Wow, we haven't updated in a LONG time! We are just getting back to the normal swing of things as things begin to calm down from the wedding.
Here is what I remember of the events leading up to the wedding, and the wedding!
The whole weekend was wonderful! The festivities started on Wednesday when Scott's uncle came into town on Wednesday (July 1st). Scott was extremely excited to see his uncle, and I was excited to meet the first of his extended family, and so we had a very nice dinner at our apartment with both of our immediate families (parents/siblings). Thinking back on it, I wish we'd have gotten some photos of the delightful evening.
Thursday was spent getting final things in order, because on Friday morning, my mom, sister, and I took all of the wedding stuff to the Synagogue so it would be there on Sunday. (You cannot drop things off on Saturday because it is Shabbat, the day of rest.) After unpacking all of the baked goods, candle holders, programs, and even the wedding dress, we organized the bridal room so it would be all ready for us when we got there on Sunday.
Friday was the wedding rehearsal (before Shabbat). First the orchestra came to rehearse and warm-up. Then, the bridal party, grooms party, and immediate family came for our practice run-through. Thing actually went pretty smooth (at least, they seemed to for me!), and it was fun to see how things would play out the day of the wedding. Jewish superstition says that a bride cannot rehearse walking down the isle (it's considered very bad luck), so our dear family friend Linda (who was helping us out for the wedding!) sent her husband down for me...I think that was my favorite part of the rehearsal! The rehearsal was followed by Shabbat services and dinner, which all went very nicely. My Zayde made a toast, which pretty much became the theme of toasts along the lines of "Lots of Happiness, Lots of Love, and Lot's of babies!"
Saturday, which was the 4th of July, Scott and I had an auf ruf, or "candy throwing" at services. We got to give our last torah blessing as "single folk", and then our families came up and gave us a blessing. After services we ate kiddush luncheon, and then headed home for a quick change of clothing. Even though it was Shabbat, we decided to do all of our flowers ourselves. So, my dad, Scott, and I drove all over town buying several bunches of flowers to make the boutonnières, and corsages, and my bouquet with. We ended up getting caught in a down-pour, and had to run home once again for a quick "costume change" before the BBQ Scott's parents hosted. The BBQ was wonderful, and the weather decided to be very nice by the time we got there! (Thank goodness!) I met lots of Scott's extended family, and I enjoyed eating the dolmas and babaganoush! (My advice to future brides...let me tell you...that eggplant will come back to haunt you!)
That night Scott and I stayed up until 4:30am making our flowers! I'm not gonna lie, we were really tired the next day, but it was nice to save several thousand dollars! (Bridal bouquets on a holiday weekend started at an average of $300-$400! And what I wanted would have cost $700 --just for my bouquet! Yikes.) I started with my bouquet first. When I had practiced, I had found beautiful dark purple cala-lilies. But, being it was the Fourth-of-July weekend, red-white-and-blue flowers were much easier to find than purple! But, we did find a decent variety of purple flowers, including some beautiful irises. The first time I made the bouquet, it looked a little funny because the irises sat to high, so it looked like a giant firework! (Appropriate for the weekend, I know!), so I took it apart and redid it. It was pretty easy to make, but because the flowers are so delicate, it took about 3 hours to make my bouquet. Scott helped my with the rest of the corsages and boutonnières for the wedding parties, mothers/fathers, grandparents, and the orchestra. I think the hardest part was finding containers for all the flowers, and staying awake.
We both fell fast asleep, and 7am came way too early that morning. Worse is I woke up with a 102.3 fever! (I had been fighting a bad sinus infection and was on antibiotics, but went off them the day before so I wouldn't have an upset stomach on my wedding day...BAD IDEA!) We had forgotten pins for the flowers, so Scott ran out to buy some until my mom and sister picked me up. Getting into the van, I hit my head really hard on the door, and between no coffee, no sleep, and running a bad fever, I ended up bawling!
Luckily, my mom and sister, being the well-prepared girl scouts they are, whipped out a frozen ice pack for my head, and we stopped by Caribou on the way to Bnai Emet. But the time we got there, the ice had shrunken the bump on my head, the caffeine was kicking in, and I was starting to feel slightly high from my cold meds. I got the rollers heated up, and by the time they were in my hair, most of the bridesmaids were there. Things were pretty calm. I was getting pretty loopy from no-sleep/cold meds/too much caffeine, so my mom pulled out some bagel and cream cheese, and licorice, and I ate and felt better. And I laid-off more caffeine.
The girls and Peter were doing their hair and nails, and everyone seemed to be having a good time.
By 1pm, Sean arrived (the *amazing* event guy), and things were getting into place. I went to go finish my hair, and by 2pm, I was doing make-up. By that point my tylenol had warn off, and I was feeling a little anxious. I remember having a very large need for space! At one point in the crowded bridal room, I remember saying "I love you all, but right now, I just really need some space!" By 2:20, I was stepping into the dress, and by 2:30, Laya was standing on a chair and pinning my veil on me! The dress is my cousin's, and is an absolutely *GORGEOUS* dress! But, it is almost impossible to move in! At that point, I was pretty much a bride-zilla in that I would not let anyone come near me! Talya became my body guard (she get's the anxiety/space thing), and when-ever I wanted to go somewhere, she would have to help me with the dress...I joked that I had a small country behind me...lol.
The photographer arrived at about 2:30, and got some amazing shots in the bridal room! (She's really great!) We then proceeded to do all the large family photos, Scott and I photos, and photos with my orchestra students! We will have our pictures shortly, (it takes about 3 weeks), and it's nice to have something to look forward to after all the excitement!
By 4:45, we were escorted down to the library with our parents, siblings, and 2 Jewish witnesses for the Ketubah signing. We hung out with the Rabbi and Cantor for a but, and before I knew it, we were lined up and ready to start the wedding!
The wedding party had their candles lit, and I felt amazingly less anxious. (I think less people moving around, meant more space for me and my dress!) The processional went so quick, and before I knew it, my parents were escorting me down the aisle, while Scott waited for me at the bottom of the stairs. Both parents hugged and kissed me, and then I was left to walk around my groom. I felt like we were a King and a Queen. The ceremony was beautiful, and to be honest, I don't remember much about it. It flew by *SO* quick! After the ceremony, Scott and I were whisked away for the Yichud, or a few moments of quiet togetherness, where we ate a little food (thank G-d, I was so hungry!), and I changed very quickly into another dress that was a little easier to move in (although, not as beautiful!)
We were announced as "Mr. and Mrs. Edgar", and when we came out, Ned's band was playing "Bei Mir, Bist Du Shane" (By Me, You're Beautiful), which was a song my great aunt used to sing to me a lot! We danced a very impromptu dance, and then sat down to eat some food. There were toasts (pretty much the same...be happy, love each other, have lots of babies!), and then Scott and I tried to make some rounds before the meal ended. I was sad we were not able to get to everyone! Pretty soon we cut the cake, and before we knew it, we were being lifted up on chairs by our friends and family to Hava Ngila! That had to have been one of the best Hora's of my life.
People were leaving by this point, and after 85% of the people had left, our friend Mike played us "Some Where Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" on Ukulele for our first dance. It was quiet, and I enjoyed having a more intimate crowd of our close friends. Scott's dad got a chance to play with the band, and Laya, Alia, and I got a chance to catch up with Ned and Bob from Augsburg (which was a hoot and a half!) We finished thing up with a mad bouquet toss...I'm not really sure who got it, but I remember turning around and seeing all the ladies in a pile, and bits of my bouquet flying around! (I have to admit I was sad I had spent almost 3 hours making it to see it falling apart!)
We were able to clean up pretty quick, and get everything back to our apartment. Our friends invited us out for drinks, and even though it was late, we wanted to stay awake because we were leaving for our honeymoon in 4 hours at 4am! So, we went out, ate a little, and somehow managed to stay awake until we got to the airport. Peter was *AMAZINGLY* awake when he drove us...I was impressed! (And thankful we didn't have to take a taxi!) As soon as we got on the plane, I took some cold meds, and I was out cold and pretty much slept until we got to Mexico, minus the stop in Atlanta.
The honeymoon in Cancun was also wonderful. Quiet and relaxing...exactly what we both needed. And it was nice to have some time just the two of us after the family togetherness over the previous weekend. But, more about the honeymoon another time, because I have already written a book! I will leave you with some photos of the wedding, taken by our friends:
Laya and my mom, pinning the veil my mother made me on my head:
Kiss from my groom during pictures with the photographer:
Right after the ceremony before Scott broke the glass:
Dancing the hora, while our friends/family threw us up on chairs:
At Friday, post wedding trying to stay awake until we left for our honeymoon:
And one from our Honeymoon, off the balcony in front of the ocean:
