Bridal party slumber party & Wedding morning!

When we got back to the hotel, I wanted to make an appearance at the bar where my parents were hanging out with some out of town relatives that I don't get to see much. So I went down from about 9-9:30 and got lots of hugs, kisses, and well wishes. I headed back up at 9:30 and Rachel had set up about every snack I love from Trader Joe's and a bunch of board games (I'm a huge fan of board games, if you didn't know!). The only problem was, I was SO full from the rehearsal dinner and a little antsy and couldn't eat much. Then we started to play board games, but my brain just couldn't think or focus! Then... I got really tired and wanted to cash in on that because I had feared I wouldn't be able to sleep at all. So, I was a bit of a party pooper but my girls were very understanding, which I appreciated.

 My expression is "Oh my God, please stop making me use my brain. It hurts!"

 I don't think I ever told my sister how amazing the set up was, but Rachel, it was AWESOME. Let's re-create it one day when I'm not a bundle of nerves, because it totally had that 12 year old sleepover feel that I love! Jill and Jessica were spending the night with me, so after Rachel and Jennifer left, we realized we had forgotten various items (me toothpaste, someone a razor, and I think something else, too), so we had to go to the front desk and get those. Then we got in bed and talked for probably an hour because, as sleepy as I was, my mind was having trouble turning off. I knew once I woke up, I would be up, so I just hoped I could get a good few hours in before that happened, and I did! I think we fell asleep around midnight, and I woke up about 5:30. Pretty good for the night before the wedding!

These are a few of my favorite things!

I went ahead and got showered, because I had early morning breakfast plans with my groom. I knew seeing each other that morning and having a quiet moment together would be an awesome start to our wedding day. Thankfully, I texted him at some point because my ever attentive groom had fallen asleep after his alarm went off. It would have been the worst bridezilla moment ever had he not shown up to breakfast lol! He picked me up I think around 7ish because I had to be back to the hotel for hair and makeup around 8:30. We went to Cafe Carolina, which is a local place that we go a lot for dinner when we go to 5pm mass, so it felt fitting to go before our wedding. I was a bundle of nerves- not about getting married but about everything going right, and all the details involved in the day. Steven, much to my surprise, was as cool as a cucumber! I barely got two spoonfuls of yogurt down and he was throwing back ham and cheese biscuits left and right. It definitely helped me that he was so normal! We sat side by side in the booth, enjoying each other and the mostly empty restaurant. We took a not so flattering "last unmarried picture" too :). When he dropped me off, we exchanged letters. We had decided to do this instead of gifts, because we knew it would mean more to us in the long run, and we simply didn't have it in the budget for gifts. I read mine before the rest of the girls came to the room and of course sobbed. I actually did really good until I got to the end of this letter and there was a sentence that just made me lose it!

After that, the rest of the bridesmaids and my mom came to the room. Shortly after, Maisha, the coordinators assistant whose job was to take care of me, and the hair and makeup ladies arrived. Maisha talked up a storm the entire morning, which I'm sure thoroughly annoyed everyone else, but was exactly what I didn't know I needed. It kept me calm and kept my mind busy. We all got pampered and a little while later, Steven dropped off breakfast trays so we would have stuff to snack on throughout the morning, which my amazing sister in law carted up to the room so Steven wouldn't see my makeup, veil, dress laying out, etc. She also hung my dress up on the window, moved it to the other window, took it back down, hung it back up... you get the idea. We had to keep moving it due to hairspray, pictures, needing to put it on, etc. and she was crazy helpful all morning. People took turns encouraging me to eat a bite here or there, and we all talked while everyone was getting ready. Hair and makeup were there from about 8:45 until 11:30 or so and then headed out after putting my veil in.

Whole Foods breakfast tray= amazingness

A few minutes later, I got a call from the front desk that the photographer was there. I got so excited and stood at the door with it open waiting on her to walk in. I love, love, love our photographers and knew once she was there, I could get my dress on! Maisha, in the mean time, was packing everything up and seriously made the room spotless. She hid all our luggage, threw away all the trash, got the hotel to put a fridge in the room (!) for our leftovers so we would have something to snack on that night .... she was amazing. Melissa, the photographer, came in and took pictures of the dress, jewelry, and shoes, and then told me I could start getting ready. I got dressed by stepping in because I was paranoid about my hair, and the girls did such an amazing job getting me dressed! I just stood there and let it all happen because I couldn't totally function to help lol. Mom started telling me how pretty I was, and I cried (for about the fourth time that morning... I seemed to cry about once an hour, and then didn't cry a single time during the wedding!).

When I was dressed, I stepped back into the main room and showed my dad. Then Rachel started putting my jewelry on me, which has become such a sweet memory. I was jittery and overwhelmed, so she took my earrings and started putting them in for me. The girls finished getting my jewelry on and then put on my garter. Melissa took a few pictures and then announced it was time to go. My mind was like "IT'S TIME TO GO TO MY WEDDING!!!! MY WEDDING!!!!" It was pure awesomeness.