2 Weeks Before...
I was rushing around. I had just moved into what would become "our apartment" in just 14 short days. Between work and last minute wedding arrangements, I was overwhelmed, tired and thinking "in addition to all this chaos, I still have to get married??" I was beginning to realize how challenging it was to mold two completely different lives into one; one 24 hour period. One apartment. One closet. And one...bathroom. "Hmmm..." I thought as I surveyed the new digs.
4 Days Before...
Of course I took off work several days before the wedding. After all, I still had all of his stuff to put (somewhere) in our apartment. Family and friends were coming into town and I was still trying to deal with the less-than-reliable limo company who, at the last minute, scheduled maintenance to be done on the day of our wedding for the 14 passenger limo I'd reserved for our 12 member wedding party! I was feeling stressed and frustrated with my perfect knight in shining armor groom who decided to forgo hiring a cleaning company for his old apartment. I turned into the cleaning company (free of charge, of course). "This is not how I was wanting or expecting to feel 4 days before my wedding!", I thought. "I thought I was going to be somewhat calm and anticipating my perfect wedding day complete with out-of-this-world reception lighting, romantic flowers, and a killer custom wedding gown. I REALLY don't want to be feeling stressed right now".
The Day Before...
I was so excited for the rehearsal :) All of our friends were finally in town to celebrate! Things were going pretty smoothly and I had a fab new dress for the rehearsal dinner. I cried as we practiced my dad walking me down the aisle. The music sounded so beautiful in the ethereal chapel. This was going to be a fantastic wedding! Sure, a few things may go wrong here and there, but no biggie! The most important thing was that Dave and I would be married in 24 hours, right? That's what everyone kept telling me anyway...
The Day Of...
It was finally here!! I was out of bed on time and off to the shower. My Day-Of coordinator arrived, as did the photographer and florist to deliver EXACTLY what I had ordered, except they were more beautiful than I had envisioned. Maybe it was because things were going too well, but when I look out the window of our hotel, I saw clouds rolling over the Rocky Mountains and they eventually smothered downtown Colorado Springs with a wet overcast. Usually I wouldn't mind the weather (I love rain and clouds!) but I had specific spots around downtown and the wedding chapel where I wanted outdoor pictures. Would they turn out? Then, due to weather, there was some opposition to all of the super-special outdoor photos I'd been dreaming of since selecting the gorgeous ceremony site. And after a few other mishaps with the morning, I was feeling edgy, nervous and disappointed with the way things were turning out. This wasn't how it was supposed to be going. I'd seen beautiful, flawless weddings on TV! It was supposed to be the "happiest day of my life!" where everything would be perfectly romantic. The bridal magazines had picture after picture of perfect "Real" brides who just couldn't get enough of their groom and the party and the ooey gooey love fest going on all around them, or at least that's how it appeared...
Alas, we captured some beautiful photos and spent some time with our friends and family before the wedding. I was still a little on edge but I was beginning to get into the zone where I was focusing on the vows I was about to exchange and the feeling of that long, epic walk down the aisle. Things were well and yes, Dave and I would be married. At that particular point, that's all that mattered. So the processional music began and I stood with my dad waiting for my perfect moment to enter...
