Five years ago today....part III
Saturday, May 20th, 2000
I woke up early and felt butterflies in my stomach immediately. I reached up and felt those pink sponge rollers....yep, it was my wedding day. I wasn't dreaming. I jumped out of my daybed and went into the den. Everyone else was still asleep. I crawled into the recliner and turned on the television. It was not long before I found classic Disney cartoons.....a favorite thing of mine since I was a little girl. I sat there for an hour and watched black and white shorts of Mickey, Minnie, and Donald.
By 9am, our house was full of mayhem. Mom and Emily fought for the bathroom. Dad was making breakfast (I love how he doesn't let stress get to him....he was acting as if it were any normal Saturday, and that was comforting!). My hairdresser, Pam, arrived to put my hair in an up-do. Emily and my cousin, Laura, left to go to a salon to get their styles done. Mom tried to convince me to eat something....she succeeded in getting me to gnaw on a piece of buttered toast.
By 11:45, I was at the church. Friends started arriving. We all huddled upstairs in the choir room and began to dress. After I'd assembled my 7-layer tulle slip and corset-thingy, I realized I had to run to the restroom. Christy accompanied me as I whisked down the hall half-dressed. We were undercover until we exited the ladies' room....I opened the door wide to find myself staring face to face at the youth minister. I screamed, knocking Christy back into the bathroom. After about five minutes of hysterical laughter and hyperventilation, she peered out, called an "all clear," and we booked it back to the choir room.
Photographers arrived....snap, snap, snap. My back ached, my stomach tumbled, my blood sugar dipped. Dad rushed to a gas station next door and purchased some orange juice and cheese on wheat crackers. I drank the OJ in a corner....the wedding director would have a fit if she saw me because we were all instructed to drink "only clear liquids" once we were donned in our dresses.
Pretty soon I could hear the music wafting upstairs from the sanctuary. One by one, my bridesmaids left. My mom came over and kissed me goodbye. Soon it was just Emily and I standing there. I asked her if I had lipstick on my teeth. I looked over to see her sobbing. "Oh, no, Emmie, not now. You can't cry now." We pulled ourselves together. She left. I stayed. Minutes ticked on. Soon, Ken's brother came upstairs to get me. It was time.
I entered the lobby on my dad's arm. There were a few brief seconds to compose ourselves, and then the wedding director opened up the door. Ken stood at the front. He swayed and smiled when he saw me. I beamed. My butterflies suddenly vanished. I walked calmly, confidently, exuburantly down the aisle. I took my place beside my groom. Dad kissed me and gave me away. We stepped onto the platform and began our vows. I vaguely remember some music....my friend Amy and also Tom Conlon provided beautiful melodies. But soon arrived the most important crescendo.....we were pronounced man and wife, and we paraded back out of the church, radiant with happiness.
I woke up early and felt butterflies in my stomach immediately. I reached up and felt those pink sponge rollers....yep, it was my wedding day. I wasn't dreaming. I jumped out of my daybed and went into the den. Everyone else was still asleep. I crawled into the recliner and turned on the television. It was not long before I found classic Disney cartoons.....a favorite thing of mine since I was a little girl. I sat there for an hour and watched black and white shorts of Mickey, Minnie, and Donald.
By 9am, our house was full of mayhem. Mom and Emily fought for the bathroom. Dad was making breakfast (I love how he doesn't let stress get to him....he was acting as if it were any normal Saturday, and that was comforting!). My hairdresser, Pam, arrived to put my hair in an up-do. Emily and my cousin, Laura, left to go to a salon to get their styles done. Mom tried to convince me to eat something....she succeeded in getting me to gnaw on a piece of buttered toast.
By 11:45, I was at the church. Friends started arriving. We all huddled upstairs in the choir room and began to dress. After I'd assembled my 7-layer tulle slip and corset-thingy, I realized I had to run to the restroom. Christy accompanied me as I whisked down the hall half-dressed. We were undercover until we exited the ladies' room....I opened the door wide to find myself staring face to face at the youth minister. I screamed, knocking Christy back into the bathroom. After about five minutes of hysterical laughter and hyperventilation, she peered out, called an "all clear," and we booked it back to the choir room.
Photographers arrived....snap, snap, snap. My back ached, my stomach tumbled, my blood sugar dipped. Dad rushed to a gas station next door and purchased some orange juice and cheese on wheat crackers. I drank the OJ in a corner....the wedding director would have a fit if she saw me because we were all instructed to drink "only clear liquids" once we were donned in our dresses.
Pretty soon I could hear the music wafting upstairs from the sanctuary. One by one, my bridesmaids left. My mom came over and kissed me goodbye. Soon it was just Emily and I standing there. I asked her if I had lipstick on my teeth. I looked over to see her sobbing. "Oh, no, Emmie, not now. You can't cry now." We pulled ourselves together. She left. I stayed. Minutes ticked on. Soon, Ken's brother came upstairs to get me. It was time.
I entered the lobby on my dad's arm. There were a few brief seconds to compose ourselves, and then the wedding director opened up the door. Ken stood at the front. He swayed and smiled when he saw me. I beamed. My butterflies suddenly vanished. I walked calmly, confidently, exuburantly down the aisle. I took my place beside my groom. Dad kissed me and gave me away. We stepped onto the platform and began our vows. I vaguely remember some music....my friend Amy and also Tom Conlon provided beautiful melodies. But soon arrived the most important crescendo.....we were pronounced man and wife, and we paraded back out of the church, radiant with happiness.
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