It was nice to greet all of our guests, especially since some members of our church came just for the ceremony. I was slightly nervous this would push back our schedule and we wouldn't make it to the cocktail hour on time, but
the Fullers cruised through our family photos and we finished perfectly on time!
After the group photos were done, we loaded back into the trolley and headed to the hotel.
The hotel staff was amazing and guided the wedding party back to a private room full of appetizers and drinks. I chugged some water and stuffed my face with some duck breast on a wonton, pesto flatbread, and spinach phyllo. And then we headed out to greet our guests! The weather was literally perfect for our poolside cocktail hour, which seemed extra amazing because of the monsoon the day before.
I was so happy to make it to out to join everyone, since I feel like a lot of people miss their own cocktail hour and it's usually one of my favorite parts of a wedding. I grabbed a cocktail, swirled around the space trying to talk to as many people as I could, and ate a few of the beef on a crostini appetizers. And soon we were headed to our reception!
Our wedding party lined up and danced into the room to I Feel Good by James Brown.
Our entrance to Signed, Sealed, Delivered by Stevie Wonder was extra dramatic since the hotel staff had us wait a full 30 seconds until we entered to build the suspense!
Soon we were swaying to Only Love by Ben Howard for our first dance. It was lovely, but almost unmemorable because of what happened next. Dave had something up his sleeve! He had been working on some dance steps with my bridesmaid Jes and he lead me through our second dance to All of Me by John Legend. It was such a surprise and such a special moment!
After our dance, I danced with my dad to Hey Now by Crowded House, which is a song we used to sing together while he played guitar.
Toasts were up next, one by my dad, one by the maid of honor Michelle, and one by the best man Frank. Apparently we caught my dad off guard, although I'd swear that we told him he was going to have the mic. He kept his short and sweet ending with a nice "na zdrowie" which is a Polish toast that literally translates as "for health!" My sister's speech was up next and it was just perfect. Frank's speech was just as good and it was a really nice balance!
Our friends and family hit the dance floor before the salad course was even served! The salad wasn't very memorable to me, but dinner was another story. The prime rib was just excellent and we had plenty of time to eat and relax (which I'm very much aware is not the case for all brides and grooms). When we only finished half of our dinners, we asked the hotel staff if they could wrap up the rest for us. Instead they sent brand new plates up to our room and we enjoyed prime rib for lunch and dinner the next day!
While dinner was being served, I had a distinct memory of the day we booked the space and the wedding coordinator at the time telling us about the beautiful sunset views in the large ballroom windows. I briefly mentioned it to one of the event staff and they sort of half opened the curtain over one of the windows and asked me what I thought. I wasn't sure if it would make the room too bright or not, so next thing I know I'm polling the crowd and everyone is shouting that they'd love to see the view. When the staff opened all the curtains, the large windows revealed a beautiful painted sky! It was the perfect backdrop to our dinner.
After dinner, we did so much dancing! I always hate when dinner seems to take too long at weddings and the time on the dance floor is disappointingly short, so I made it very clear that I did not want that to be the case. The hotel staff, the photographers, and our DJ did a great job to keep things moving!
We didn't do too many of the common wedding traditions (skipped the
garter & bouquet toss), but we did cut the cake. Dave decided to
start our marriage on good terms and didn't smash the cake in my face.
Even though I made it very clear how I felt about it, I really wasn't
sure what he was going to do!
We also did an anniversary dance, which
ended with my mom's parents, my grandmother's twin sister & her
husband, and their close friends being left on the dance floor!
The rest of the night the dance floor was completely full and it seemed like we had forever to bust a move. Tom refused to dance until Sexy and I Know It was played, and when it came on a giant circle was formed and everyone was cheering!
Later in the night, Dave was lifted in the air and carried around by
some of our guy friends. Our friends also convinced the bartenders to make
some shots (which was not supposed to happen) so they could get some immediate use out of our favors!
I had so much fun!
The night continued with an after party at the hotel bar! (Well, after we took a quick pit stop up at the room... you know to make things official ;D) Everything got a little hazy here since everyone seemed to be buying us shots, but I do remember the midnight Wendy's delivery we arranged with our friend Devon! Everyone was beyond happy to stuff their face with cheeseburgers, chicken, and fries after working up such an appetite on the dance floor. The night ended with the after-after party in our hotel suite until around 3 am when both Dave and I were passing out and a friend kicked everyone out.
Our wedding day was everything I ever dreamed of and more <3
