Can You Feel the Love Tonight: The Waiting

Finally, it was time to head to Paradise Beach Park for the actually getting married part of the day.

Fortunately, we found parking (as did everyone else!  Thank God!  It was a close one), and Daniel headed down to see what was going on with the ceremony site.

And I waited.

Waited = hid in someone else's car trying not to be seen.

In retrospect, I probably should have given up on people not seeing me before the wedding to help out with the remaining set up and finishing touches.  If I had, we may have avoided one of the Three Things That Still Bother Me that day.  And I hate waiting.  But oh well, can't do anything about it now.

After a while, I became so impatient that I abandoned the car to go wait at the top of the stairs that would start our aisle.

Now, ever since I put on my dress, every single person I encountered had been starting at me.  I got many a compliment and "Congratulations!" and lots and lots of shameless staring.  When we got to Blackie's Pasture, these two little girls followed me with their eyes from the parking lot until the path took me out of site.  I swear they thought I was a Disney princess or something (one more check off the bucket list :) ).

But none of that compares to the reception I got at the top of those stairs.

Now, this park has basically two levels.  The top has a long row of picnic tables overlooking the bottom level which is all grass and trees.  We were walking down the stairs between the two levels as part of the aisle.  So, that meant we were waiting with all the picnickers until the ceremony started.

When I walked into the picnic area, everyone started cheering.  Clapping, hooting, whooping, whistling, the whole shebang.  I actually had to tell them to quiet down, so the guests wouldn't look up.  I gots to admit, it was pretty cool.

Somehow, the wedding party found me up there (the cheering may have pointed them in the right direction).  And it was then that I discovered Number One of the Three Things That Still Bother Me about that day.  We were supposed to have flowers for the top and two sides of our arch, but somehow, the side flowers had been forgotten or misplaced or something.  I know it sounds stupid to care about something that small, but they were not cheap, and I went to lengths to make sure we could have them, so I was pretty upset for about a minute-and-a-half.

One very short fit later, I knew I had to let it go and just enjoy the moment.

Half an hour later when all of the guests actually arrived, we were ready to go (note:  I am only exaggerating a little *cough Brodskys cough*).

The music started, and we began to walk down the aisle.

Did you try to avoid being seen before the wedding?  Is there anything that really irks you about your wedding day, regardless of whether it should have important?