It's Like Rain on Your Wedding Day

Soooo, for those who live in Sacramento area, specifically the Sierra foothills, you know that Saturday, September 21st 2013 we had torrential downpours, thunder and lightening. Friday was beautiful, warm, with clear blue skies... as was Sunday. But Saturday... holy cow... I wish I would have taken more pictures of the storm the storm that rolled through! The forecast of was way off and we definitely had to improvise.

the rehearsal dinner, all pretty and clear!

 

 

The night before (the rehearsal dinner) we were all convinced it wasn't going to rain, the forecast still said something like, "20% of light showers". Come Saturday morning, the skies were gray, and by noon, it was pouring. We decided that our ceremony, which was supposed to take place outside, would now be taking place inside the deep wine cave at our venue, Saluti Cellars. The owners, Tina and Randy, worked non stop all day. Randy patched up leaks in outdoor trellis area (where we would be having dinner)... he moved wine barrels in the cave where the DJ would now be setting up... and we changed almost every detail of our reception, down to the number of guest tables in order to keep everyone dry. James' parents should up early, as well as a few family friends, and worked their asses of trying to set everything up (and with very little instruction). They were just amazing.

You don't know how many times somebody mentioned Alanis Morissette's song, "Ironic" to me that day, but what was really ironic was that after a crazy, muddy, soaking wet day leading up the ceremony, while we were in the cave saying our vows, the skies opened up to a beautiful rainbow and the rest of the night saw no more rain drops!

In the aftermath of it all, even though I had never been more stressed or anxious in my life, I am actually glad it rained that day. I am grateful our amazing guests still trekked through mud, with umbrellas or coats swung over their heads. I am grateful we still had an amazing dinner with beautiful skies in the background. And I am so grateful that we had our ceremony in the awesome wine cave because that was probably the most intimate, sexy ceremony I have ever been a witness too (and not just because it was my ceremony!).

dinner

dancing in the cave!

Outside, we had a giant bonfire where all the dudes shared in a few fatty cigars, and huge heaters provided a bit of warmth for the guest tables. Inside the wine cave was a crazy dance floor where the DJ's disco lights bounced off the walls and made a super fun atmosphere! During the bouquet tossing (despite many warnings to throw my bouquet low) I slammed it against the cave ceiling, sending petals flying... and my little sister, my maid of honor, caught it... leaving destruction in her path!

Yesterday we went back to Saluti to take some more (sunnier) photos (our photographer is awesome) and walking into the wine cave kind of sent me back. For the rest of my life, every time we visit that winery, just the smell of that cave will remind me of our special day.

Although a ton of our decorations didn't get used, luckily our best friends are getting married next year and can hopefully use some of them. Almost everything I had planned like a crazy lady for the past year kind of went out the window that morning when I woke up and looked outside, it really made me focus on the reason why I was there... to marry my best friend. I will never forget our vows in the wine cave and dancing to our first dance, crying my face off in my super wet and muddy wedding gown.

I am so grateful for everyone who made it out to Somerset in the crap weather to celebrate with us, for everyone who helped make the crazy day absolutely perfect! They say it's lucky if it rains on your wedding day and for the amount of rain that fell that day, James and I should be married for centuries!

Now... to focus on the honeymoon in Cancun! Their is rain in the forecast... no, I'm not kidding... but rain doesn't scare me anymore... I can't wait to sip Mai Thai's in the rain!

(stay tuned for a lot more posts after we get home... all the stuff I couldn't show before the wedding day!)

Final Thoughts (as a single lady)... 2 days to go!

It's hard to do a wedding blog when there is so much that you don't want anyone to see yet! I have many projects that would fit great on my little DIY page, but it's all going to have to wait until after the wedding. I've got boxes and boxes in my house, overflowing with burlap, twine and raffia... the past few nights I've had the boy working on multiple projects and he even enlisted our roommate to help. Our kitchen has become a war zone... it looks as though a bridal bomb was dropped onto our home and the haz-mat clean-up team has made a "shrapnel pile" where our dining table once was. On any giving day this week you could have walked into my house an either been overwhelmed by the smell of either spray paint, wood stain or burning glue gun. It's a mess. Needless to say.

But other than a whole bunch of random wedding décor that just needs to be carefully organized and packaged... other than a few dozen (yes, dozen) lists that need to be looked over and checked off... other than my gnarly fingernails and unshaved legs... (sigh) I am excited. I really am. It has been rough though, I'm not going to lie. Planning this wedding basically 100% on my own wasn't easy, but it's what I wanted. I, and my helpers, have in countless hours but in the end I really think I've saved myself quite a bit of money. Although a few of my "projects" didn't end up being so frugal after all ( and I can blame my NON-green thumb for that) most of them turned out great and I can honestly say I'm proud of the outcome... so far, that is. Until the wedding is over and done, I won't be able to really say whether or not it was worth all of the hard work, but my gut says it will be!

Regardless of all of that... I can't wait until Saturday when I can relax (for the most part), get my hair done, get my makeup done, drink champagne and most importantly, marry my best friend!