PaC Man & Wife: Don't Panic

Kicking back into high gear following a successful rehearsal, Mr. PaC and I sped home to grab our hotel bags and wedding clothes before the fast-approaching rehearsal dinner at Iron Hill Brewery. Things felt under control, but time was now an issue. We still had to check-in, shower, get ready, pack up the gifts/guestbook/slideshow, and, ideally, make it to the rehearsal dinner first so I could set up, relax, and greet everyone as they arrived.

This did not happen.

Obligatory pre-dinner photo in hotel lobby

We were ready in record time, yet still running late to be early. The elevator doors opened to reveal a sizable group of guests just chilling in the lobby. Not everyone had the same sense of urgency. 

Lobby-lollygagging with my cousin J and sister L

The shuttle to the rehearsal dinner was idling out front, so 1) where was everyone else and 2) why wasn't anyone on the shuttle? Judging from my expression above, I'm about to start herding some cats. (I am totally adding "cat herder" to my list of skills.)

Let's get this show on the road, please!

Forgetting the rest of the city had a work day, I cursed the unusually awful rush hour traffic. We sat unmoving on the interstate. Compounding the situation, our exit was backed up. I was perplexed and trying not to work myself up. At least our guests were caught in the same mess, hopefully behind us. After arriving at Iron Hill and finding nary a parking spot, we realized the local minor league baseball team was sharing our special night. They and their 5,000+ fans.

Mr. PaC and I made three frenzied trips from the car (way, way out in the parking lot) to the private dining room on the second floor. Half of our 45 guests had already arrived and were happily distracted by appetizers and cocktails. This is where it went downhill for me. Carting all that crap upstairs without help when we were already late to our own party aaaaaaaaaand missing out on happy hour was the straw that broke the camel's back. (Now that I re-read that it sounds like there may have been multiple straws dog-piling me.) We had just dropped the last of the bags into the room and I was preparing a strategic retreat to the bathroom where I'd compose myself and re-enter as Happy Bride.

Instead, one of Mr. PaC's cousins caught my elbow to say hi, recognized the panic in my eyes, and sympathetically told me to relax and breathe. This had the intended effect, but I was already on the verge of frustrated tears. I just wanted a moment alone. My eyes welled up, betraying me. I mumbled something about it all being too much too quickly. Eye contact was out of the question. We stood silently for a moment longer until the urge to let it all out subsided.

My family, my anchor, was on the other side of the room. I fell into hugs with my parents and slowly my world stopped spinning. Food in my belly and a drink in hand does wonders for stress. (Hint: No one bugs you much when you're eating.)

Grandpa with two-thirds of his grandchildren: sister L, cousin J, myself, and cousin S

All smiles from our reader and MOH.

The silly comes out... rocking the cupcake menu, Run-D.M.C.-style.

I spy with my little eye... a little teaser hidden in the photo below. Look a little closer. Do you see it? What has the interest of our guests on the far left?

The rumors must be true... it's slideshow time!!! Travel back to 1981 (or earlier in the case of Mr. PaC) and watch the we rapid-age from newborns to adults in a mere 8 minutes. (For the uninitiated, I'll be the chubby one with the dimples and a full head of dark hair.)

Did you see the fanny packs and colorblock clothes? Enough of that! After everyone had a turn watching the slideshow and thumbing through the guestbook, it was time for gifts. We opted for practical gifts the recipient would use and think of the wedding. My two ladies were gifted their wedding day earrings and a modern white bud vase.

My parents and Mr. PaC's mom received platters, serving bowls and pitchers from Macy's. (Yay gift cards and a 10% registry discount!)

Mr. PaC's dad and step-mom love to host gourmet dinners so they received tapas serving sets. Maybe we can use them next time we're over?

"How did we know you'd like this sort of thing?!"

But I have to say, the groomsmen's gifts that Mr. PaC thought up were my favorite! Half the fun was knowing what they were opening and waiting for their reaction.

Laughing in anticipation...

Bewildered amusement at the second gift!

Mr. PaC's first gift to them was bottle of nice liquor that he followed up with the "Little Whizzer" (a novelty drink dispenser) - a nod to their grandfather's sense of humor. 

The night flew by. The only timekeeper was the distance between my increasingly common yawns. This bride was beat! The morning's drama felt like days ago. Our proud mother posed with us for a few last photos.

Still have the dimples!

Our photo session was interrupted by the sound of percussive booms, bangs, and wailing whistles. I raced to the window like a kid at Christmas and saw what I'd always dreamed of, but was never in the budget - fireworks! The ballpark had redeemed itself with what I considered to be our own fireworks display. 

What a grand closing to the rehearsal evening!

(photo credits: various family members)

Catch up on our PaC recaps!

Days Before

• In the days leading up to the wedding, I wanted to be sedated.
• I walked the line between calm and stressed for the better part of our rehearsal day.

PaC Man & Wife: Walk the Line

The morning of our rehearsal was the first, and thankfully only, time I lost my cool.

My mom and I were en route to the nail salon and running late. Running late because I drove 25 minutes out of the way to pick her up instead of meeting her there. I hate being late. That she didn't know the area as well as she let on soon became apparent when her directions failed to deliver us on time to the proper location. All she knew from her visit there yesterday was that the nail salon was next to the drugstore. What she did not know was this stretch of road has three shopping centers with both a nail salon and that specific drugstore. And we just pulled up at the wrong one. Mother. (That word can, and did, go both ways in this scenario.) I snapped. Over so many little things that felt like big things. As soon as I had unloaded all my stress on her, I felt terrible and immediately apologized. I just yelled at my mom. She graciously chalked it up to stress and never said another word about it.

Meanwhile in the nail salon, who shows up for a pedicure wearing a short skirt??? This bride. Serious case of bride brain solved by an artfully placed towel. I was so tense the massage chair felt like a torture device. I zoned out, too preoccupied for small talk, and tried to quiet my thoughts. The only thing I was sure of was the color I wanted for my hands: a soft, barely there pink. Classic, lady-like and not distracting. Now was not the time for a last-minute switcheroo to a bold color. My brain was not to be trusted.

OPI Axxium "Bubble Bath" in action later that night

The afternoon was filled with go, go, go. Lots of scheduling and logistics commotion. All I can remember is a sense of being overwhelmed and the disappointment of being the bride and not being able to relax and enjoy it. There was so much still ahead of us. Having a willing, calm, and capable Mr. PaC around made all the difference. Had he not been around, I probably would have snapped at more people than just my mom. He took control when we arrived at the venue, directing boxes and people to begin the unpacking and assembling. Everything was in his capable hands, so I slipped outside to survey the grounds.

Anticipation was running high as I rushed past the brick wall surrounding the gardens, eager for a glimpse of the summer colors and the climbing hydrangea that would be the backdrop to our ceremony.

Rounding the corner, the one thing I'd always thought would be there wasn't... the giant white mophead blooms of the climbing hydrangea. Clearly, they'd arrived and gone. The spent spherical stem structures were the only reminder of what we'd hoped for over a year ago.


Disappointment set in as I realize our vows would not look exactly as I pictured. There would be no backdrop of puffy white blooms. I surveyed the gorgeous summer garden before me.

A white dogwood in glorious bloom laced above my head.





Mounds of cheery summer flowers appeared at every turn.

And I decided to let it go. What a small thing to get hung up on when so much had gone right.

Inside the venue, our friends and family were still arriving and catching up. The photo booth backdrop was in place and other projects were wrapping up as Linda, our venue's coordinator, arrived to lead us through the rehearsal.

BM R crafting the rehearsal bouquet. A sneak peek at our washi tape escort cards.

My completed rehearsal bouquet!

The paper lanterns in a state of readiness: assembled and bunched.
Our officiant, whom we had yet to meet, was unable to be there (i.e., it was an extra fee) and our DJ had another gig so this would be a very loose rehearsal of the ceremony. No matter, we were prepared. My little black binder contained the text of the entire hand-crafted ceremony so we could walk through it without the officiant. It contained other details for which I was endlessly teased: contact information for each vendor with thumbnail headshots, color-coded day-of timeline, sketched layouts for the decor, and more bits of information we'd have been lost without.

Camera duties were handed over to my cousin J, also one of our readers, and we began the rehearsal!


Linda explaining the processional to Mr. PaC.

Herding cats.

Mr. PaC throwing his hands up after catching crap for walking too fast, looking down, and other infractions. Poor groom!

Practicing a more refined walk.
And then it was my turn. Deep breath.


In the moment above, I am thinking about everything other than walking down the aisle. (Everything else includes: My dad's health since earlier in the day it was still a question mark if he'd feel up to the short walk down the aisle. Watch for uneven pavers. Don't trip. Walk slow. But not too slow. How can I tell how fast to walk; there is no music. Ah, we'll wing it tomorrow! Steady Dad's arm. Man, this sun is bright.) An absolute stream of consciousness. You can understand why looking up or smiling escaped me. Yet, no one gave me crap.


My dad lightens the mood by explaining to Mr. PaC that I'm HIS problem now!

The moms having a good laugh at our expense.

Caught smiling and relaxing, just a bit!
After the rehearsal, I had no concerns. Our wedding party and family listened to Linda's expert directions and we got it right on the first try. Even my sister, who hadn't been in a wedding before excelled, sometimes with a nudge from BM R. Our goal of crafting a simple ceremony allowed us to skim over the text so we never actually said our vows or practiced the kiss. (We are pretty practiced at kissing, btw.) The only thing I would have liked to go over was our musical cues, but that could be figured out the next day. It didn't have to be perfect for us to be married.

Up next: our rehearsal dinner with a little surprise!

(all personal photos - thanks cousin J!)
Catch up on our PaC recaps!

Wedding Week

• In the days leading up to the wedding, I wanted to be sedated.

PaC Man & Wife: I Wanna Be Sedated

When I set out to write my recaps, I never intended for the first one to go live 16 months after our wedding. I mean, that’s a really long time, right? But 16 months have passed. Eight of those were spent in wait for our pro pics. About a quarter of the content was written by the time our pics arrived. I had grand plans to knock them out in two months and have the last one wrap up right around our one year anniversary.

But life throws things, sometimes pretty big things, at you that disrupt your forward momentum. My grandfather was diagnosed with cancer and given six months to live… and if I wanted to look back with no regrets, it meant putting the recaps on hold and finally giving him a copy of their love story (my senior design thesis) before he was too ill to appreciate it. So in early spring, I launched into the arduous task of redesigning and printing the book. I finished in time but was emotionally exhausted.

Even though I was anxious to write, there was nary a free weekend or quiet evening now. And I was experiencing all sorts of uncomfortable arm issues relating to too much computer usage. Knowing these recaps would be my “Weddingbee thesis,” I did not want to force them or release them before I felt they were as close to perfect as I could get. It was imperative that the recaps started with our then-non-existent wedding video and, of course, I needed a special PaC recap banner. You might get the idea I’m a little perfectionistic. But it’s important to me to give you a set of complete recaps ready to roll with no interruptions.

So thanks for waiting. I promise I’ll make it worthwhile.

---

The days before our wedding were not what I expected. I fell into the trap of thinking just because everything on my to-do list was done, that there would be no stress, nothing to do. Hah! Hahahahaha - man, I was delusional!

What I expected: calm, leisurely days lunching with family, evenings reminiscing on our childhoods complete with embarrassing stories, and maybe a cocktail or two with the younger relatives. A mature, controlled transition into married life.

What I got: Read on. Just read on.

There was so much going on that I had trouble processing it before it stressed me out. This bride wanted fewer details, less information from the periphery. Only the important stuff! No, I don't care to know what everyone ate for lunch. The expectation was that I'd play host and find activities for everyone. Coordinate meeting times and corral people. I didn't want to be responsible for myself, let alone a large group of people. It felt like a game of Hot Potato and I did NOT want that damn potato. I wanted to be sedated (see title). 

The endless running around combined with the hot, hot weather had taken its toll on me. There was no extra effort on my part to look presentable in the days before the wedding, as you'll see in the photos to come. When I get overwhelmed, it's no make-up and comfy clothes. Thus the maxi dress (sans bra), flip flops, air-dried hair, and pale face. Heck, I didn't have time for food. 

 Welcome dinner hosted by Mr. PaC's dad and step-mom!

 Enough smiling. This is all you get! 

We are a united front. 

There were more important things to focus on two days before our wedding. Like the fact that my dad's condition hadn't improved much. He was still weak and very pale. My stomach was in knots over his health, which selfishly turned to how it might affect the wedding's big moments: our walk down the aisle and the father-daughter dance. Most brides stress about the weather. I was stressing about my dad's health.

After the chaos of the past few days, the last thing I had energy for was playing cruise director to my out-of-town family so it was a relief when they starting leaving me out of their plans. "Really, no. I'll be fine by myself. Some quiet time would be good." We'd finally cleared everyone out of our house and recaptured our space. A bedroom to lay out my suitcase and finally pack for the honeymoon. A living room to serve as a prep area for boxes and decor. An unoccupied bathroom - no waiting. Regaining our space felt good. Exhausted, hungry, and in need of a drink, we snuck away from all the crazy with Mr. PaC's mom. God, did we ever need that break. 

 

Mmmmm, mojitos.

Being incommunicado for an hour or two was liberating and restorative. But in our radio silence, I got my wish. Things were being scheduled for us... like an impromptu mini-shower with 15 of my family members crammed into a hotel room. Nothing says "welcome to the family" like the following picture. 

Doesn't Mr. PaC look a little freaked out (and tired)?

Once the shock of so many people in such a small space wore off, Mr. PaC and I realized everyone was looking at us, waiting. Awwwwkwaaaaard. So everyone got a preview of the rehearsal dinner slideshow. It tested well. Which was good, because I wasn't making any more changes!

Then it was time for the gifts. My uncle, who recently picked up stained glass as a hobby, designed and crafted a seascape panel months in advance and drove it all the way from Minnesota. It now hangs in a prominent location at the base of our stairs.

The rumors we like wine are far-reaching, indeed. My cousins gifted us a quartet of custom "Pain au Chocolat's Wine Bar, est. 2011." It's cute how they encourage our drinking habit.

The PaCs: 44 hours and counting until "I do."

By the end of the impromptu shower, I was wiped. We said our goodbyes and enjoyed a peaceful drive home. The house was quiet and dark. Sleep couldn't come fast enough. Tomorrow was our rehearsal day.

(all photos taken by my snap-happy family)

PaC Man and Wife: The Video

Hey hive! You have no idea how I've missed you all these months! (Do you even remember me?) I hope you won't mind me popping back in because I've got something wonderful to share with you - our wedding video! This video was a true labor of love compiled from footage shot by our friends and family and edited by me. Big props go to my cousin Sean who shot hours of video like it was his job! (The audio at the very end is him!)

A year ago today, Mr. PaC and I exchanged vows in an intimate garden wedding. The day was absolute perfection! It exceeded both of our expectations and I cannot wait to share all the sweet details with you. Consider this wedding video the "soft opening" before the grand opening that will be the Pain au Chocolat recaps!



Some of our favorite video moments:

• Bucolic countryside blurring together into shades of green and yellow.
• The shot of the venue's sunroom covered in climbing hydrangea.
• OMG, all of our faces (especially mine) during the ceremony.
• The audio during the hand-fasting ceremony. Listen carefully.
• Mr. PaC tries to walk down the aisle before the musical cue.
• Followed by him dancing down the aisle.
• My grandparents goofing off as they cut a rug on the dance floor!
• Minute mark 5:00 never fails to make me giggle, no matter how many times I watch it.
• The audio Easter egg at the very end.

We had fun! Can you tell?

Snowmen amok

As a kid, I don't think I ever made a gingerbread house. And it seems like a very important holiday tradition to have missed out on. Shortly after we returned from early Christmas in West Virginia, I happily declared we would build a gingerbread house. After all, we were on a roll. A tree had been purchased and decorated for the first time in many years AND most of the holiday shopping was done. 

It was decided we would build a replica of our townhouse. Choosing a simple design we were familiar with was a smart move as we are gingerbread-building novices. Mr. P added T-supports and corner braces inside the house for stability. I wish I were kidding.

Peppermint candies for the brick columns and candycane handrails. If you look closely you can see the drop of icing for the front door knob.

If you're piping icing out of sandwich baggies (instead of an icing bag), don't be surprised if your fingernails pierce the bag and you have literal mess on your hands. Mr. P's bag never sprang a leak... until I used it. We used pasteurized egg whites for the royal icing so it was safe to eat.

My Seuss-ified trees. Rocking a sugar buzz by this point.

Banished to the rear of the house, I started work on the paver patio. This patio went down in a matter of minutes whereas the real project has taken over 3 months. Mr. P stopped working on the front porch roof long enough to observantly ask if I was placing them in a pattern. Why, yes!

If only our fencing was arches of candycanes! Another icing door knob.

While waiting for icing to set, I assembled snowmen out of gumdrops. Scrounged up some loose poppy seeds (everything bagels are messy!) for eyes and piped on pairs of candy-coated mittens. Inspiration struck and I asked for a sled.

A rather handsome sled, indeed!

This is what happens when you let snowmen run amok! Sledding accidents are nothing to giggle at. And giggling is pretty much what I did the entire time I created this macabre scene. I knew we'd succeeded when my mom thought it was disturbing and dad thought it was hysterical.

Next year's gingerbread project: a sailboat?

Ooops and another update

Broken images on the honeymoon posts have been fixed. (Slightly embarrassed that I just now caught it.) Any post written from the MarsEdit blogging program went into a separate Picasa album, whose privacy settings I must have fiddled with. Back to public view now. Phew.

(A full size tree this year for the newlyweds!)

Our early Christmas with my family in West Virginia was a wonderful way to kick off the month of December. The gifts, especially the photo albums and framed pictures, were a big hit. Really pleased with the way the kraft paper, bakers twine and salt dough name tags came together. Will post detail shots of them after the rest of the family sees them on Christmas -- this weekend. 

Oh, hello Christmas. Didn't know you were coming so soon!

Hard to believe Christmas is next weekend. And New Years the following weekend. I'm tired just thinking about all the busy between now and then. Let's just say I am looking forward to getting back to blogging soon, which will include wedding RECAPS!

Cheap bakers twine and other slightly less important news

Had to share this incredible find (courtesy of my friend Jane): $9.95 for 3,400 YARDS of bakers twine!

Pink Bakers Twine via wesellcoffee.com

And no, this deal isn't only for red twine. They have just about every color, including some of the harder to find ones like pink, orange, lime green and light blue. I knew you guys would appreciate it, especially with the holidays coming up! I've already ordered mine so I'm not worried about it selling out. Go get your own spool here.

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I know this blog has been too quiet lately. Being busy is no excuse because we all are, but I am/have been. I swear! The mister and I have used every nice weekend between Labor Day and today to work on the patio project. We're finally at a point where I can see forward progress. No more digging. No more dirt piles up to my waist.

This was last weekend: 4x4 poles and sakrete for the fence posts. Now we have a raised garden bed in the rear and a 2" layer of crusher run (gravel) down. Next is sand... and then the pavers.

Work has really picked up and I've had back-to-back clients, which is atypical for this time of year. (Extra money is good. It allows me to buy silly things, like spools of bakers twine.) I'm in charge of the office holiday mailing from creation to dropping it off at the post office. No easy feat for 700+ clients.

No matter how organized I am, the holidays sneak up on me. Never mentally ready for them to start. Two weeks ago while picking up ornament crafting supplies for my Weddingbee secret bee, someone was driving around with Christmas music blasting from their car. I remember thinking, "Really??! Really?" But if that's what it takes to get your head into the holiday spirit... *sigh*

So on top of all the holiday shopping, ornament-making, card-mailing, and ambitious crafting and cooking projects, I'm creating seven individual wedding albums as presents. (I must be nuts.) Four are complete - the easier, smaller (<40 page) ones. The larger, more detailed parent albums are next. After  busting my butt to get those first four albums out the door for a 25% off discount, Shutterfly announced a 40% off discount (book40) the very next day. Of course. So now I need to get the three albums done asap to snag this deal.

What are you up to this weekend?

What to buy at Terrain?

I've got a 20% off discount for Terrain burning a hole in my pocket. It's good through the end of the month, so I still have time to choose what to spend it on. The problem is, there are so many tempting things to use it for...

Sun Shower Necklace, $48


Tagua Bib Necklace, $72

Marble Sunflower Dish, $88
And the big ticket item, which I've loved since its introduction but don't actually have a place in our house picked out yet:

Filigree Sphere, $238
(all images via Terrain)
Or I could be smart and use the 20% discount toward Christmas gifts. But I really like that light. What would you pick up?

Hello, again.

It's been four months since our wedding. It feels more like a year. You would think post-wedding, I'd have all this free time. Especially since I am not blogging as heavily as before (read: once a month if you're still following). Yet, I find myself busy. Yes, work and the usual obligations are there. But this busy is more of a in-my-head-busy, planning-busy. I love planning and thinking up projects for the hazy future.

Last month, I stumbled across a "planning enabler": Pinterest. If you're one of the few uninitiated, you owe it to yourself to take a look. This inspiration pinboard community was made for the visually-oriented planner. The best feature is seeing what my friends and fellow bees pin in real time. I could easily spend my evenings in a pinning and planning daydream. If you're curious, visit me and see what I've been up to.

In the name of productivity, I created a board just for my 101 Things list. Incentive to accomplish... and plan. Ooops. So far, I've knocked out two classic books (Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre), ventured away on two weekend trips, dined at new restaurants (Chifa & Meritage in Philly; Rivers at the Watergate in DC), sipped seasonal pumpkin brews (reviews soon on my wine blog), and have every intention of starting some DIY projects this weekend. Maybe a little mercury glass or an early start on the holiday cards.

Whatever it is, I need to close my laptop and be productive before the weekend slips away from me. Are you up to anything particularly interesting this weekend?