Mrs & Mr L
In the blink of an eye, the galla wedding event is now history. My little boy with his sweetheart is now a married man with a wife. I want to thank all of you who have painstakingly listened to me whine and cry and complain and boo hoo about all this for months. Then, I want to thank all of my friends and family who have so graciously helped me survive this thing. Without any one of you, this wouldn't have pulled together like it did. I can't begin to thank you enough.There are so many places I could start in this thing, but I'll try to get to the good parts!
The Friday before the wedding: I spent the whole day at the fairgrounds cooking and setting up and preparing and doing and and and. I still had to throw together the rehersal dinner for 30 people. The bride's Father said that her Mother would like to help. WHAT??? SERIOUSLY??? FINALLY??? I jumped on that band wagon before it changed gears! That would be super! The bride told her dad to send her mom over to our house to help with the dinner prep. His comment was "she'll be real happy. She just got to sleep." See the hoorah drain out of my face? The brides mother has a big issue with staying up all night on the computer and then drinking nyquil all day to sleep. **sigh** The bride and her dad said they'd take care of rehersal dinner prep. I had to be at rehersal by 6pm. I left the fairgrounds at 5:10pm. I dashed home, showered and out the door to grab desserts that best friend K made for me. BLESS THAT WOMAN! While I'm backing out of her driveway, son calls and says "forgot the chips!" I dashed back home and flew to the outskirts of town to join the celebration. Rehersal went well and everyone ate and socialized a bit and we were out of there by 8pm.
The kids had set up 7 chairs in the front of the crowd for pictures and a candle and flower for the 7 grandparents that are no longer with us. Well, after rehersal, I'm still cutting and framing those pictures. I knew the bride had jetted out of town for the night, but the groom didn't come home either. He's now MIA. I call his cell phone and ask him where he is? He says he's at Keno with his father-in-law and asks me if I've ever had a red-headed slut? HUH??? I know some, but I've not had one personally, no. A little pre-wedding celebration going on I guess. I finished up all the running and doing and last minute ends of things that I could. I had to have a heart to heart with little Lilly, my grand dog. I explained that Daddy was out drinking and that Mommy was gone for the night. I went on to tell her she could have a sleep over with Grandma and I'd take care of her. (can you tell she runs the house??) We hit the sack about midnight I suppose. I heard Daddy come get her sometime, but I don't know when.
I was up and IN WALMART by 6:30am on Saturday. I had balloons to fill and tie and all the fruit for the chocolate fountain to buy. I looked gooooood too. My hair all bed-headed but tied up in a big clip, no make up, sloppy shorts and a raggy t-shirt. But, hey, I'm up and going. I had to be back at the fairgrounds by 8am to get all the 70lbs of potatoes cut and cooked and get all the fruit and pound cake cut and ready for the almight chocolate fountain. I swung into the fairgrounds with 10 minutes to spare. Pretty good for an old tired gal. Son, well, he was sleeping. I left him a note about where I was and what he needed to do. Just in case his head was hurting too much to think! As it turns out, he had 3 drinks and took care of his father-in-law after some 20 beers or something rediculous like that!
We jetted out of the fairgrounds by 1 or a little after I think. We had to be at the wedding for pre-pictures by 2:30. I spent all this time curling my hair and floofing it and... then decided it was too dang hot to leave down, so threw it up in a big clip and called it good, and out the door I went.
The brides father and brother and I worked like dang dogs out there. Setting up, running for this, running for that. All the while the brides stupid mother was inside in the a/c and being her usual stupid self, and the grooms father was inside joining her. Man I was pissed! But, it was for the kids and the 3 of us made dang sure things got done. We did a batch of pre-pictures where everyone was in their colored shirts. The brides mother was in like 2 pictures. That's it. She was inside and couldn't have been less interested. The brides father and I, on the other hand, were clinging to every little moment, every little memory.
The bride slipped inside to change into her suprise wedding gown and the groom slipped away to change into his suprise western tux. He hid out under the archway, out of the sun and out of eye-shot should the bride decide to sneak a peek. Before we knew it, we were all seated and the groom and groomsmen were filing in. (see me crying already??) Pretty soon, the bridesmaids were all filed in. Then the brides song gave way and here she came. Her mother, you know the one who could care less about the bride and this wedding) bellers out "my baby..." I just wanted to smack her right in her stupid head! She looks at me and says "well aren't you going to give me a kleenex?" WHAT??? Lady, you're SO lucky there were bunches of people I care about out here or you'd get way more than this damn kleenex! The brides father is clearly crying, like the rest of us. Later the bride told me he said "how could you do this to me?" :) The dress was a huge suprise for him and it was a smashing success! About 10 feet from the front, the bride looks up and figures out that the grooms' sporting the tux she'd nagged and pleaded with him about getting, much to his resistance. But, that was his gift to her. So, she stopped dead in her tracks on the way up and cried. The crowd just chuckled at the look on her face.
The minister asks who gives this couple and the father said "their families." Looking back, he should have said that he gave her and I gave him. It sure felt that way. The father made his way to his seat and I immediately offered him some kleenex, but he already had some.
The best man and the maid of honor light the two taper candles on either side of the unity candle. Then the bride and groom made their way to the 7 chairs and lit the candles and placed a rose on each chair. That was neat.
Back across the bridge they went and the service was off and running. I did pretty good through out the whole thing until they lit their unity candle. That did it for me. Best friend K was holding my hand while I boo-hoo'd my way through that long song. But it was beautiful.
In the end, the minister presented them as Mrs. and Mr. L. We just ROARED! They laughed, we laughed. Everyone laughed. It was a classic memory!
From there, the wedding party marched out and we were ushered out. We went through the receiving line and then the brides father and brother and myself, along with OS and her family, picked up and packed up and headed out to the reception. Again, I cannot possibly thank everyone enough for their help!
The wedding party rode in a hay-baled trailer through town to the reception. The hooted and hollered and danced and laughed and carried on and had a great time. I followed immediately to pick up any bodies the would come flinging out. Thankfully, that didn't happen!
When we got to the reception, they announced that Mr & Mrs L were there and everyone cheered as they marched in. I cried. Guess that's a Mom thing? We all laughed and talked and ate and were merry.
The kids had their first dance. Then the bride danced with her Dad to a song called I loved her first. Never heard it before, but boy, did I cry, again! Then son and I danced to another song. Then the wedding party danced. From there, it was a free-for-all. Everyone danced and ate and laughed and visited. The DJ (Quad Music) was awesome! The got the little kids envolved in The Twist by using hoola-hoops and forming a congo line. They had a super time. My cousin's husband can really cut a rug! I swear, if he'd have let go of me, I'd have flung right out of the building! hahaha But we had a good time.
Eventually, we started picking up food and tables and cleaning and doing dishes. Before we left at 1am-ish, we had almost everything ready to clear out. Let me say that my friend K and and a handful of friends and MY family, as well as the brides father and brother were the only ones that lifted a finger throughout this thing. The grooms father and step mother just sat there and the brides mother vanished at 10pm. Not saying goodbye and not wishing them well. WITCH!!!
The brides brother drove the bride and groom to the hotel and then drove his dad home. So, everyone got where they were going safely. Thank God.
Sunday morning we were to meet to open gifts. OS and her family came, me, best friend K, brides dad and brother, and brides grandparents came. That was it. No brides mother. No grooms father. What's wrong with these people??? We opened gifts, ate a little something and packed it up and cleared it out. OS and her husband swept the entire floor, cleaning up all the mess. Bless their hearts!
By the time we got home it had started to rain and everyone was in much need of a nap. So we did.
The kids packed up and picked up on Monday and headed to the lake for a week or R&R and whatever else. They called yesterday and are having a great time. I'm glad.
The bride is very much USUALLY a tomboy, but she was elegant and beautiful and very lady-like. He was handsomely strapping and grown up and proud of his life. I hope I was gracious and proper and made them proud by my actions, despite wanting to smack the brides mother with yet another stupid stick.
Last night I slept from 6pm - midnight. Got up, went to bed only to hear the doorbell ringing at 1:30am. I sprung out of bed like my house was on fire. I tear the door open to find my little hispanic neighbors, phone in hand, saying "we're sorry we woke you up, but our lights are flickering and we don't know what to do." WTF??? You have a phone IN.YOUR.HANDS and you wake me up to do what?? They asked if I could call someone. Like who? The power company they say. So I dial the phone with only one eye peeled partway open and hand over the phone. They were apparently sending someone out. I went back to bed and right back to sleep. Slept til 6:30 this morning. There's absolutely NO reason for me to be yawning today, but I am.
Thanks to everyone who shared in our day, be it here in body or somewhere in thought and prayer. Everyone helped make this day so very special for all of us.
� grizmom at
2006-08-09
comment