Recap--Getting Dressed

Well, I didn't mean for that dramatic pause to last for so long. But you know how life is. Have a wedding. Then have your debit card stolen, and your tub drain get clogged, and your husband go away on a business trip then come home and start puking.

So, Mike realized he forgot his tux shirt! I was in the bathroom. He made a snap decision to just drive back all the way home himself rather than have a guest bring another shirt, send someone back to our house, stop at a mall and buy a new shirt, etc. The drive generally takes an hour one-way at that time of day. It was a Monday, remember, and at 5 pm there is killer rush hour traffic.

As soon as Mike announced the missing shirt I felt strangely calm. That was it. That's what we forgot. We might start late, but if that's the worst that happens, that's not so bad. I was thinking, well, there will just be a little less time for dancing. We had already arranged for appetizers and the bar to be available before the ceremony, so guests would have plenty of food and drink to keep them busy.

I decided not to get dressed right away, since I suddenly had some more time. I went out to greet some guests who had arrived early, friends of Mike's from work who enjoyed hearing about him zooming home to get the shirt. (They take aggressive driving training for their jobs and were certain Mike was using his skills to speed and weave throughout traffic.)

Finally it was time for me to get dressed. Since hair and makeup was all done, all I had to do really was step into the dress. My mom helped me. Then the photographer came in while I freshened up my hair a bit and added my tiara. She had a lot of time to photograph me without Mike and she loved the stone wall finish in the salon, so spent a lot of time there. I felt so princessy. And it was fun. I enjoyed being the center of attention more than I thought I would.

Since we had planned on being dressed and greeting our guests together (i.e., I wasn't going to stayed sequestered away in secret until the ceremony), I went out to face everyone while waiting for Mike. It was so amazing! Everyone's reaction to the dress and me in it. Again, I felt princessy and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

At 5:55 pm, about 5 minutes before the official start of the wedding (the time the bar opens), I noticed the shuttle bus arriving with the majority of guests. Then I felt a whoosh and saw a blur. It was Mike with his shirt! He had pulled in right behind the bus and was running to the bathroom to get changed. (The photographer got a great shot of this blur of Mike running through the door.) Mike made the trip in 55 minutes, round trip! He was all dressed and ready just as the shuttle bus folks were approaching the front door of the venue, so very few people even knew there had been a problem. It was amazing. We could greet everyone and be smiling and happy and laughing with everyone.