The morning of my wedding day I woke up with a lot of nervous energy. The first task of the day was to be at the spa at 10am for our appointments, but we had woken up at 7 and the waiting was killing me.
Thankfully, I convinced one of my bridesmaids - Claire- to come to the gym with me. I ran off a few miles on the treadmill and it instantly brought me back to a semi-calm reality.
Claire and I sat in the relaxation room after our showers, had a mimosa, and tried to enjoy the calm before the storm. It turned out to be one of my favorite moments of the day (albeit, there are a lot of them).
By this point, it was 10am and spa services began. My family and wedding party met Clarie and I in the spa.
At the rehearsal dinner, I gave my girls robes and slippers to wear while we got ready.
While everyone was getting their hair and make-up done we kept the mimosa's flowing and energy high. Everyone had a blast - and I was so relieved and happy with the way my hair and make-up turned out since I never had a chance to do a trial.
We had ordered a light lunch for everyone but another bride ordered a ton of food and never came in to the spa (not sure what happened there), so they gave it to us to enjoy.
There was so much food that we called in my cousins, aunts and uncles that were back at the hotel. Since my wedding was at 5:30, we were able to enjoy a lot of the day without feeling too rushed.
Around 2, we left the spa and went back to the suite so that I could put my dress on.
I loved my dress. I told everyone that it was me as a dress. Plus, it had pockets - which was a major bonus. We added the belt to add some sparkle but still keep it simple.
For my accessories, I wore the bracelet that my mom wore on her wedding day - and gave to me to keep, new pearl earrings, and my grandma's handkerchief to keep in my pocket.
A lot of you may know that I lost my Aunt Peggy back in March 2012. As an engagement present, my cousin Gia (and junior bridesmaid), gave me a little blue tea pot pin that used to be my Aunt's. She thought it was perfect for "tea time with Tess". I loved having a little piece of Aunt Peggy with me throughout the day and I'm hoping I can pass it down to my sisters and Gia for their weddings too.
As we were getting ready, my day-of coordinator stopped by with a gift and note that Joel had sent for me.
Inside that brown Louis Vuitton box was a note that said I had a purse waiting for me back in California. He knew that I'm an instant gratification kinda girl, so he found a scarf that I could wrap around the purse to add a little flair to it - and keep me busy until we were back on the west coast.
My gift to Joel was a Bretling watch that he had been obsessing over for years.
I was really excited to give him his watch, but even more so to give him a little piece of Roscoe.
He had said all through the planning months that the only thing missing from the wedding was Roscoe, so I was so excited to find a way to incorporate him.
I only wish that I was there when he opened them.
After gifts were exchanged, my girls finished me up before my first look with Joel.
We were all laughing because everyone wanted to have a role in the getting ready part and I started to feel like Harry Styles with all of the girls attacking me. It was pretty amazing.
My wedding party are my closest, closet friends/sisters and they all made my day perfect. They were constantly making sure I was eating, drinking, smiling, laughing, happy that I never had a chance to get nervous. I literally couldn't have had a better group of women by my side.
Finally, it was time to go find my groom.
