The Party That Don’t Stop

Why, hello, friends. It has been far too long. It seems I went and got married since I last updated No Dowry.

Photo montage

Beautiful photo montage by my cousin, Jeremy Mau

The last time I posted, on January 12, I had these lofty goals for the week of the wedding. I was going to blog daily about the last-minute madness before the wedding– the mini sweatshop of friends putting together wedding favors and centerpieces in our living room, the headache of wrangling florists and babysitters and chauffeurs, the wave of friends and family flying in town before the bachelor/bachelorette parties and rehearsal– and hilarity would ensue.

Yeah… the funny thing about all that madness is that it leaves very little time for witty commentary. I was pretty much a crazy hermit lady with 100 to-do lists instead of 100 cats.

Now that Brian and I are all married and back from our honeymoon, I want to go back and reflect on our wedding weekend in a series of posts (accompanied by lots and lots of photos). I’ve been so wrapped up in planning everything that I didn’t fully grasp how incredible and emotional it would be to celebrate our marriage surrounded by the people who are most important to us.

All weekend, from the bachelorette party to the morning-after recovery party at Molly’s, I kept looking around in amazement at our high school friends, our college friends, our families, our work friends, everyone in one place and getting along famously. I got verklempt more times than I can count. I love you guys, and you made our wedding the best damn party I could have hoped for.

HOTT

Photo courtesy of Miss Lisa Campo

So, over the next few weeks, you can expect to read more than you ever wanted to know about the following topics (probably not in order and woven in with what’s going on at the moment):

  • Last-minute preparations and the final designs from my talented husband (I’ve been practicing using that word, but it still does not come naturally. For the record, I will never use the word “hubby.”)
  •  The bachelorette party, organized by my amazing sister and maid of honor, Melia
  • The day before the wedding– martinis for lunch and insomnia for dinner
  • The wedding day, night and after-party into the wee hours
  • The honeymoon– two glorious weeks in Panama and the Caribbean

In the meantime, some of our friends have already written beautiful posts about the wedding. Read and enjoy:

Ide:

Gener:

Lisa:

Kathleen:

9 comments

1 Melia { 02.05.09 at 10:58 am }

Your wedding week was possibly the best week of my life yet. It was the first time that almost all of my favorite people, family and friends, were in the same place. We did SO MUCH. I didn’t post about it myself because it was all so overwhelming and really, a glimpse of how I want my life to be all the time. Maybe without QUITE so much drinking, because I think my liver would explode.

I will try to write a post today summing up the experience, because it was the best damn wedding EVER. Ever!

2 Colleen { 02.05.09 at 11:07 am }

*cringe* agreed, “hubby” is like “frisco.” It’s not cute, and even if it were, it’s not actually a shortening or contraction of the original word, people.
I am so glad you had such a wonderful time. I’m sure married life will treat you well!

3 Ide { 02.05.09 at 1:39 pm }

Did you see what Marc wrote about you guys on his wedding photo bloggy?

http://web.mac.com/phototravel/MPPwedblog/paganiphoto_blog/Entries/2009/1/17_Entry_1.html

4 Gillian { 02.05.09 at 4:57 pm }

Melia, I am so with you. I’m a little overwhelmed by writing about it, too, but Brian and I spent some time on our way back from Panama jotting down things we wanted to remember from the weekend. Now that I have a blog, I hardly ever write in my journal and I miss it!

Colleen, I wish you had been able to come :( But thank you, and we shall hang out soon.

Ide, this is awesome! Thanks for sharing, I hadn’t seen his blog yet. I love that man. I already have an “Ode to Marc Pagani” a brewin’…

5 Ide { 02.05.09 at 5:30 pm }

As do I. It’s a little creepy, I’m not gonna lie. I actually questioned out loud the other day how early I could book him to shoot my wedding. ‘Cause he’s going to.

6 Lisa { 02.05.09 at 10:55 pm }

none of my post-wedding toasts are copyrighted. haha. go right ahead!

that photographer is incredible.

i can’t say enough nice things about the wedding, i feel like i’ve gone on about it so much that my friends here might be jealous.

7 Margaret { 02.06.09 at 1:34 pm }

Wow- you guys were in the rumble seat- that is so awesome! I have thought those were the coolest things ever since I was about 8 years old. So many detailed parts, but the sum was even greater. :-)

8 Margaret { 02.06.09 at 3:52 pm }

Oh, and this thought occurred to me today, far away in a corporatized DC office: with all the talk about how magical Gill’s wedding week was, I feel like that Land Down South is now equivalent to the Sea of Balls at many MacDonalds- I can see it, and I know it would be soooo fun, but I know my parents won’t stop at McDonalds. :-( I will have to cultivate the spirit up here, hmm…

9 Gillian { 02.08.09 at 10:45 pm }

I love the rumble seat, too! We lucked out and found that car at the very last minute, and we’re so grateful we did.

Margaret, you are welcome in the Land Down South any time you like. Come visit and you might just get sucked in… In the meantime, definitely cultivate that spirit in D.C.