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As expected, I have so much to write about, it makes me not want to write anything at all. But of course that just won't do, so here goes. The Aftermath posts will be a series in 3 parts: wedding, honeymoon, and LA reception.
Friday: Ryan and I took the day off work to prepare for the wedding. In the morning, I had a mild panic attack because the flowers had not arrived by noon (scheduled for morning delivery) and the vendor was not picking up the phone. Luckily, they called shortly after noon to let me know they were on their way. WHEW. I planned to make a snarky remark when they arrived but the flowers looked so nice (and they gave us extra buds) that all I could do was thank them repeatedly and clap my hands like a ten year old. From there, I cleaned and organized the flowers while family members popped in and out of the house to say hi. In the afternoon, we met up with out-of-towners who were in-town for a late lunch and then it was back to the house for more prepping. That night, Ryan went out downtown with his friends while I met my friends for late night burritos.
Saturday: In the morning, Uttara (who stayed with us on Friday) and I dropped off the flowers and vases at Sophie's and then went to my final yoga class as a single woman. Afterwards, my mom, sis, and Uncle Jamie arrived in San Diego and we all puttered around before heading to Estancia for the rehearsal. It was freezing cold but we ran through the ceremony a few times on the Olive Lawn before making the executive decision to move the ceremony indoors. The back up indoor space was still quite lovely so it worked out for the best. My mom and I were quite relieved to know that weather would not be an issue. That night we dined in the Garden Suite where I had lobster bisque, egg noodle pasta, creme brulee tart, and of course plenty of wine. Ryan remained at the hotel while my family and I drove back to the house. My mom, Alice, and I giggled and gossiped until the wee hours before falling asleep. Strangely, my mom leapt out of bed at 1AM claiming it was too hot (we had the electric blanket on and she was wedged in the middle) and escaped to the guest room. After that, I remained wide eyed for the next hour - possibly because I was nervous or possibly because I was hungry. Finally, I went downstairs to eat some leftover burrito before going back to bed ~3am. Pic of Ryan (now dubbed Mr. Bunny by Monkey) with nephew Riley below.
Sunday: We woke up early and headed to the Estancia at 9:45AM. As scheduled, the hair and makeup lady came at 10 and began prepping my hair first (lots of hot curlers and hairspraying) before moving on to Alice's and my mom's make up. During this time, Uttara and Maya brought over leftover and subsequently saved us from starvation. The hotel did provide plenty of beverages including champagne but we needed solids! While my mom got her makeup done, the girls and I ran out to set up candles and programs, etc. Then Sophie arrived with the gorgeous flowers. Unfortunately I had to return for makeup but luckily Uttara and Maya lent a hand setting up.
Around this time, the photographers arrived and everything was a whirlwind from there. We took lots of pictures getting ready and then met up with Mr. Bunny for bride-groom pictures and immediate family pics. It was pretty cold without a jacket but the scenery was gorgeous so I was definitely excited to get lots of shots (hope they turn out good!). Finally, it was time for the ceremony. Ron did such an amazing job as the officiant. He was so funny and relaxed and everything was so touching. Mr. Bunny and I exchanged our vows, rings, kissed, and broke the glass without a hitch. After the recessional, we barely had a moment to hug our family before a wedding coordinator popped up with a plate of hor'dourves and two glasses of champagne. From there we chowed down before running outside for more chaotic picture taking. At long last, we were allowed to spend the remaining moments of cocktail hour chatting before everyone moved to reception dinner and we were announced as Mr. and Mrs. Gordon.
Dinner was delicious and dancing was so much fun. Alice and Dave's speeches were also hilarious. Everything looked beautiful and turned out so well - the flowers, favors, menus, lighting. The only slight hiccup was that we left a bucket of orange roses for the cake lady to decorate with but the hotel accidentally threw them away. So the cake table wasn't as nicely decorated as I had imagined but whatever, it still looked nice and TASTED HEAVENLY. In all honesty, the entire wedding was more than we could have hoped for. It was intimate and casual (but not too casual) and just a whole lot of fun with people we love. We've got hours of hilarious footage which Mr. Bunny will work his editing magic on (coming to a theater near you). We wrapped everything up around 10:30 and went to our complimentary bridal suite to pass out. But first, holy moly, we got a lot of presents! Mr. Bunny claims that in my drunken state I kept exclaiming how wonderful everyone is after we opened each gift. Finally we went to bed.
In morning, I discovered I had actually fallen asleep on the white petals that had been romantically sprinkled on the bed, causing them to turn crusty and yellow (gross). Ryan had left the sound soother clock on Rain and was mightily confused when he still heard rain after turning it off. Looking outside, we realized just how lucky we were the day before. It looked like a hurricane! Bundled, we rushed over the hotel restaurant for some breakfast with friends before heading to the spa for some much needed relaxing. Feeling rejuvenated, the Bunnies drove home with the Prius packed full of presents, flowers, and leftover beer. That night we drove to LA and in the morning took off on our honeymoon to Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
Multiple pic albums can be found at our wedding blog. Professional pics will be posted as soon as we receive them. Can't wait to see them!
