Nicolette & Brian: PaC Man & Wife: When I'm 64

Given my love of The Beatles, it's probably no surprise that "When I'm 64" wound up as our cake cutting song. Sing along with me as we scroll through the sweet images of our cake cutting, thank you speech, and a spontaneous nighttime photo shoot.

Our colorful geometric cake from the Hotel duPont encircled by votives, bridesmaid bouquets,

and other details.

When I get older, losing my hair, many years from now
Will you still be sending me a valentine, birthday greetings, bottle of wine?
If I'd been out 'til quarter to three, would you lock the door?
Will you still need me, will you still feed me when I'm sixty-four?

You'll be older too
Ah, and if you say the word, I could stay with you

I could be handy, mending a fuse when your lights have gone
You can knit a sweater by the fireside, Sunday mornings, go for a ride
Doing the garden, digging the weeds, who could ask for more?
Will you still need me, will you still feed me when I'm sixty-four?

Fondant circles in yellow monochrome

Every summer we can rent a cottage
In the Isle of Wight if it's not too dear

We shall scrimp and save

Ah, grandchildren on your knee, Vera, Chuck and Dave

Send me a postcard, drop me a line stating point of view

Indicate precisely what you mean to say, yours sincerely wasting away

Give me your answer, fill in a form, mine forever more

Will you still need me, will you still feed me when I'm sixty-four?

The finished product compared to my mock-up. I think they got it pretty darn close!

You've probably noticed we don't have a cake topper. We opted to forgo one because we loved the simple design of the cake and wanted it to shine on its own, especially since choosing a design was a long road. That doesn't mean we passed an opportunity to inject some personality into the cake display! Our LEGO bride and groom, complete with custom gouache dye jobs, stole our guests' hearts and were a crowd favorite to photograph.

Even the mini-groom sports a sartorially appropriate blue suit!

Here we are smiling, pretending to cut the cake. In reality, we had no clue what to do next. Sensing a moment's hesitation, Linda, our venue coordinator, gave us a quick tutorial: two parallel cuts and one straight down between them to free the slice.

Interesting things to note in the above photograph:

1) My engagement ring is still on my right hand.

2) We are using our non-dominant hands to cut the cake... which made cutting into a giant cake for the first time a little more awkward.

3) That's a borrowed knife. We correctly assumed the venue would have a knife capable of cutting cake. Are we the only ones would didn't buy a cake knife for the wedding?

Drumroll, please. Will we be good? Or will we cake smash?

Skeptical eyebrows on both sides. Over the din, we hear a friend shout, "Don't do it!"

While not the most flattering photograph, it tells a good story. In this fleeting moment, I'm shooting my parents a sideways glance that says, "I'm going to be good. Unlike you guys." The backstory: My mother cake smashed my dad, who fed her first and behaved, and he has never forgotten the feelings of betrayal and embarrassment. (Just kidding, Mom! Mostly.) I'd never heard this story until a few months before our wedding. My dad made sure to stress that the cake cutting tradition is a time for tenderness and not an opportunity to seek revenge for pre-wedding tiffs. Cake smashing, if not mutually agreed to in advance, would not be in the spirit of the moment. His earnest story reinforced what I already knew. We would be good.

Synchronized and civilized!

Grand Marnier pound cake with raspberry filling (top)

Marble pound cake with chocolate ganache (middle)

Hazelnut pound cake with apricot filling (bottom)

As a wedding guest, I'm frequently curious about the cake flavors so I whipped up a cake sign using our official wedding typeface, the fondant colors, and an extra frame.

Yum! Going back for seconds of the hazelnut pound with the deliciously complex apricot filling.

And maybe a third bite!

Taking advantage of our captive audience, the cake cutting and our thank you speech were paired together. The thank you speech was one of those things I just did not plan. I presumed the emotions of the day would carry me through and provide inspiration. Moments before speech time, Mr. PaC asked if I wanted to speak. Oh, crap. Normally talkative and confident, I was suddenly struck speechless and shy. Was I ever relieved when he picked up the mic and gave a successful unrehearsed speech (long enough for the two of us). And this is why I said "yes" and "I do" to Mr. PaC. He is the yin to my yang. Where I falter, he picks up the slack.

Adoration and relief.

Mr. PaC seized the moment and used the mic time to tease his brother for his 8-minute best man speech. I'm searching out his brother to see his reaction.

So proud of my husband!

Our wonderful friends.

He talks. I make the faces. We're a good team.

My new husband had touched on everything I would have; there was nothing left for me to say. So I just smiled gratefully at as many friends and family as I could make eye contact with and sent silent thank yous.

After the cake was cut and the last of the long speeches given, our photographers stole us away for an impromptu photo shoot in the boxwood garden. Mr. PaC and I spun, smooched, and snuggled in the warm night air as we soaked in the realization that our wedding was coming to an end. We confessed that we would do it all over again - it was so much fun! Let's do it next year, we planned.

Spin.

Smooch.

Snuggle.

Let's add two more: sit...

... and sleep!

(all photos by Heather Fowler Photography, unless otherwise noted)

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.
Once at our venue, our DIY projects were assembled with our own two hands.
The girls get ready with champagne and chocolate-covered potato chips.
The guys are ready... and waiting.
She's mine! All mine! (The dress that is.)
Brown-eyed girl (and guy) portraits.
Something old and new, borrowed and blue.

Portraits

My sneaky groom has a secret heart when it comes to surprises.
A first look for the two of us plus more couples portraits in the garden.
With brother and sister standing by, we took our bridal party and family portraits.

Ceremony

After fretting about rain, the sun came out just as our guests arrived for the ceremony.
Maybe I was just a little amazed at how beautifully our ceremony had started.
After waiting 19 long months, here comes Mr. PaC's girl!
We spoke of love and some verses in our ceremony.