Divide and conquer was the plan once we arrived at the venue! The guys were in charge of the lanterns. The girls were tasked with setting up the welcome table and, more importantly, being ready on time.
Stringing the lights together. Turning on the LEDs.
Spacing out the lanterns according to my totally-not-to-scale sketches (below).
Bunches of lanterns up and lit!
The boys finished their lantern install in under an hour. What they did the remainder of the morning eludes me... although there is photographic evidence of some test shots in the photobooth.
Best Man M with Groomsman J; Mr. PaC & J
Even my sister got in on the photobooth fun.
My plan for the welcome table, right down to the exact color for each bunting flag.
Some brides prefer to hire a day-of coordinator to ensure details like our lanterns and welcome table were executed according to plan. I never could have done that. I am far more hands on (doesn't that sound like a euphemism for perfectionism?) and couldn't imagine handing my projects over to someone else. It's a feeling akin to practicing for a recital and then letting someone else perform for you. The scope of our projects wasn't so impossible to accomplish by noon given the number of helping hands available. There wasn't much thought given to what we were supposed to be doing, just what needed to be done. Having only been in one wedding as an adult, I had no expectations and just did what made sense.
10:30 am: "Art directing" and cool as a cucumber
I was so deep in concentration and giving directions that I'm afraid didn't recognize or give much of a greeting to our makeup artist, Emily from Cheekadee, when she rolled into the foyer with her rolling kit full of makeup. Natalie, our hair stylist, appeared shortly thereafter in a slightly harried state after getting lost. (Later, I found my phone with several missed calls from her. Oh well! I didn't have it on me for a reason.) We pointed her in the direction of the bridal suite and resumed our assembly line. Looking back, our lack of concern might have bordered on lackadaisical. The mood of the morning was sooooo incredibly relaxed.
Darn escort cards! One would get bumped and half the row would domino over.
Mr. PaC swung by to check on our progress, noted things were under control, and stole me away for an impromptu dance practice. We'd taken private dance lessons (as so many of you suggested) so I felt confident. The only issue was the man in charge of our timing and direction wasn't quite as confident or practiced. In our dance lessons, I may have led when he forgot the steps or nudged him in the right direction. I could not do this in front of our guests. We queued up the music and were mid-step when we were spotted! First by our venue coordinator as she backpedaled back into the doorway and then by Mr. PaC's brother as he appeared with a tasty surprise - a box of gourmet chocolates - headed for the bridal suite. Our last run through of our dance was flavored with melting sea salt caramel truffles.
(all personal photos)
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.
- "Don't panic" and its friends were what Mr. PaC kept telling me on the way to our rehearsal dinner.
Wedding Morning
- Best wedding morning advice: wake up slow and tackle the day at your own pace.
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