{ what i remember }

1.
how sooo early we had to wake up, and how excited we all were. even though i was so tired!
2.
Getting hair done. i was still making a list of things i had forgotten, and the hair people were so
funny, and we had a delicious breakfast (our friend brought it to us.) I was done super quick. This is where i saw jed first--he stopped by to get some breakfast too. Daddy was out to buy
some shoes at walmart (he forgot to get some otherwise) for breakfast too, and then went to put bows on the trees. I let emily go to walmart too, to buy some other stuff.  (there were sooo many people who helped me!  it was so nice.)
3.
I went to church to get ready! we had to hurry. first thing, i opened all the blinds in the auditorium. It was morning time and i wanted the light to come in! I saw jed again, and made him take his coat off so i wouldnt see him all dressed up either. he told me the three things he was going to remember, (if nothing else--he ended up remembering more after all.)  plus, We just had a lovely few moments together.
4.
So many people back where i was getting ready, and it was crazy. Someone made them all leave so i could get dressed with mom and my sister, and then they came back and we all prayed, which was sweet. Then Dad came back to see me, and then we almost cried, but didnt quite, and then we took just a few pictures, and then it was time to go!
5.
I LOVED my flowers. they were fun, and romantic and classic and perfect. they fit in wonderfully.
6.
I had a few minutes all to myself while everyone else was busy walking in and i couldnt be seen yet. I watched the flower girls and ring bearers for a few minutes (so they wouldnt be loud--and they were so cute). i tried to listen to the music (it was beautiful, but darn the semi-soundproof doors) and tried to make sure that i really wanted to get married, and i guess i did. i was actually pretty calm by then, and the whole day.  i was really deep-down happy. granted, i was a NERVOUS WRECK for a few weeks previous.  but that day, i got over it.
7.
dad came to get me, and i had to get out a little door, and not get my train caught. before the door slammed. Daddy told me a funny story before we walked in (all crying was done the night before, we were pitiful.). We didnt cry the whole time! or, if they did, i didnt know about it, and i was glad, because i wanted a happy wedding!
8.
I couldnt see jed at first. but when i finally could, i couldnt believe the way he was looking at me.
9.
The music was absolutely beautiful. --during the ceremony it was all live. and it was seriously PERFECT. i walked down to this.
even hearing it now makes me catch my breath a little, especially at the end.
10.
i just felt that everyone was so nervous--i could feel it, you know? they were nervous for me and especially daddy. and so when i was walking up on stage, i tripped and couldnt help but laugh out loud. everyone laughed with me, and it was much better! everyone could breathe again.
11.
The sermon was perfect. It was literary and memorable and fit jed and i to a tee. gah. i couldnt get over it.
12.
i couldnt decide if we were supposed to sing or not with everyone. a friend suggest that we just talk in such a way to produce "gentle smiles" i think we did half and half, although i dont know if i remember what we said--probably things along the lines of "can you BELIEVE the number of people here?!" because there were probably 400 people at the wedding proper and about 385 at the reception.
13.
We took communion with our parents. I got too big of a piece of bread on accident and had to chew it for quite some time, it felt like.
14.
it was a perfectly sweet kiss.
14.
the pastor said "WHAT GOD HAS JOINED TOGETHER, LET NO MAN TEAR ASUNDER" very well. i always wanted that said in an old-fashioned pastoral booming voice, and he delivered.
15.
We were supposed to walk back down (or up?) the aisle to "How sweet it is to be loved by you." At the rehersal, they played some ridiculous country song about beer and my baby's loving arms. At the wedding, my dad snuck back on stage and they performed a version of how sweet it is LIVE! about halfway down the asile, i came to the realization that it wasnt james taylor singing...it was my...dad?!?!?!!!! i tripped once again trying to see, and trying to show jed and all of that. I'm sure it was halirious. And we went in the hallway, and hugged and squealed and laughed and kissed and then went back to listen more, and i think i cried a little then and laughed and couldnt believe it. it was so sweet, and he (and all the musicians) sounded SO good. i LOVED it. and so did everyone. i had no idea in the slightest.

16. 

we had a parade over to the reception place.  as dad explained it to everyone: "it was like a funeral, but different!"  that meant that we all got in a line, and honked and waved and the like.  super fun.

17.  

dad had a friend with a 1920s ford that actually ran. jed and i rode in that, but when we went to get in, the groomsmen hadnt put the just married sign on the back yet, so they had to hurry and do that.  except it ended up going all the way around the car, except just on the back, and it was kindof halirious.  there was no air conditioning in the car, (duh) so it was a toss-up between being cooler, or guarding my hairdo.

18.  

the reception was absolutely gorgeous and fun.

there were lots of windows, and lots of light.  the food smelled so good (and later, it tasted good.)  there were balloons, and cake, and buttons to wear, and little flowers, and happy music. it was, in a word, perfect.

19.  

jed and i stood at the door and welcomed/greeted people.  i hugged so many people in a row!  i couldnt believe some of the people who came from so far away even, and it was so lovely to see so many people whom i loved all at once, and even the doctor who delivered jed. (thats tremont for you).  i was dying of heat though, and the line was forever long, and i was so thirsty.  finally someone brought me some water, and i was so grateful.

20. 

 we cut in line (i know!) and got some food.  the stuff i had was super good! (eggs, and spicy, cheesy eggs, too. hashbrowns, bacon & sausage, fruit, pastries, french toast-stuff (my favorite), buicuits and gravy. omg.     

21.  

jed and i had a little table in the middle of everyone.  it was up high, and it was hard to get into my chair.  

22.

we went the IPOD route for the reception, but i picked all my favorite happy songs.  These are the songs i remember hearing: baby, baby (amy grant), strawberry swing (coldplay), all shook up (elvis), glycerine (bush), flowers in the window (travis), and you are my sunshine (bob dylan and johnny cash) and 1234 (feist).  but there were more!  when you are my sunshine came on,  dad was just like "what the heck is this?!" and jed passed all blame onto me.  oh well. how can you go wrong with bob & johnny?!  i didnt apologize.  i still dont. the whole thing was quite happy.   except im still not sure where baby, baby came from.   alas.

23.

the cake table was like something out of my dreams--all those beautiful cupcakes all lined up!  i loved it.  and our little cake was so beautiful.  apparently my parents and i had very similar looking cakes, but i had no idea when i was designing mine that it looked like theirs!  i must have been subconsciously influenced.  it was super good cake, and jed, who doesnt even like cake, liked it.  we didnt really smash it, except for we still got messy, anyway.

24. 

after that, we delievered cupcakes to people (not just us, but the whole bridal party and our parents).  that was fun, too.

25.  

around this time, a kid (who's name i didnt even know) started following me around (kindof annoyingly, actually, but i didnt know his name so i couldnt even tell him to go away (after asking if he needed something?  and even giving him a hug.)  he kept following me, and i kept ignoring him, and eventually he stepped on my bustle and it broke. and being such a mess, i had nothing to fix it with, but someone had a big huge safety pin, thankfully.  it didnt want to hold well, though, and so for the rest of the day we were fixing it.

26.  

we just talked and laughed with people for a while.  it seemed so short, and i know i didnt get to talk to everyone i really wanted to (except for in the big long line).

27. 

when it was time to leave, jed and i got to walk through a tunnel of streamers, which was great.  a little out of pride and prejudice, which isnt bad.  we got back in the old car and drove around the parking lot.  then we didnt know what to do, so we came back to the last few minutes of the party.  we took pictures with our extended families and stuff. and then more with the bridal party somewhere else and then jed and i went to take a few more pictures at this wonderful old house, where i wanted to have the wedding, if about 300 fewer people were coming.  

28.  

all in all, it was the most beautiful day.   it really was.  and we just talked about it for the next 48 hours or so, every little thing we remembered, so we wouldnt forget.  so far, so good.  it was exactly as i thought it ought to have  been, and exactly just like us, and exactly perfect.  and we are happy.(!)