Our Reception

Our reception was a blast! I cannot wait to see our wedding video, to relive it! And, I think everyone had a great time too. As everyone warned me, the night flew by. But, I do admit, by the time it was over, I was ready for some R&R. My feet were killing me. I don't think I've ever danced so much in one night... Everything was wonderful!

I think besides stating our vows, I was most nervous over the first dance. I like to dance, but I wouldn't consider myself that great. Yeah sure, I can dance when there's a crowd, or if it's fast, and for fun. But, slow dancing, in front of 200 people is quite a different story. And, we had some turns and twirls in our dance, to top it all off. We had practiced our dance too. I know that I 'messed' up during the dance, but I don't know if it was noticeable to others. Anyhow, we (or me) opted to not do the turns the second time around.

The toasts were all special, and all hilarious in each way. My sister was so nervous, yet she did great. Her toast was perfect - emotional, funny, and full of memories. Jeremy had the room rolling on the floor with laughter. And, his too, was emotional for Bob. Jo's, of course was great too! The key joke was awesome; especially with Bonnie Burton!

The cake cutting was a lot of fun too. We never did get around to discussing what we would do with the cake, meaning, if we were going to smother it all over our faces or not. With that being said, I totally smothered cake all over Bob! And, then I licked it off his face - ha ha! Just one lick though!

The tossing of the bouquet was pretty funny. I had two surprises up my sleeve. The first was my garter. My sister had the idea of getting a Florida Gator garter. Bob was surprised when he pulled it off my leg. We pulled the ol' switcharoo, and kept the Gator garter. I instead, handed him another garter to throw. Oh, and poor Bob! I made him work to get that garter off my leg. My other surprise was for my sister. I had planned beforehand to "toss" my bouquet to her. But, I didn't actually toss it, I ran it over to her, and gave it to her. Why not? She's next in line in the Lee household! Anyhow, Bob and I had concocted a plan to make sure Kathy caught the bouquet, and Phil caught the garter. Phil was very close to catching it, but instead, Bob's cousin, Michael, swept in for it. Luckily, he was willing to give it to Phil.

Overall, the reception was full of fun memories for us. I hope it was the same for everyone else too! I have attached one of my favorite pictures. It's a picture of us leaving Heathrow, at the end of the night. We look so happy, and I just loved all the bubbles. We both felt like the line of our family and friends was never-ending. It was the best way to end a perfect day.

The Ceremony

The ceremony was absolutely beautiful! I honestly could not have asked for the moment to be more perfect. As we arrived at Heathrow, we were whisked away immediately for some pre-ceremony pictures. It was a lot of fun, but wow, the wind was blowing! We did manage to sneak some good pictures in. But, then, people starting showing up - early!!! I wanted to hide pronto, not only from the early-arrivers, but also from Bob.

The girls were taken to the Women's Locker Room, inside the country club. The locker room was on the bottom floor of the club, about two flights down. I felt like we were in a basement. And, I felt like we were trapped in this tiny space (it really wasn't tiny, but I did feel like the room was shrinking in on me) forever!!! I found out afterwards, that the ceremony started a little late for a reason. What was this reason, you might ask? The best man, Jeremy left the rings in the limo! Oddly enough, I didn't put two and two together when Lisa asked me what the limo company's name was. Instead, I was at this point, focusing on my breathing (thanks JoJo). Actually, I have a lot to thank JoJo for, in regards to the anxiety I was feeling before the ceremony. She was great at calming the girls down, because they were hyper. I think she might have introduced them to some Yoga Breathing techniques for the first time in their young lives.

Finally, and I mean, finally, the ceremony was ready to begin. We all lined up, and were ready to go. At this point, (well, I admit, it was earlier than this point), I started getting really nervous. I watched as my bridesmaids walked down the aisle. Then, I saw my flower girl leave my side. Everyone was leaving me! But, then I saw him. I know what you're thinking...you're thinking - Bob, right? No, it was my dad, ready to walk his oldest daughter down the aisle. I was shaking pretty badly by this point. My dad sensed my nervousness, and held me pretty tightly. Or, rather, he held me up!

As I walked down the aisle, I took notice of all the guests. I wanted to absorb everything in. I was just about half-way down the aisle, when my eyes met Bob's. And, that's when I lost it. I just started crying. They were tears of anxiety, tears of love, and tears of happiness. As soon as I was by Bob's side, I felt comfortable again. The ceremony was emotional for us, and our family and friends. People later told us, that they could just tell how much in love we were with one another. The ceremony was magical, in a sense for me. I was looking deep into Bob's eyes. I felt completely at ease. I didn't even stutter a word during our vows. I was strong, because of him. We stated our vows, and everything went smoothly. I felt relaxed and at ease, and it was sincerely because of my husband!

Overall, and before I just keep blabbing, the ceremony was everything and more, than I had imagined. It was the best way to entwine our love together for eternity. We are blessed, very, very blessed...

Getting Ready for the Big Day!

The day of the wedding seemed to have dragged for me. I awoke that morning around 9am or so. Unfortunately, I slept pretty horribly the night before. I was pretty tired most of the morning, but as the afternoon approached my adrenaline took over.

Lisa and Nicole were the first bridesmaids to arrive that day. Lisa brought over champagne and OJ for mimosas. She brought over so much champagne (it was a big joke), we ended up with plenty for the family brunch on Sunday. Joye and Jo Jo got the house around noon, as things were starting to get into full swing. Jamie arrived at the house around 1pm. The rest of the bridal party (Victoria, Meagan, and Ashley) arrived around 2pm, after Meagan's soccer game.

Overall, the day was just weird for me. I was happy, excited, and feeling all sorts of emotions. But, I was also nervous, tense, and a bit overwhelmed. The women we hired to do our hair and make-up did a great job! And, they were so nice. Larri kept me calm and level-headed, along with everyone else.

Once everyone started getting dressed, I started to get really excited. I was extremely happy with the outcome of the dresses from Aria. And, I just felt that everything came together perfectly! The earrings I picked out were perfect too! I was a bit nervous over that, because I had thought that they would be too big. Overall, everyone looked stunning! My friends can sure clean up well ;-).

Here are some pics of us getting ready.

The Rehearsal Dinner

Our rehearsal dinner was held at our home, following the lovely rehearsal...(you think?) I was a bit nervous about this whole idea during the beginning of the planning process. The last thing I wanted, was to be stressed out due to hosting such a large party at our home. However, after being calmed by my in-laws, and then the caterer, I felt a lot better.

The caterer met us a few weeks before the dinner, and was great! He was creative with his ideas, professional, and full of energy. In case anyone ever needs a caterer in the Central Florida area, the name of the company is Good 2 Go Gourmet. The food was excellent, and they took care of EVERYTHING! Our house, didn't even feel like our own house! It looked great!

Overall, the dinner was wonderful! It was great to see everyone. We had about 40 people over for dinner, and about 60 people over for dessert after. If I hadn't been the bride, I definitely would have stayed later. The party was in full swing!

Overall, the party was a huge success! The Ross family did a wonderful job of hosting!

The Rehearsal

Our rehearsal was held on Friday, the 12th at 5pm. Everyone arrived on time, and the rehearsal went very smoothly. Our minister that performed the ceremony, Tony White was very professional and pleasant to work with. During the rehearsal, it was very hot outside, and it made me nervous for the ceremony the next day. But, as you all know...the weather that day was perfect!

There's not too much more to say about the rehearsal, other than how loved I felt by Bob through it all. As we were 'rehearsing' some of the ceremony, he got teary-eyed! When I saw that, I knew that the next day would be emotional for me.