{recap & pro pics}

::the morning::

i went to bed around 4am (not wedding stress, i had to hand in grades that day; the final exam was only three days before, i had two classes with 40 students each), but we managed to wake up at 8am. we exchanged gifts while we're still in bed. we had agreed not to give each other wedding gifts, so i really did not expect to get anything from him. i gave him a tie clip from florence (italy), the name resembles his. he gave me a surprise wedding band (we bought one but he decided to design a new one from an austrian jeweler). we agreed that he would wear the tie clip that day and, of course, i would wear the wedding band after the ceremony. but he forgot the clip on the bed...

my friends had planned to pick up flowers from our place at 10am, go to the venue and return to our place for lunch and get ready. he wanted to rehearse our first dance before anyone came. i turned on the music and went to him. instead of getting into a dance position, he held me in his arms and started sobbing. he said he was sooo happy the day has finally came and we would share our lives forever. it was a very special moment for me.

the weather was perfect. warm with clear blue sky. i went to do a mani/pedi and he went to see his hairdresser. at the salon i took my e-ring off and put it inside my wristlet. well, i forgot to put it back in... :( i did not wear my engagement ring to my wedding!!!

i returned from the salon at noon and had lunch with my BMs. they started getting ready afterwards. my MUA came and worked her magic on me and our photogs came in the meantime. surprisingly, i was calm the entire time.

{i was getting ready with my girls}

{he was getting ready with his parents and friends}

{our bridal party - ready to rock}

we did our first look and portraits in front of a historic building nearby (i was nervous and i could see that he was nervous too, but it went well) and then we called our GMs and BMs to join us. the place where we shot pictures was literally a block away from where my BMs were getting ready, we assumed they would just walk like i did (less than 3 mins), but they decided to drive and ended up somewhere far from where we were!!! so they were late and we just did a couple of shots with them as we had to rush to the venue. 

{first look & formal}

::the evening::

we arrived at the venue. most guests have arrived and greeted us (i was not so good with hiding!), the officiant was ready, and the musicians were playing. perfect, i thought... but we soon realized that the dj was not there! he's not supposed to cover the ceremony, but should start right after that. flo was furious. the one thing that bothered flo the most was that nobody told him/us or called the dj (i found out later that my DOC was late because she helped my BMs to get ready and she needed to get ready herself at my place after that). flo immediately called the dj (who apparently had thought the whole thing would start at 7pm instead of 5pm). i tried my best to keep him calm.

we got ready for the ceremony. i was very calm until i had to walk down the aisle. i tried to smile and looked at flo, but flo was crying so i started to cry too and couldn't stop. the petals on the floor were slippery :) and i had to walk alone toward flo. i stumbled on my dress when we climbed up the stairs to the stage.  

{processional}

oh... flo was a very handsome groom! i am very lucky to marry him :D

the ceremony was smooth (thanks to my dear DOC), except for this huge mishap: the officiant's cellphone went off right in the middle of flo's vow! picture this: it was all quiet, i was listening to flo in tears... and suddenly a loud ringtone went off. the officiant didn't stop or pause the vow. instead, he just pick the phone, turned it off, and continued reading. at that moment i was so overwhelmed with emotion it actually felt like a part of the ceremony (i don't know how to explain this), but when we look at our video now, we realize that little incident did ruin the "feel" of our ceremony.  tip: ask everybody to turn off their cellphones before the ceremony!

{ceremony}

after the recessional, we did not do a formal receiving line. we mingle with the guests immediately (cocktail hour). even though there was no music, i don't think the guests noticed anything. we went outside for more photos. the dj arrived in the meantime, our GMs helped him with his equipment. when we returned for a rice tower cutting ceremony, the sound system was just ready (my DOC had to try a few times until the mic was on). 

{rice cutting ceremony; with all guests}

right after the rice cutting, somebody stepped on my dress and killed 3 points of the bustle. i had no time to fix this before our entrance and first dance (i danced with a little bit of a train... a little challenging). 

{first dance}

my MOH/BF couldn't make it to our wedding (she lives in Japan), but flo contacted her secretly to record her speech for me. it was a nice surprise and i couldn't stop crying when the video played (i got myself a very nice husband hehe). on the other hand, flo apparently forgot to tell his best man to give a toast until they got ready. so the best man was so stressed out he had to steal some time before the ceremony to outline his speech (not being a native english speaker didn't help him either). but his speech was so sweet and everybody liked it.

{best man's toast}

the rest of the evening was fun, fun, and fun. i ate a little, drank a little, but danced a lot. i didn't even need to go to the loo (can you believe that?!?). it was so hot dancing with my dress and the bustle was totally ruined. my BMs tried to pin them up but i was not patient enough. i changed into a lighter dress sooner than planned. 

i did not do any makeup retouch or hair adjustment. i think i should have done those. i was super sweaty (was uncomfortable when guests wanted to hug goodbye) and my hair was getting loose. at the end some of them decided to fall. i didn't care at the time, but it's sort of sad to see it on pics haha... 

{dance}

we wanted to do a photobooth during reception. we DIY'd the backdrop (with ppc pipes and fabric and everything), we bought the fun prop, masks, glasses, hats, you name it... but we forgot about it until our photogs already left (better coordination with DOC should have helped).  

{tabletop & favors}

in summary, it was a day full of happiness and joy and excitement and everything else; a heightened moment of happiness that went by so quickly. i am very happy that the joyful planning process has resulted in a joyful event. and now our real journey has begun... 

-- pics by aleks rachael photography --