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The first month And The last post

Post-honeymoon present opening.

Whew!

The updates are all finished. I took you through the rehearsal, the wedding and the honeymoon!

Monday, we'll celebrate our 1-month anniversary. I think we'll be celebrating at a bar as I need to write a Raising the Bar story. But we do have some champagne that was in our honeymoon suite at the hotel that we did not open, and I keep saying we'll drink it for our 1-month anniversary. But maybe we'll break it out early on Saturday or something ...

The 18 days since we returned from Hawaii have been busy to say the least. We got back in the swing of things at work and are adjusting to things at home. Probably the hardest adjustment is having one bathroom and both of us wanting to be in it at the same time. We've sort of been taking turns on who gets the earlier shower! Neither of us are morning people, so we try to decide the night before so the morning doesn't become a whining fest of each of us trying to get the other to get out of bed first.

We also quietly celebrated John's birthday (July 16). I told him we just had a big celebration and I didn't quite have time to plan a party! We opened the abundance of gifts that were left at the reception (our guests were so generous!) We're working on thank you notes and finding homes for all our new belongings. We still need to donate some of the old stuff to charity. Last weekend we painted the bedroom and put all the new bedding on the bed.

But there's still a lot to do around the house, and we still need to return some duplicates and be sure to use gift cards before they expire. And even yesterday we got another gift!

Plus I haven't yet officially changed my name, let alone updated my name info with credit cards, insurance, etc. I have a feeling it will be a bit painful!

I do love being married! It's nice that John is there and we don't go to our separate residences at night anymore! We're discussing our future and all our plans and look forward to a long, happy life together.

But your involvement, the thousands of you who have followed along in my life the last 7 months, is coming to an end. Bride blog is ending, as I am no longer a bride, but now a wife! The blog will be coming out of the quick links by Aug. 1, I'm told, so I wanted to get my farewell in. It will still be accessible through the direct link or a Google search, so if you need access to my oh-so-witty prose, you can find it! (And yes, I am still the content editor at CiN, just the blog is ending, not my job!!)

I've been asked if I will update people on our marriage or if I will do a pregnancy/baby blog when we (God willing) start a family. I guess there is always the possibility if someone here wants me to. I would consider it. But the truth is, while Bride Blog had more readers than I expected, it never got as many readers as, say, the Bengals or Reds blogs. I am thinking of having a personal blog, not directly affiliated with CiN, but I have not yet started one. If you're really interested in keeping up with my life as a newlywed, email me, and I'll send you a link if and when I start my own blog.

But I do thank you who have read along. Thanks for the tips, comments, advice, thoughts and more. Thanks for talking to me when you met me in the real world, and thanks for passing the link along to others. To friends and family who read this, I hope I have portrayed you fairly and kindly and that you enjoyed reading along from Middletown, Missouri, Pennsylvania, down the street or wherever. To those of you who married during the blog's run or who are getting married in the near future, I wish you all the best and hope you enjoyed sympathizing, empathizing and laughing at our shared experiences.

I appreciated the opportunity to blog about my wedding. I have 120+ posts that I plan to print and store in a binder for reminiscing down the line. While I've kept a personal journal for nearly 2 decades, it's been fun sharing my life rather than just writing for myself.

So, intentionally wearing the pink shirt (again), I, along with John and Bride Blog, say good bye and God Bless.

Moon over Maui.

Kauai honeymoon in photos

Kauai is gorgeous: Just look at this photo we took on our last day there, at Poipu Beach. When we got back, we made this shot into our thank you notes design. Well, a cropped version of this shot. But this is what I want to remember of Hawaii, blue sky, blue ocean, sand, sunshine, palm trees ... and the fun John and I had!


Unfortunately, this condo is where I spent too much of the time in Kauai, when I had the flu. Not that it wasn't a beautiful condo - it was gorgeous. Comfortable bed, nice living room, updated kitchen. I just would have rather been outside exploring. We got into Kauai late morning July 5. I was in bed/on the couch from the time we got to the condo (about 2 p.m.) until the next day. And I still lounged around most of that Friday.


But finally around 4 p.m. Friday we ventured out and took a drive to see a blow hole, Spouting Horn. It's crazy, the waves crash in under rocks, and the water spouts up and makes a trumpeting noise. You can just sort of see one behind me in this not-so-flattering photo (hey I was still not feeling so hot!)


Saturday, we were determined to cram a vacation's worth of fun into one day. We headed to Kipu Falls based on a recommendation from a bartender at a local restaurant in Poipu. He said it was "just off the road." Ha! There is a road called Kipu Road, but we drove to the end of it and saw no signs of any waterfall. We asked at a four-wheel place, and they said "park where you see the cars alongside the road and take the trail." We remembered seeing some cars pulled off the road, so we headed back and joined them. The trail was a narrow 1/2 mile or so dirt path through a field of 6-foot-high sugar cane plants. I felt like I was a little kid in a giant cornfield. But suddenly, you come to a small clearing and lots of giant rocks, and there is a gorgeous waterfall and swimming hole with a few dozen people taking turns swinging from a rope and jumping off a cliff - and then climbing a ladder and maybe trying it all over again.

I, unfortunately was wearing flip-flops. And with the sharp-edge rocks and the need to climb a giant ladder, I decided to skip the jumping/diving. My suggestion to anyone venturing to Hawaii: Buy watershoes before you leave! John bought some while I was sick, but I didn't have any. They would have come in handy so many times, and are probably much cheaper at a mega-store here than the surf shops in Kauai.

Here's a good shot of John swinging from the rope. Looks like fun, huh?

Our next adventure was snorkeling, which I enjoyed much more than my Bahamas snorkeling/seasick trek several years ago. Here you just walk out from the beach and the fish are EVERYWHERE. We had an underwater camera, so we got some awesome shots of fish and each other, including the Hawaiian state fish Humuhumunukunukuapuaa. Another note: If you get a new bathing suit before your honeymoon, ladies, test it out first. I discovered the hard way that my suit didn't really have enough elastic for snorkeling. Beach lounging, yes, swimming, no. A quick trip back to the condo for one of my other suits (pictured below) was the best solution. Another suggestion is to rent a float in addition to your snorkel gear. I can swim fine, but do not float well, and I liked having the support of the float so I could just lie there and stare at the fish instead of flailing. I think the floats were $4 for the day.


Our only nice meal out in Kauai (after I subsisted on rice, applesauce, jello, crackers and Gatorade for 40 or so hours) was courtesy of a gift certificate from friends of ours who had dined there on their honeymoon 2 years ago - courtesy of a gift certificate they got from friends who had dined there ... (it seems a trend.) The food was good, though I still felt uneasy eating a whole lot since the restaurant was on the North Shore in Hanalei and we were staying on the South Shore, with 90 minutes of driving before we'd be back to our condo. We did order some dessert and take it back with us to enjoy later!

Saturday night, we knew we needed some sleep because we weren't really going to have a Sunday night of sleep. But about 3 a.m. I awoke to an odd noise. I tried to ignore it. But it got worse. I listened harder. It was a rooster. The sun was nowhere near rising, but the rooster felt the need to cock-a-doodle-do about, oh, every 5 minutes. John woke up too, and I was like "make it stop." We were trying to figure out where it was, so John went outside and couldn't find it. He came back in and the noise started again. I was like "can you throw something at it?" He went outside again, and I hear a loud noise and then lots of clucking. He came back in and said "There was a rooster and about 8 chickens in the tree outside the bedroom window. But they're gone now." So, you never know what you'll see in Hawaii. You might see a rooster and 8 chickens in a tree at 3 a.m. Too bad I have no pictures of the flock flying off.

Sunday we checked out the oldest Catholic church in Kauai, St. Raphael. Here's a picture of John in the grotto on the grounds. It was an interesting site, and you could take a mini self-guided tour of some of the original buildings on the grounds from the 1850s. It was hit by a hurricane about 15 years ago, so some of the structures are quite damaged.


So, Kauai in a nutshell: beautiful, tropical paradise. Someday, we want to go back!

Honeymoon: Maui Style in photos

Less than 3 hours after checking in to our hotel and taking a quick nap, we got up at 1:30 a.m. Maui time to see the sunrise and ride bikes down Mt. Haleakala. First, we took a van up to the top and saw the sun rise. It's cold up there, and extremely windy (you get rain suits to start out wearing). Here we are waiting for the sun to rise.


And here comes the sun! Isn't this beautiful? We were so high up on a mountain that the clouds were below us. So no, that's not water and mountains, that's all clouds!

On our 38-mile ride down, we stopped a few times, once to take a picture of this rainbow. Unfortunately, we also got some wires and a house in the shot. The trip was great, and I highly recommend it. Just don't take a wrong turn on the way down the mountain, or it will cost you to have someone come get you. And unless you're a superathlete, you don't want to attempt to ride back uphill on the bike you get, especially while carrying all the rain gear on your back. John was a collegiate cyclist and I've done a few sprint triathlons and 50-mile rides, but I would've had to walk the bike several miles to get up the mountain - with little to no berm.

That night, we also went out and watched the sun set on the beach. This was also gorgeous. It's probably the first time in my life I've intentionally watched the sun rise and set in the same day. I wish every day were that laid back.

We also went hiking in Maui, at Iao Valley, which is beautiful. There are easy trails, but we headed off on some unmarked dirt paths to explore. John took this picture of me with our new video camera. He documented the hike quite thoroughly.

Our last full day in Maui, John learned to surf in Lahaina. That's him, below, riding the wave! I took pictures. I'm not very coordinated and really had no desire to surf. I enjoyed sitting on the beach and watching (and videotaping!)

Our hotel, in Kaanapali, was right on the beach. While we couldn't technically see ocean from our window, a step outside and a look to the right and we could. This is what "our beach" looked like. (I'm not posting any bathing suit pictures of me - and most of our other beach pictures involve me in a bathing suit...)

The lizard in our shower. I just thought this was funny, so I took a picture!

Maui has had lots of fires recently. This is a decent sized one we drove by one day we were there. That's a helicopter in the middle. It was filling up a bucket with water in a nearby swimming pool and dumping it on the fire.


We didn't get many pictures of the luau because it was dark. I posted one of us there a few posts ago, and the rest are all super dark. And we didn't take the camera when we went to the fireworks in Lahaina, which was fun - sitting on a log in the sand, watching the fireworks, while the waves came precariously close. So what you see are pretty much our picture highlights of Maui.

I'll have more pictures from Kauai. I think we have some prettier ones from there!

Wedding Day: A Recap, Part 3 - Reception!

Making our grand entrance!

I promise, this is the last part of Wedding Day! Recaps will resume about our adventures in Hawaii.

So ... the limo ride to the reception was fabulous - no getting lost. We had some champagne and granola bars. (Hey, once the nerves went away, I was suddenly really hungry! And that's what we had!)

We got to the reception spot, and the DJ came and talked to us for awhile, and then soon it was time to make our entrance. We chose to walk into Blue Moon in honor of the blue moon the day (in part of the world at least). Plus if you read the words, they're kinda appropriate for a wedding!

Dad tells one of his Katie stories.

That was followed by toasts. My dad only embarrassed me a little. OK, maybe a lot. But I never got drunk and let anyone convince me to say the alphabet backwards in like 2 seconds (my hidden talent). And yes, I did have a habit of saying "Katie do it self" when I was a child. But they're not things I normally talk about! Sarah and Raegan had me almost to tears with their thoughtful and heartfelt toasts. And so I like my Missouri Tigers - I'm proud of that! I need to go back to watch the video to see if I missed anything. Maybe I'll figure out how to post some video! John's brother/best man Pete also gave a very nice toast that included anecdotes about gifts John and I have given his daughter (including her birthday present, Katy Cindy the Cabbage Patch doll, who actually made it in some of our wedding photos!)

Cheers! John and I toasted with the same glasses my parents used at their wedding, Nov. 26, 1971.

But the toasts are also when the biggest snafu of the day occurred - the staff did not get champagne to the guests in time for the toasts. The champagne was paid for, poured in glasses - and sitting in the kitchen. We're not sure why, as we were assured that staff could have it to the tables for the toasts, which the coordinator knew were happening shortly after we arrived. So, that was unfortunate, but hey, everyone got champagne with cake. (If anyone was confused, now you know what happened!)

Following that we ate the delicious food from our buffet. And since that granola bar had not filled me up, I chowed down and cleaned my plate. Maybe that was a bad idea because a few hours later, my dress was feeling pretty tight!

Pretty cake, awkward feeding.

Once everyone was served, it was time to cut the cake. The bottom layer was chocolate - yum - and we were nice to each other - no smushing. But cake cutting is kind of awkward. We'd never thought to think about it ahead of time. So we're both kinda like "what do we do?" So the photographer was trying to instruct us. And the flower girl really wanted to get close to the cake. (She's a big fan of cake!)

Fortunately we did get to eat a piece each later (I got vanilla with raspberry. yum!) and also heard compliments that the cake was good from others. There were 4 different kinds I think. We guess somebody got to eat the top, because when my mom went to ask the next day, it was gone. Oh well. We'll make ourselves a cake on our first anniversary and pretend I guess!!

All smiles during our first dance.

Our first dance, to I Will Be Here For You, by Michael W. Smith followed. We didn't take dance lessons, so it was mostly a laid back sway, but that's us!! My Dad and I danced to the Missouri Waltz, and half way through invited other fathers and daughters to join us, which is a fun custom. And then John and his mom danced to Unforgettable, later joined by other mothers and sons.

The anniversary dance was one of the largest I've ever seen. Seriously, probably more than 100 people started out. We threw in a few inside "milestones" for some friends and for our parents, who've been married 35 (mine) and 39 (John's) years. The longest married couple was my mom's cousin Bob and his wife, Audrey, from Michigan. They will celebrate their 50th anniversary in August. Congratulations! I've talked to Bob a few times at various family events, but he used to own a machine shop, and when I worked for Modern Machine Shop magazine, I went to a trade show, and he gave me a tour around his company's booth and told me about what they did. So, that was a kind gesture, and I'm glad I got a chance to return the kindness (sort of) by honoring them with a bouquet.

I hope we look this good in 50 years!

After that we got to more dancing, though the crowd seemed more into chatting than dancing. Go figure! Or maybe it was the bright security light over the dance floor that couldn't be turned off. That's the kinda thing you don't notice when you tour the place! But, people said they had fun, and a lot of people stuck around past 11 for the final few songs. The Schmid side (especially some of the kids) were into living it up on the dance floor!

I was surprised by a few things, based on attending so many weddings. I did not get asked for my picture to be taken hardly at all, while everyone had warned me that I'd be asked to pose all night. In fact, there are some pictures I wish had been taken but weren't. I don't think I got any pictures of me with most of my high school friends or with some of my Cincinnati friends :( And a lot of people, I didn't get to talk to or even say good bye to. I usually make it a point to at least say good bye to the bride and groom (and parents if I know them), but I think some people don't want to "bother" the bride and groom. I guess everyone's got a different opinion.

We definitely appreciate all our family and friends who came from (hope I get all the states): California, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee, North Carolina, Florida, Washington DC, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Maine, New Jersey and Virginia. We're honored you took the time and spent the money to be with us on our special day.

My family and extended family (minus baby Brandon) who made it to the wedding. But we missed those who couldn't make it: Grandma, Uncle Bill, Jeff, Jeanine, Wes, Tim, Rob, Jen and Gavin.

It was a fabulous day. As a perfectionist, I worked hard to get there! But John and I had lots of help from others, for which we are beyond grateful. From the people who threw showers, to those who helped fold programs, to those who lent their talents to the ceremony, we can't say thank you enough.

And though she asked me at the beginning to "keep her out of the blog," Mom, thank you one million times. You painted a closet when we were trying to move John's stuff in, you addressed envelopes for hours, you went shopping and scoured the mall for items I put on a list, you picked up a guest book at the last minute and much much more. Every time I talked to you, you offered to help, and I took you up on it more than a few times. You're the most generous mother a bride could have. And speaking of generous, Dad, I need to add you in there. Thank you both for all you provided for the wedding and reception. We have expressed our gratitude before, but once again, we want to say thanks! We had a fabulous time, and it wouldn't have been that way without you!

Hawaii time!

Wedding Day: A Recap, Part 2 - The Ceremony

Let's see, where were, we? Oh yes, getting ready to walk down the aisle ...

Ready!

Also ready!

So as I peered out the door, my parents walked toward me and opened the door. I walked out and saw the crowded church before me and picked out a few friends and relatives quickly. But before I had much time to think, the music changed over and we headed down the aisle - as Anne H. "poufed" my dress for me. The aisle is very short - only 9 pews I think. So soon, we had reached the end, and there was John, and my parents hugged and kissed me, greeted John, and the Mass began.

Here are the details:

Prelude
Velocity of Love
My Song Will Be for You Forever
Prelude in C Major
Air for Water Music

Processional
Canon in D
Trumpet Voluntary

Gathering Song
All Are Welcome

First Reading
Sirach 6:5-6, 14-17

Responsorial Psalm
The Lord Is Kind and Merciful

Second Reading
1 John 4:7-12

Gospel Acclamation
Mass of Light Alleluia

Gospel
Matthew 22:35-40

Homily
Rite of Marriage
Exchange of Vows
Blessing and Exchange of Rings
Prayers of the Faithful

Presentation of Gifts
The Servant Song

Eucharistic Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer
Nuptial Blessing
Sign of Peace

Communion
We Are Many Parts
Make Me A Channel

Final Blessing and Presentation of the Couple

Recessional
Ode to Joy

Postlude
Canticle of the Sun

After we answered the few initial questions, the regular parts of the Mass went on while John and I sat in our special chairs by the altar. We listened intently to the readings we picked out. Our priest made everyone laugh during his homily with his heartfelt words about John and me.

And then it was time for the vows. John and I both got all the words out, no miscues, no mistakes, yay! (Well, there was a little mistake - I left my bouquet on the bouquet table next to my seat and didn't have it to hand to Sarah before exchanging rings with John.) While I was all kinds of happy, it was a bit of a relief to me after that part was over! I don't really like being front and center with all eyes on me!

Apparently our kiss was not caught on camera. This is what we got: post-kiss!

I made it through the vows part without crying, though I did get choked up a few times during the petitions when I thought of all my family and friends who are no longer with us on earth or who were unable to attend.

The Mass continued on through the consecration, sign of Peace, Our Father, and so on.

One of the neat things we did was distribute communion (Body of Christ) so that was good to be able to give communion to many on my side of the church. It was sort of odd though, because I've distributed communion for, oh 11 years or so, and 95% of the people give the expected answer "Amen." The other 5 percent say nothing or "thanks." But during the wedding I got a few answers of "You look great!" And one person patted my arm. So, um, yeah, that was unusual. John had never distributed before, but he did great.

After we processed out, John and I turned around and walked back in to dismiss our guests. That was also fun, to see the people on the other half of the church and those who did not receive communion. Though, I wish some of the people had introduced themselves, especially on John's side. I didn't know who some of the guests were!

Greeting John's mom after the Mass.

So, it was a great Wedding Mass. We got more compliments than I could imagine on the music and on the priest, especially.

The singers all did fabulous - beyond fabulous - jobs. We got so many positive comments on the singing by Sarah, Deanna and Bill. Thank you all so much for participating.

And our readers - I know how hard it is to read in front of 200 people! Rachel stepped up to the plate at the (almost) last minute to read after one of my original readers was unable to make it to Ohio from Minnesota. So thanks Rachel! And new mom Laura did great while her son chilled out with his grandparents. David, who did the petitions, read the words we wrote/borrowed very nicely.

And our gift bearers - Jeanne, Jim, Judy and Rob - thank you!!

Our communion distributors - Katie, Sr. Mediatrix, Ed and Helen - figured out all the instructions with ease. We appreciate your participation!

Our wedding party did all the right steps at the right times. We appreciate all the dress fittings, tux fittings, time spent shopping for silver shoes, time spent at showers, the bachelorette and bachelor parties, the time coming to Cincinnati from Illinois, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Columbus. Sarah, Raegan, Anne, Mary, Peggy, Pete, Paul, Dan, Brett and Jim - and Maria: You are some of our best friends and cherished family members. We are honored that you stood up for us and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

The wedding party!

... And our flower girl, Maria - adorable!

So, once the whirlwind of the ceremony was over, it was time for more pictures of course! Once those were through with, it was time to get back in the limo and head to the reception. Time for FUN ...

JUST MARRIED!

Next Up: Recap, Part 3 - The Reception

Wedding Day: A Recap, Part 1 - Pre-ceremony

June 30, 2007. The date had been in my head for 7 months. Wedding Day, I wrote on my planner.

And when I awoke that morning and realized, groggily, that it was the Big Day, I was ready. A friend had told me to not jump out of bed, but to think about it a bit. Well, I'd slept for awhile, but I'd been tossing and turning for a few hours, so, when the alarm went off, I paused briefly, said a quick prayer, and then I got up. I took a shower, got the paper, ate some breakfast and headed to the salon with Raegan, my veil, and my headpiece.

Two experts awaited us at the salon to do hair for all six of us. Almost everyone had the same theme in mind to go with the "flowy, romantic dresses." Hair some down, some up and wavy curls, for four of us. Two played it straight, one with tiny braids, one with a sparkly barrette. We started at 9:30, and by just a little after noon, we were all finished and ready to head to my house, dresses and makeup in tow for most of the girls.

So THAT'S how you put a veil on.

Sarah and her coffee get beautified. Mary and Anne watch.

My Aunt Liz and my cousin's girlfriend, Jill, served us a variety of delicious sandwiches, chips, salads, veggies and (yum) cookies. They'd even decorated the table and had matching tableware. And everyone got personalized stationery: I saw my new name, Katie Kelley Schmid, for the first time in anything other than my handwriting!! With a bit of a nervous stomach, I nibbled the scrumptious choices, while the other girls enjoyed the luncheon as well. (Thanks Aunt Liz and Jill!)

We sat around and chatted briefly, but then it was time for us to get ready. With a flurry of dry cleaner bags and makeup brushes a-flying, we congregated upstairs in my bedroom and the guest room (which was full of homeless furniture, but I'd precariously balanced a mirror against the new closet) and traded turns in the bathroom.

"Can you zip me?"
"I think my straps are too tight."
"Um, my top seems a little loose."
"Ooh, your eye makeup looks good."
"You did not just take a picture of me half-naked. That is NOT going on the blog."

But before I knew it, we were dressed and headed downstairs. Our luncheon hostesses had left by then, and it was up to me - dress, train, veil and all - to close and lock the door on the way to the limo. No one would be back inside until July 9. (Wish I'd checked, but we left a fan running the whole time we were gone. Whoops!)

Um, hello, bride here. Anyone going to help? :)

We piled in the limo after some confusing conversations with the driver, who asked if the church was "before or after Vine." (Um, the street the church is on doesn't cross Vine.) He got on I-71 at Ridge and then exited on Smith-Edwards. "Must be going the back way," I thought, as we then proceeded to drive around the block and get back ON I-71. "Do I need to get up there and give him directions?" I thought. We got off at Dana (right exit). And then Peggy and I yelled up at the right point "turn here." He did but then passed the church. We thought he was going to turn around so we'd be on the right side to get out at the curb. But he didn't.

"Um, you just passed the church." So he went into a parking lot, turned around, and passed the church again. "Wait, that's it, right there."

"Where?" he said, putting on the brakes. "There, that building that's a church." (Apparently he was new and couldn't tell the church, from, say, the dorm across the street.") He backed up, and we exited. I was just hoping he could find the groom and not get Mt. Lookout confused with, say, Mt. Healthy.

My beautiful, wonderful family, about 2 hours pre-wedding!

My parents were at the church, and we took a few photos, and then the photographers arrived and started herding us around to various nearby spots. The first one, there was a slight issue with dog poo, and when the photog tried to kick it out of the way, let's just say it got more spread around. So with a slight eau de poo, we took about a gazillion pictures. OK, probably just 100. But it seemed like a lot. Thankfully, they turned out pretty good. I wish I weren't so squinty. But as we were posing, I saw a familiar white limo go by. "The groom!" I screamed, and suddenly a gaggle of girls surrounded me. "He can't see you," they said. It was just after 3:15, and the carefully printed schedule I made said the guys should arrive at 4. Not 3:15!! The limo sailed past and we debated whether maybe it was a different limo. But, soon, groomsmen Jim showed up, to scout out the situation. It was decided the groomsmen would hang in the limo in a semi-distant parking lot for awhile.

Finally finished with pictures around 4, I headed inside for some much needed water and powder. As I waited in the "activities room" with the bridesmaids and various other friends and family members who stopped by, I repeated my mantra often: "No one is allowed to make me cry." (Which my sister said means "Don't say anything at all to her.") But I chatted with a few people, got a few lumps in my throat, smiled for some photos and let my stomach jump all over the place. I picked out voices outside the door. "I hear Sheila," I said at one point, straining to hear who else was out there.

Soon, the music started, and the bridesmaids left me alone in the room. I thought my parents would be there, but they were out with the bridesmaids, so I stood, suddenly feeling very small, peering out the door until they came to get me.

Next up: Recap Part 2 - The Ceremony