March 9, 2012 - the story

I have been putting this post off for a little bit because there is just SO much to show and tell and it's a bit overwhelming!

But alas, the day has come and it is time to share.

The day before the wedding was quite eventful.

My best friends from far and wide traveled to California for the blessed event.

We got our nails done and grabbed a bite to eat before we headed to the venue for a little set up. 

My friends and sisters took the reigns when it came to about 90% of this. I literally sat there and didn't even know what I should be doing because they were all over it like white on rice.

They couldn't possibly know how grateful I am that they came. Oh, no idea.

They even put together the beautiful bridesmaids bouquets. 

After that, it was on to a little risky business with a dirty kitchen party for yours truly.

And to clarify, that doesn't mean to have dirty kitchen appliances. No, no. It means dirty as in RISQUE and kitchen as in I like kitchen things. No rhyme or reason other than I couldn't decide if wanted more lingerie or more kitchen stuff so the themes intertwined.

It was quite the party with some LOOOOVELY presents.

And against my better judgement, we spent too much time chatting it up and didn't go to bed until after midnight. This was before I took three separate trips back to my aunts house to pick up various items including my temple clothes.

The wedding day started out with me at the hairdresser's at 6am. Oh how tired I was. I remember thinking how stressed and overwhelmed I should feel especially in my tired mental state but, I was feeling quite calm and relaxed. Even the hair stylist commented on how I was her most chill bride ever. Imagine that!

Once I was finished, my good friend Katie Pwoatahhhh (now Neilson) picked me up and drove me to the temple. This was only after I had a minor melt down about my hair. (Chill bride has left the building.) I believe every bride is supposed to freak out about her hair. It's like some unwritten rule the gods made to keep everything balanced and even.

Katie was a very good friend that morning. Keeping me calm and bringing me a chick-fil-a breakfast and force feeding it down my throat. No, not really. It only took minor convincing for me to eat it. But, she was very concerned that I have something in my stomach.
Halfway to the temple, I realized I had forgotten my temple clothes. C'est la vie. 

We arrived at the temple on time and met up with Kirk and his family and half of the groomsmen. I handed out ties and put on Kirk's boutonniere. 

Then at noon, Kirk and I were sealed in the Oakland temple.

It was one of the most surreal and amazing moments of my life. WE WERE MARRIED.

Then it was off to the dressing room where not one, but THREE women slipped me into my CORSET and put on my dress. (In my humble opinion, I don't think I even needed that corset. But, I wore it anyway.)

Kirk and I stood together inside the temple waiting to walk out together. I remember feeling like I didn't care about anything at that moment. I was just so happy to be married to him.

Then my sister ran in with my bouquet and told us not to come out until she gave us the go ahead.

And then Kirk and I walked out together and were greeted with so many of our loved ones it was overwhelming!

Everyone looked amazing and I was pleasantly surprised at how many people showed up!

The rest of the temple part of the day was a blur. Everything happened very quickly and yet I felt very in the moment at the same time. Picture after picture after picture were taken and then finally Kirk and I were able to drive to the venue by ourselves.

We stopped at McDonald's on the way and got my diet coke (only they messed it up and gave me REGULAR. The nerve.)

The lady in the window was shocked to see a bride and groom go through the drive through and her reaction was HILARIOUS. As we were receiving our goods through the window, a group of hoodrats were walking in and spotted us and screamed, "OHHHH THEY JUST GOT MARRIED! PARTY AT THEIR PLACE! WOOO!!! OH YEAH, OH YEAH, OH YEAH!"

We finally made it to the venue where I freshened up and borrowed Katie's lipstick and took some of my most FAVORITE pictures of the day in the vineyards. The lighting couldn't have been more perfect and ahh... it was just amazing.

We hung out a little bit and then it was time for the ring ceremony. The ring ceremony that I DID NOT plan. 2 minutes before it started, I lined up all the bridesmaids and groomsmen and had them walk out together. We had hired a band for the evening and someone forgot to tell them to start playing while everyone walked out, so it was just SILENT and may I say - AWKWARD. I was a little annoyed and then stopped and remembered, that it didn't matter and what's done is done. And then Kirk and I walked out together and I said "Sorry, there's supposed to be music!" (WHY DID I EVEN SPEAK!?)

The officiant of the ceremony also sealed Kirk and I in the temple. He is my uncle's dad and very good speaker. The ceremony was quick and he was funny and I remember laughing and laughing the whole time.

After the ceremony there was a little cocktail hour which only lasted about 30 minutes.

We filed into the barrel room and everything looked SO great. So many people helped out with the decorations and I was so happy and grateful to all of them for the way everything turned out. We received so many compliments on the decor - even the venue manager told us how he had never seen a wedding so beautiful. It made me feel so good considering all the stress and anxiety that went along with planning it all.

We enjoyed delicious steak and chicken and potatoes and grilled vegetables and salad and rolls while the band serenaded us with the music of love. Then it was time for the toasts. We had the best man (Chima), the maid of honor (Ani), my dad and, Kirk's dad each give 2-3 minute toasts. This made the evening even more special to have the people we love share their stories and emotions about Kirk and I and the day. 

Kirk and I had our first dance to "The Very Thought Of You" by Billie Holliday which the band sang and they did such a fabulous job. I hope someone recorded it.
I also had a dance with my dad. I think the song was "Wonderful World" but I can't remember. Ugh. I'm so bad. It was so fun and we had many tricks up our sleeves including a few dips and a few twirls. There really isn't even a great picture of us because we were just laughing and talking the whole time.

Then it was time for dancing. OH BOY was the dancing epic! It was so fun and we had such a good time breaking a little sweat and getting down on that dance floor. I would have to credit a lot of it to the amazing band we had. They played at my cousin's wedding and Kirk and I KNEW we had to have them at ours. They just bring a whole different vibe to the party and one that makes you not want to stop partying.

We also had a caricature artist come and draw our guests. It was a hit! Everyone loved it and loved getting their faces drawn. It was such a cool thing to have our guests take home and have from our wedding.

We also had a s'mores bar where guests could roast their own marshmallows and make their own s'mores. 

Not only that, but we also had some AMAZING cupcakes too. Chocolate Raspberry Cream, Strawberry Cheesecake, Vanilla Cream with Chocolate Ganashe frosting and Pear Bellini. Heaven.

Kirk and I cut our Vanilla cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream filling. Kirk got frosting on my face which I specifically told him NOT to do but it was ok because the cake was amazingly delicious.

The night went on with sweets and dancing and drawing and then it was time for the send off.

The manager of the winery had an old fashioned car and told us we could use it to drive off in. The bridesmaids decorated it with cans and a sign and we ran down an aisle of sparklers held by our guests.
We were then driven to our destination for the night.
It was seriously the best day we could ever have hoped for!