Prior to the rehearsal, the plan was to move all of the supplies and the cake to the reception space, where I would assemble the cake and then we would rehearse and go to dinner. I love that, no matter my experience to the contrary, I always generally assume that things will go smoothly as planned. Ha! Please imagine four different friends and family members each holding a tier of the wedding cake in their arms standing around as we (Justin, actually) find someone to let us into the space that we'd been told would be unlocked for us. Imagine that one of those people is Mark, who had specifically and unequivocally requested to not have to do anything related to moving the cake...he was the guy holding the 16 inch bottom tier weighing 30 lbs with the terror transparent in his eyes. When the space was unlocked, we entered to find the gorgeous antique table on which the cake was to reside missing in action. We called our site coordinator who stated that in the five years she'd been working there, she'd never seen that table moved from its usual resting place. I will admit that I panicked just the slightest bit since we were already running late and I really, really, really didn't want to have to assemble the cake the morning of the wedding. We ended up assembling it on another table, leaving it to the caterers to move it to the proper table the following day.
The cake & rehearsal...
Our photographers came for the rehearsal to shoot a few photos and test out what it would be like to cope with the utter darkness that would be the scene for the wedding the following evening. We rehearsed for a whopping ten minutes and then headed to Shield's Tavern for the rehearsal dinner. It was wonderful, despite having to be divided into three tables. We actually were in a room with several other groups of people, one being a large family group. Justin and I chose to do our thank you toast to our parents regardless of the audience and for the rest of the evening the group would intermittently clang their glasses with their flatware, the universal signal for Justin and I to kiss. There was a couple in the group that had been married for over 50 years who congratulated us...it was such an honor!
The rehearsal dinner at Shield's Tavern...
We rang the evening in with a crowded open house of friends and extended family at our condo. In my heart of hearts, there is nothing that fills me with a deeper contentment than a house full of family and friends. Give me spilled drinks, half-eaten snack food left harry-tarry in the oddest nooks and crannies, and noisy rambunctiousness any day of the week...I LOVE having so many hearts and smiles under my roof (even if the roof is rented), eating, drinking, and being merry.
In that, my final night as CRapp, I went to bed with such a tremendous sense of belonging and a steadfast excitement to marry this exceptional man, I hardly have the words.
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