Wed Recap: It takes an army

I totally realized that I hadn't scheduled a post about my team of wonderful ladies who helped beautify and dress me on the day of the wedding.  I can't believe I forgot this normal recap because even though I was irritated by all the photos our photographer didn't get, the 'getting ready' shots are truly some of the most beautiful and my favorite shots of the day.  But before you check out the photos, here's a couple minutes of several pieced together videos of my friends and family getting me dressed :)

This is Natalie Buketov.  Natalie did my hair and makeup as well as hair and makeup for four of my bridemaids and my mom.  She showed up at 7:30 in the morning and left just after our first look when we were about to start pictures which was probably at about 2 pm.  My girls looked GORGEOUS!

Yes, I have false eyelashes on here for sure

Getting ready some more.  I was the second to last one to get styled. 

Mom was the last one while my girls were getting me into my gown, shoes, jewelry, etc.

I don't know why, but I love this shot:

And so it begins.  It took an army of mostly my sister and my cousin A who handled the dress part and then my cousin E, bestie L and friend D handled putting on my garter, shoes and jewelry.

Took a while to get that corset laced up but it sure was pretty.

Bridesmaids L & D help me get my bracelet and necklace on.  BM L gave me the earrings I wore that day as my gift when I served as the Maid of Honor in her wedding about 9 years earlier.

Ok, funny story.  I had my designer Jeanette make my bracelet out of a clip on earring I bought at a vintage swap meet.  So you know what a clip on earring looks like on the back?  She added a ring that slipped over the little 'clip' part.  But there was kind of this big space between the two sides of the pearls where the earring was attached.  So Mr Fix It had a great idea to use fishing line to tie together the two rings next to the pearls to pull them under the earring.  He's so resourceful, that man!

This is what my cousin A calls her 'happy clap.'  I'd be happy too if I was almost done trying to get me in this monstrous dress with it's ridculous corset.

Cousin E holds up my gown while friend D places my garter on. 

Photo by Yan Freedline

Once we were all dressed, they asked me to spin around a couple times in my gown.  But I was in the middle of a not so big room with all 6 of my BM's around me.  Wasn't easy but I still love this shot with my reflection in the mirror behind me. 

Photo by Yan Freedline

The girls are tending to my hair and placing my veil in just before our ceremony is about to begin.

And once we were all finished, these are the results we got of some bride shots while walking around the grounds at the venue.  I love this one because of the colors and the sun and shade coming through the trellis.

This one is kind of cool because it shows the cafe in the background.  That deck to the right is where the cocktail hour was held and I am standing down in the back of the ceremony area.

Um, hello bright green trees! 

Photo by Yan Freedline

This next pic was one of those ones I was telling you about that I was pissed about from our photog.  I remember telling him I wanted a shot like this on this blue bench and we posed for it but he didn't deliver it to me at all.  Then my videographer sent me the photos that his wife took and I got this one! 

Thank goodness because I absolutely love it. 

Photo by Yan Freedline

As a matter of fact, here's 2 more favorites I got only from our videographer's wife, Yan

Photo by Yan Freedline

Photo by Yan Freedline

TODAY'S WEDDING TIP:  I've said it before, but I'll say it again.  Be sure to have your bridesmaid or mom or whoever is going to be assisting you with getting into your dress and jewelry practice at least once before the wedding.  It's best for them to go with you to your fittings to practice there but at the very least to give you an idea of how long it's going to take you to get fully dressed so you can plan your wedding day schedule accordingly and not be running late!

Wedding pics - a sneak peek!

Well, our photographer, Robert Mullins has finally had a moment to post some sneak peek pics of us from the wedding day.  I have been stalking his web site like crazy and have to admit that I am super excited about the first photos I finally get to see.  How is it that pro-photogs always seem to make everything look so much better?  :)

So here they are...

My beautiful Maggie Sottero SaBelle gown hanging up from the patio rafters outside of our bridal cottage prep area.  Our photog refused to touch the dress himself so he asked my girls to take it out and hang it up for him. 

My super hot groom, Mr Fix It - no really...look how hot he looks!

A close up of me.  I have to admit, I loved my makeup for sure...the hair was another story for a future recap, but this photo made me realize how great pro-photogs can make you look.  And I absolutely LOVE my necklace in this shot...wish it was just a little more in focus but hoping he got some good shots of it!

 

Um, hello?  Is that me?  LOVIN' IT!

 

This is one of my very faves because it is kind of artsy, it totally shows off that gorgeous train and made me fall in love with my gown all over again and it has that great shot of the venue's name in the background.  This is just at the end of the main entrance - what the guests see as they first drove into the estate.

Another great shot that I love because it shows off the amazing grounds of the estate. 

Up to the right of this picture (the little deck you can hardly see) is the cocktail area where guests can gather and look down.  I am standing at the very back of where our ceremony took place behind all of the chairs that were set up (not in the picture obviously).  The building in the background is called Rick's Cafe...it is a little multi-level restaurant type building with booths and chairs and tables throughout.  That is how the guests got down from the cocktail area to the ceremony area.  We also used that building to set up our kids' corner area where the babysitters hung out with a few kids playing games and watching movies and cartoons on portable DVD players.

And finally, a shot of Mr Fix It and I from inside of Rick's Cafe.  In this one, we are standing on the balcony that you see dead center and just to the right of the blue light post in the pic right above this one.  The second photographer was inside shooting this shot from the inside looking out and our main photog, Robert was down where I was standing in the pic above shooting us from below up on the balcony.  :) 

I love the silhouette.

So there you have it...our first sneak peek.  Unfortunately, I have to wait another month probably to get ALL of my pro pics back...and as soon as I do, the serious recaps will be in full swing.  For now, I have plenty with some other stories and shots from friends and family as well as honeymoon recaps to keep those of you who are interested busy - more to come!