectly acceptable not to have that. I know most people would consider that to be lame, but it’s just not my thing. A sit-down dinner sounds much more my pace!
I did get a fun picture with my favorite little guy! His smile is the best.
Their first dance!
It was a night to remember and I’m happy for the two of them. It’s been thrilling to watch my brother as a boyfriend, then as a fiancé, and now as a husband. He didn’t have a shining example of what a husband should be from my father but he’s proven time and time again that he is nothing like him and has already shown he’s light-years ahead of my father in maturity.
