The day before the wedding, I was running around like a crazy person. We had nail appointments scheduled at 12:15 p.m. and my sister called around 11 to ask if she should bring me some pop, and then innocently asked "What are you doing?" To which I answered frantically "Cleaning the bathroom. I made John take a shower first, and now I'm cleaning the bathroom, because all the bridesmaids are coming tomorrow, and it's dirty." I still had to take a shower myself and get to the salon, but all morning I'd been trying to do the last minute house pickup/cleaning. By no means was it up to my normal standards, but I needed to get clutter moved so people had a place to sit during the bridesmaids luncheon on Saturday, and I had to clean the bathroom (it was icky) before the nail salon because I didn't want to ruin my manicure!!
So, post-clean bathroom, I high-tailed it to the salon, only a minute or two late, and tried to relax while I got my pedicure followed by a manicure. Sarah had brought light lunch for the girls, so I snacked on some yummy food (and pop). Raegan, who was coming in from Illinois, had been in a car all morning and arrived just a few minutes late for her 1:30 pedicure. John's sisters, Mary and Anne, got their manicures while I got my pedi, and then Sarah and I got our manicures together. It was nice, and everyone's nails looked fabulous.
My first pedicure. Ever. Really!Raegan - who'd been dropped off at the salon by her parents, who also came for the wedding - headed home with me. I'd enlisted her to stay with me the night before the wedding to keep me from staying up all night or panicking or stressing or anything. But first we had to stop at a few stores because I still had to buy gifts for wedding party people, ink cartridges and a few things I needed for the honeymoon.
We made it back to my house with not a whole lot of time to spare before we had to get ready for the rehearsal (at 5 p.m.)
John, who was going to spend the night at his parents' house, was trying to pack. I was rushing around, ironing my dress and getting the gifts all wrapped and together. Raegan was trying to find a spot in the house that was not overrun with wedding preparation. Peggy and Jim stopped by and were enlisted to print (with the new cartridges) and fold the last set of programs.
We were ready to rush out the door about 4:40 when the phone rings: My family, and who knew who else, was stuck in horrible I-71 traffic. So they were trying to find an alternate route from their hotel in Blue Ash to Evanston, and wanted us to let the priest know that despite their best efforts, they'd be late. (The priest had told us everyone HAD to be on time because there was another rehearsal at 6 p.m.)
We were the first to arrive at church. Those not coming from anywhere near Kenwood arrived soon after, and the readers practiced. And, thankfully not too late, my sister, her husband, and my parents arrived, so we could start practicing the processing.
The rehearsal went fine, with promises from those there to explain to people who couldn't come what they had to do (communion distributors and gift bearers).
Raegan and me at the rehearsal dinner.
Brandon had a long journey in from California for his first flight, first trip out-of-state, and first time to meet Great Uncle Don (my dad).We headed to a lovely dinner of turkey, steak (I think; I don't eat red meat), mashed potatoes, green beans, cake and more. I got to chat with relatives and friends, some of whom I hadn't seen in years, so it was great! John's sister, Anne, made a fabulous music-backed slide show with pictures of John and me growing up. It was very fun, and she worked hard on it - with some big obstacles along the way, including a crashing computer or something!
You know those scoreboards above basketball courts? Well, instead of basketball replays, our picture was up throughout the dinner! The banquet room overlooked the court, where high school players during a basketball camp were playing a game, probably wondering who the two people on the scoreboard were (they couldn't see us). Even funnier, bridesmaid Peggy looked down and said "That's my alma mater and that's my second cousin coaching!" Random!After dinner, John ran back to our house to get his stuff and head over to his parents, while I pretty much began packing for the honeymoon at about 9 p.m. Nothing like the last minute! Raegan, good maid of honor that she was, kept reminding me "Katie, um, it's about 11, maybe you should think about wrapping things up and going to bed."
"Nonsense!" I said debating how many shirts to pack. "I rarely go to bed before midnight, and I don't even have to get up that early!"
I think it was a bit after 12 when I went to bed, setting the alarm for 8. I was mostly packed. Sort of.
Next: The Big Day!
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