You're My Everything: Big Group Photos

The instant the parent dances were over, we scooted into the hallway outside the ballroom to take some group photos.  This part of the evening is the only chapter that caused stress and the mildest case of unhappiness.  It wasn't terribly well planned, communicated, or executed, resulting in people running all over the place and missing photos they belonged in.  Additionally, we had guests handing their personal cameras to other guests and the photographer's assistant, so each posed group had to smile for a small handful of cameras, drawing out the entire process.  All the while, Mr. Snow Cone and I stood there, hoping this part would wrap up quickly so we could get back to celebrating and growing antsy and mildly upset when it felt like it was dragging on. 

I don't mean to sound ungrateful for these photos, as it's nice to have some shots of the various family and friend groups.  However, truth be told, I still can't really look at these pictures without feeling badly.  I feel bad that I caused myself and Mr. Snow Cone stress by not planning this out better, I feel bad that certain loved ones didn't make it to the photo station in time to be involved in all of their shots, I feel bad that those loved ones in turn felt bad, and so on.  The fact of the matter is, the photos didn't go that badly.  They just seemed to be chaotic in comparison to how perfectly the rest of the evening was going.  

After the wedding, Mr. Snow Cone and I talked through the evening, and we both came up with some solutions for how to reduce the stress associated with corralling a couple dozen people in various permutations.

• We could have asked them to stay a few minutes after the ceremony at the church to grab the group shots at that point.
• We could have posed for group shots with each table during the dinner hour, as each of these groups of guests only really spanned a table or two.  It would have been simpler had we come to them instead of expecting 10-20 people to show up in the same place in the same time.
• We could have had the DJ announce which group was supposed to exit the party for a quick photo at what time, so there would be fewer missed individuals.
• We could have communicated more clearly to our guests that these photos would be available for purchase and sharing after the wedding, so they didn't need to capture this group on their own respective cameras.

Like I said, the photos are nice to have, and they'll serve as great keepsakes as we move forward in our marriage.  Without further ado, we have Mr. Snow Cone's maternal side of the family:

Mr. Snow Cone's college friends:

Mr. Snow Cone's college friends hoisting him up, causing me great happiness:

Our collective high school friends:

My college friends:

The paternal side of my family:

The maternal side of my family:

Us with my cousin and his fiancée, who married barely a month later:

The paternal side of Mr. Snow Cone's family:

Us with Mr. Snow Cone's great uncle who passed away about a month after our wedding:

 

Once all of our group photos were done, we quickly re-joined the dance floor and let loose!

All photos by the amazing Christina Garber

• We spent a low-key night with some of my friends and family.

We ran some errands and received some one-of-a-kind brewskies.

I had a moderate-sized freak-out at the rehearsal.

I went toe-to-toe with the priest over a few significant details.

We expressed our gratitude to our bridal party, without any tears (almost)!

We dined and drank our way through our rehearsal dinner.

We threw an after party with a birthday twist.

We spent the morning getting beautified and relaxing.

A peek into the details of my wedding-day look.

I had some private time with my mom, becoming a bride.

I revealed my bridal look, twice!

I enjoyed a pre-ceremony portrait session with my favorite people.

Mr. Snow Cone’s crowd modeled for the camera.

We set the scene for the ceremony.

I waited like a caged tiger while the processional began.

I finally made my way down the aisle to my handsome groom.

We listened to the first part of our ceremony.

We exchanged our vows and our rings.

We wrapped our ceremony and shared our first kiss!

We had a receiving line and posed for church portraits.

Our wedding crashed an Amish field trip.

Mr. Snow Cone and I strolled down a familiar street.

We basked in the details of our beautiful reception.

We took some fun group pictures on the golf course.

We had a bride and groom portrait session.

We mixed and mingled at cocktail hour.

We entered our reception, in grand style.

We were toasted by four special guests.

We cut the cake and enjoyed our wedding dinner.

I fell on my butt as we had our first dance.

We danced with our parents to surprise songs.

You're My Everything: Surprise Parent Dances

As the final notes of our first dance song waned down, Mr. Snow Cone swapped positions with my dad and we went right into the father-daughter dance.  I was really looking forward to this part of the evening, because I had no idea what song my dad had selected for this symbolic dance.  As my dad strode out to meet me on the dance floor, the DJ announced that we'd be dancing to "You'll Be in My Heart" from Disney's Tarzan.  

Immediately, I was smitten.  My family is populated with Disney-lovers, but I like to think I take the cake in my adoration for all things Mickey Mouse.  On top of that, my dad and I have had a special Disney bond since I was a wee little tot.  I don't remember it, but apparently my dad proved to be quite the softie when it came to Disney souvenirs for me when I was very young.  On my first trip for Disney, he made a last-minute trip to a gift shop to purchase a ceramic music box figurine so I'd have something from my first trip there.  A few years later, I, according to my parents, lusted hard after a full-blown Minnie Mouse costume.  Apparently all it took was one set of pleading eyes directed at my father, and I was the proud owner of the beloved garment.  So, when you take all of that into consideration, dancing to a Disney song that had a completely perfect father-daughter sentiment was only fitting.

His first words to me when he swept me up into his arms?  He asked to make sure I was OK from my fall.  Whatta guy. Once that was covered, we shared a really sweet dance that I can't think of without getting teary-eyed.  It was fun and light-hearted, but with the appropriate amount of sentimentality.

 

Come stop your crying, it will be alright.
Just take my hand, hold it tight.
I will protect from all around you,
I will be here, don't you cry.

For one so small, you seem so strong.
My arms will hold you. keep you safe and warm.
This bond between us can't be broken,
I will be here, don't you cry.

One of my favorite photos of the whole day

'Cause you'll be in my heart.
Yes, you'll be in my heart.
From this day on, now and forever more.

You'll be in my heart, no matter what they say.
You'll be here in my heart, always.

Why can't they understand the way we feel?

They just don't trust what they can't explain.

  I know we're different but, deep inside us, we're not that different at all.

And you'll be in my heart.
Yes, you'll be in my heart.
From this day on, now and forever more.

Don't listen to them, 'cause what do they know?

We need each other, to have, to hold.

They'll see, in time, I know.

 
When destiny calls you, you must be strong.

'Cause I may not be with you, but you've got to hold on.

They'll see in time, I know.

We'll show them together.

'Cause you'll be in my heart, yes, you'll be in my heart.

From this day on, now and forever more.
Oh, you'll be in my heart, no matter what they say.

You'll be in my heart, always.  

Just look over your shoulder, I'll be there for you always.

Mr. Snow Cone and his mom took to the dance floor, dancing to Frank Sinatra's "Too Marvelous for Words."  After hearing about my dad's decision to pick a surprise song, MIL Snow Cone decided to take the same route, so this song selection was a surprise for Mr. Snow Cone.

You're just too marvelous, too marvelous for words.
Like "glorious," "glamorous," and that old standby "amorous."
It's all too wonderful, I'll never find the words.
That say enough, tell enough, I mean they just aren't swell enough.

You're much too much, and just too "very, very" to ever be in Webster's Dictionary.
And so I'm borrowing a love song from the birds
To tell you that you're marvelous - too marvelous for words.

At the conclusion of the song, the DJ surprised everyone by playing a message MIL Snow Cone had left on his answering machine, listing her song selection and discussing her love for her son.  In her words, he was the best accident she ever had.  Cue uproarious laughter.

All photos by the amazing Christina Garber

• We spent a low-key night with some of my friends and family.
• We ran some errands and received some one-of-a-kind brewskies.
• I had a moderate-sized freak-out at the rehearsal.
• I went toe-to-toe with the priest over a few significant details.
• We expressed our gratitude to our bridal party, without any tears (almost)!
• We dined and drank our way through our rehearsal dinner.
• We threw an after party with a birthday twist.
• We spent the morning getting beautified and relaxing.
• A peek into the details of my wedding-day look.
• I had some private time with my mom, becoming a bride.
• I revealed my bridal look, twice!
• I enjoyed a pre-ceremony portrait session with my favorite people.
• Mr. Snow Cone’s crowd modeled for the camera.
• We set the scene for the ceremony.
• I waited like a caged tiger while the processional began.
• I finally made my way down the aisle to my handsome groom.
• We listened to the first part of our ceremony.
• We exchanged our vows and our rings.
• We wrapped our ceremony and shared our first kiss!
• We had a receiving line and posed for church portraits.
• Our wedding crashed an Amish field trip.
• Mr. Snow Cone and I strolled down a familiar street.
• We basked in the details of our beautiful reception.
• We took some fun group pictures on the golf course.
• We had a bride and groom portrait session.
• We mixed and mingled at cocktail hour.
• We entered our reception, in grand style.
• We were toasted by four special guests.
• We cut the cake and enjoyed our wedding dinner.
• I fell on my butt as we had our first dance.

You're My Everything: A Perfectly Imperfect First Dance

Once dinner had come to an end, it was time for us to open the dance floor with our first dance.  Now, in the photo below, you'll notice that Mr. Snow Cone is blatantly laughing during our first dance, which is usually one of the most sentimental, emotional parts of a wedding. 

 Here's the deal.

After we cut the cake, I was hell-bent on getting some of that chocolate-y goodness.  When we noticed that slices had emerged on the sweetheart table, I made Mr. Snow Cone stop visiting with our guests so we could each enjoy a little slice of heaven.  During that point in time, Mr. Snow Cone glanced at his watch for the first time and we were both dismayed to realize that the evening was progressing far more quickly than we had expected.  As a result, Mr. Snow Cone snarfed his cake down in about three bites and scurried off to the DJ to inform him that we were ready to start dancing ASAP.

I, however, was not finished with my cake, so I kept on munching.  That's right, I was sitting at a sweetheart table without a sweetheart.  A party of one.

Photo by my brother P

Given how yummy our cake was, though, I didn't mind being left alone.  My sweetheart was my chocolate peanut butter cake.  I was innocently sitting there, leisurely enjoying the dessert, when I heard the first few chords of our first dance song, "Everything" by Michael Bublé.  I felt like I was late to my own first dance, so I inhaled what was left of my cake and scurried out onto the dance floor.  I guess I was a little imprecise in my footing while I scurried, though.  The DJ was announcing our first dance and I had just reached for Mr. Snow Cone's hand when I accidentally put the satin part of my shoe on the dance floor, instead of the rubber sole, and I slipped.  And by "slipped," I don't mean that I almost lost my balance and thankfully caught myself, staving off embarrassment.  Nope, by "slipped," I mean that one foot shot out from underneath me and I completely and totally collapsed onto the dance floor, hip first.  I was so humiliated.  My gown was satin and tight in the bodice, so by the time I realized I was on my back on the dance floor, I felt like a bug on my back, unable to get up.  Thankfully, Mr. Snow Cone was right next to me, grabbed my hand, and pulled me up and into his arms.  And, away we went!

Mr. Snow Cone has the (un)fortunate tendency to laugh heartily when something goofy happens, and apparently a bride eating it on her wedding day falls into that category.  And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why he is guffawing in this picture from our first dance.

In case you needed a reminder

I spent the first minute or so smashing my face into Mr. Snow Cone's so I didn't have to meet anyone's eyes, repeating "I fell.  I can't believe I fell."  All the while, Mr. Snow Cone gleefully confirmed to me that yes, I fell; yes, it was funny; no, it wasn't going to be our guests' most lasting memory of the evening; and no, it wasn't the end of the world.

His positive outlook helped me to snap out of my embarrassment.  I remembered that this was my first dance with my new husband, and I only get one of those, so I may as well enjoy it.  For the rest of the dance, I swayed happily with my favorite person in the world while our guests looked on.

You're a falling star, You're the getaway car.
You're the line in the sand when I go too far.
You're the swimming pool, on an August day.
And you're the perfect thing to say.

And you play it coy, but it's kinda cute.
Ah, when you smile at me you know exactly what you do.
Baby, don't pretend, that you don't know it's true.
'Cause you can see it when I look at you.

And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you, you make me sing.
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.

You're a carousel, you're a wishing well,
And you light me up, when you ring my bell.
You're a mystery, you're from outer space,
You're every minute of my every day.

And I can't believe, uh, that I'm your man,
And I get to kiss you baby just because I can.
Whatever comes our way, ah, we'll see it through,
And you know that's what our love can do.

 And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you, you make me sing.
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything. 

 So, La, La, La, La, La, La, La
So, La, La, La, La, La, La, La

And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you, You make me sing.
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.
You're every song, and I sing along.
'Cause you're my everything.

Photo by brother P

Turns out Mr. Snow Cone was right, and my little accident wasn't the lasting impression of the evening for most people.  In fact, it happened so fast that not a single photo of it has surfaced!  One of my good friends came up to me shortly after the fall and said that it was fitting for me, because I try to plan everything to be perfect, but, at the same time, I'm a big spaz and not afraid to laugh at myself.  In her opinion, my fall gave me the opportunity to show that off to all of our guests.  Similarly, one of Mr. Snow Cone's cousins proclaimed that it was her favorite part of the evening, because Mr. Snow Cone picked me up so quickly.  To her, it highlighted how much we support and help each other.  

When all was said and done, it was certainly not what I planned and more than a bit embarrassing.  Pretty immediately after the song, though, I was over it.  My tumble has now permanently cemented itself in the glory of our wedding day.  Moving forward, it will forever be one of those stories that gets told over and over.  I'm looking forward to having angsty pre-teen daughters who are so embarrassed about something minor and bursting their bubble by reminding them that their mother fell flat on her butt at her own wedding, in front of a few hundred people, and life marched on.  Totally worth the bruise on my hip the next morning.

All photos by the amazing Christina Garber unless otherwise noted

• We spent a low-key night with some of my friends and family.
• We ran some errands and received some one-of-a-kind brewskies.
• I had a moderate-sized freak-out at the rehearsal.
• I went toe-to-toe with the priest over a few significant details.
• We expressed our gratitude to our bridal party, without any tears (almost)!
• We dined and drank our way through our rehearsal dinner.
• We threw an after party with a birthday twist.
• We spent the morning getting beautified and relaxing.
• A peek into the details of my wedding-day look.
• I had some private time with my mom, becoming a bride.
• I revealed my bridal look, twice!
• I enjoyed a pre-ceremony portrait session with my favorite people.
• Mr. Snow Cone’s crowd modeled for the camera.
• We set the scene for the ceremony.
• I waited like a caged tiger while the processional began.
• I finally made my way down the aisle to my handsome groom.
• We listened to the first part of our ceremony.
• We exchanged our vows and our rings.
• We wrapped our ceremony and shared our first kiss!
• We had a receiving line and posed for church portraits.
• Our wedding crashed an Amish field trip.
• Mr. Snow Cone and I strolled down a familiar street.
• We basked in the details of our beautiful reception.
• We took some fun group pictures on the golf course.
• We had a bride and groom portrait session.
• We mixed and mingled at cocktail hour.
• We entered our reception, in grand style.
• We were toasted by four special guests.
• We cut the cake and enjoyed our wedding dinner.

You're My Everything: Let's Eat!

Once the final toast had concluded, it was time for us to cut into the cake!  As I mentioned earlier, based on some droopy cake, we made the game-time decision to cut our cake relatively early in the reception, which turned out to be a very smooth switch.  Our coordinator came to the cake table and motioned for us to join her while Dean Martin's "That's Amore" played.  We quickly found a spot where the ribbon ends met each other on one of the bottom tiers, pulled the ribbon apart, and dove in!

That's my "I'm concentrating" face, complete with the tip of the tongue sticking out.

Mr. Snow Cone knew better than to even consider cake-smashing.  About an hour after we got engaged, I made him promise that absolutely, positively, under no condition would a crumb of cake intentionally end up on my face.  I was confident he'd stay true to his word, but I also slipped one final reminder/warning as we were preparing to feed each other.  He responded with an exasperated but not entirely surprised, "Trust me, I know!"

I don't know what I thought was so funny at this exact moment, but I think I was just pleased as punch at every single second of every minute, regardless of what was actually happening.

When all was said and done, our focused effort with the cake-cutting resulted in barely a dent.  I shouldn't really be surprised, though, considering that I struggle to cut a pan of brownies with any level of skill or precision.

Photo by my brother P 

We returned to our seats as GM A provided a blessing for the meal.  We asked him to do the blessing about a week prior to the big day, but reminding him slipped off the to-do list.  As a result, he was pretty bewildered when he was handed the mike, having forgotten about our request.  He handled it really well, providing a good impromptu prayer for the whole group.

And with that, dinner was served!  Mr. Snow Cone and I spent a lot of time picking out our menu, aiming for a truly personalized meal.  For the first course, we had a chilled strawberry soup, which was Mr. Snow Cone's most favorite dish from our spring break cruise to the Bahamas in college.  A lot of our guests had never had anything quite like it before, and it was perfect on our balmy August wedding day!

Next, we had a bibb and spinach salad.  No particular personal significance there; salad's just good.

For our main course, we offered our guests the choice between chicken cordon bleu and a vegetarian lasagna.  My personal favorite part of the meal, though, would have to be the family-style bowls of macaroni and cheese we had at each table.  Macaroni and cheese is my favorite food, and I was pretty much adamant that it show up at the wedding.  We couldn't figure out how to present it on the plated main courses, so we decided to plop a big bowl of it at each table, letting people take as much or as little as they wanted.  It provided a really casual, fun twist to the otherwise formal meal.  Judging by how many comments we heard about the m&c, I'd have to say it was our guests' favorite detail of the meal!

Our sweetheart table worked out wonderfully.  I half-expected a relatively constant stream of guests coming up to the table, which would have been perfectly fine.  Instead, it was like we were surrounded by a miniature force field.  We enjoyed our wedding meal just the two of us, remarking at how smoothly the day was going and reminding each other to take in the moment.  Eating dinner, largely by ourselves, was one of the highlights of the entire day.  It allowed us to slow the pace down and actually be with each other.  We weren't expected to pose for pictures, and we temporarily let ourselves off the hook visiting with guests.  We truly had nothing to do for a few precious minutes besides enjoy each other's company and our delicious meals. 

Before the reception, Mr. Snow Cone and I decided we'd try to visit every table during dinner, but we also intended to enjoy our meals.  We pretty much decided to eat as much as we wanted and make the most of the remaining time to visit with guests.  We didn't end up visiting even half of the tables, but given that we had a receiving line and cocktail hour, it wasn't a big faux pas on our part.  When we did visit, we started with our families who had traveled from out of town, figuring we'd spent the "party" portion of the reception with the younger crowd.  Even though we weren't terribly successful in our goal of visiting every table, it was still nice to get up from our sweetheart table and get some one-on-one conversations in with our guests.

 Above 3 photos by brother P

With dinner served and guests visited, the dancing part of our evening was set to begin (and trust me, that's not a recap you want to miss!).

All photos by the amazing Christina Garber unless otherwise noted

• We spent a low-key night with some of my friends and family.
• We ran some errands and received some one-of-a-kind brewskies.
• I had a moderate-sized freak-out at the rehearsal.
• I went toe-to-toe with the priest over a few significant details.
• We expressed our gratitude to our bridal party, without any tears (almost)!
• We dined and drank our way through our rehearsal dinner.
• We threw an after party with a birthday twist.
• We spent the morning getting beautified and relaxing.
• A peek into the details of my wedding-day look.
• I had some private time with my mom, becoming a bride.
• I revealed my bridal look, twice!
• I enjoyed a pre-ceremony portrait session with my favorite people.
• Mr. Snow Cone’s crowd modeled for the camera.
• We set the scene for the ceremony.
• I waited like a caged tiger while the processional began.
• I finally made my way down the aisle to my handsome groom.
• We listened to the first part of our ceremony.
• We exchanged our vows and our rings.
• We wrapped our ceremony and shared our first kiss!
• We had a receiving line and posed for church portraits.
• Our wedding crashed an Amish field trip.
• Mr. Snow Cone and I strolled down a familiar street.
• We basked in the details of our beautiful reception.
• We took some fun group pictures on the golf course.
• We had a bride and groom portrait session.
• We mixed and mingled at cocktail hour.
• We entered our reception, in grand style.
• We were toasted by four special guests.