Wedding Part III: Wedding Weekend!

So now you know all of the logistics of the wedding- who was taking pictures, who made the cake, etc.  I want to tell you how everything came together after all of the planning, fretting, asking Daddy for money ;), and stressing.

I remember both of my sweet grandmothers worrying about what to wear, how to fix their hair, what color to paint their toenails... So adorable.

I remember my mom asking me every single day, "How are you feeling?  How are you doing?  What do you need me to do?"  I could NOT have gotten through everything without her help.

Daddy got his Mustang looking as good as new so he could drive me in it to the beach.
(We even got reposted by Ford on Instagram! #mustangmonday)

A couple of people dear to me lost loved ones the week of the wedding, which kind of brought me back to reality and made me realize that the world wasn't revolving around me.  I focused some time in prayer for them, and got my mind off of myself for a while.

My mom, Gran, Emily, Caleb, and I arrived in Long Beach on Thursday to "get ready".  On Thursday, we walked the beach, sat by the pool, rode down Beach Boulevard, visited the Friendship Oak, and relaxed.  Caleb, his best man, and his dad fished nearly all night long.

Caleb and his best man comparing Monopoly pieces 

Yes, those three dots are Caleb and his two best friends (Jacob and his dad).

Caleb's parents almost didn't have a room when they got to the hotel because of a reservation mixup.  Everything worked out, though.

Poor Emma fell and busted her jaw, and had to get stitches before they could head down on Friday.

Molly picked up a package that I had been expecting, a gift for my dad, and brought it down for me.  She saved the day!  I would have been heartbroken if I couldn't have given it to him on our wedding day.

So things did not go perfectly- but everything worked out.  Each problem was met with a solution, and the world did not end!  The show must go on ;)

I woke up early on Friday and headed straight to the sand, as I always do during a stay at the beach.  (Well, first I got a cup of coffee.)  Those few minutes by the ocean were so incredibly calming.  I was snapping a few photos of the early morning scenery.  This would be the backdrop for our wedding, after all!  A sweet lady walked over to me and said, "Can I ask you a strange question?  I don't have any more memory on my phone to store pictures, but if I could get pictures in a text, I would be able to save them on my computer when I get home.  Could you text me the pictures you took out here?"  She gave me her phone number, and I sent her a few pictures.  I learned that she, her husband, and two kids were traveling home to Longview, Texas from seeing their family in Georgia.  She begged her husband to stop and spend a night at the beach because she loves it so much.  So they had spent the night at the Holiday Inn Express in Long Beach, just like us.  When I told her I would be saying my vows the next morning, she replied, "Wow, you're really calm!"  "That's only because I'm here," I said.  Boy, was that the truth.  Those moments spent in quiet gazing at God's own handiwork are the most peaceful setting I could ask for.  My new friend inquired about the details of the wedding, and she wished me luck with everything.  I walked through the lobby later that morning and smiled at her as she ate breakfast with her lovely family.  Simple moments like that can leave a huge impact!   Those would be the last calm minutes I would experience until our honeymoon.

The rest of Friday we kept busy running errands, preparing guest gifts, getting last minute things done.  Caleb and I headed to Darwell's about an hour before the rehearsal dinner was supposed to start to set out place cards and gifts for our parents, grandparents, and wedding party.  It was a great excuse to get a few minutes alone, even though we were busy nearly the entire hour!

Oh my goodness, I know I've bragged on Darwell so much already, but I was so impressed with everything.  They had a lot of the food prepared ahead of time, so we didn't have to wait long.  The staff was super organized, and handled the group of about 40 extremely well.  And, as always, the food was SCRUMPTIOUS.  I'm almost certain that everyone enjoyed themselves as much as I did because of all of the laughter I heard and smiles I saw.  What a special time to spend with our families and friends.  It was heartwarming to watch the Bazes and the Smiths get to know one another better.

A humongous THANK YOU! to Caleb's parents for such a memorable, joyful, delicious rehearsal dinner!

My mom and Shannon at Darwell's

Look at these lovelies!

Daddy and me :)

After dinner, we all headed down to the beach for rehearsal.  We waited, and waited, and waited for Riley to show up.  Finally we figured out that he had gotten left at the hotel.  (Riley is the person in our family that we are always waiting on.  He kept the tradition alive!)  When he arrived, we got down to business.  Michael filled us in on his part, and we didn't even walk through it.  I'm telling you- at the beach, every thing and every one is relaxed.  Josh set up his equipment and the musicians rehearsed, while the rest of the wedding party laughed and talked together.

I love this crazy couple!

Then, after transferring supplies from one vehicle to another, and a short jam session in the hotel lobby, my girls swept me away for the night.

Our plan was to watch Disney movies, but when midnight arrived and we hadn't started a movie yet because our chattering got in the way, it was unanimously decided that we should go to sleep.  Our beautification was to start at 3:30 a.m. after all.

Caleb sent me one last very sweet text message as my fiance, saying that it was "for real here now!"  And I tossed and turned next to Emily for what seemed like hours until sleep finally granted my mind some release- from worry, from anxiety, from excitement.

Stay tuned to hear about the wedding day.  I lied about this being a three-part series!