6AM: Alarm went off and I jumped out of bed. (confused? Read this post first)
I was getting married today! Holy cow! Surprisingly enough, I really wasn’t nervous. I think it’s because I had mentally prepared myself in the previous weeks for things to go wrong and how I would handle it. For example, the hair ladies don’t show up at the salon at 8AM? It’s fine- I was pretty much just wearing my hair in a bun anyways. No make up lady? I do my make up everyday myself anyways. (While at this point, I had already picked up my wedding dress…I will let you know, I had no back up for this one if it wasn’t at the store or had been ruined. Thank goodness that one didn’t happen). Also, no flowers? It’s really ok, we can go buy some off the rack at a florist near by. The trolley doesn’t show up after the ceremony---it’s ok, that’s what we have cars for right?
So I was ready, prepared for nothing to get in the way of my excitement and anticipation that I was going to become Mrs. Jimmy Carter. And I’m not sure if it was because I had mentally prepared so much, but everything went perfect. I mean everything. It was amazing.
Lauren and I had to drop my dogs off at my parents house before our hair appointment and then we arrived there right as my sister, mom, and Vanessa did. My dad was in charge of bringing Panera bagels for breakfast and he showed up right as we sat down to get our hair done…frantic because he had gone to 2 Panera’s looking for Garden Veggie cream cheese because he knew that as my favorite. What a nice dad! And totally something Jimmy would do too…which is why they are the best guys ☺ The hair was started and finished and then my sister was trained on how to get my veil out and my flower in, and then it was time for make up. The make up lady at A Shear Thing was awesome! She was so nice and funny and did a GREAT job!! Other than the fact Vanessa’s hair do resembled an alien, I think we walked out of there happy….and Vanessa of course fixed her hair when we got back to my parents.
Hahahaha- Katie's hair in the initial stages!
Lauren, where are you?!
Ready for make up!!!
Back at my parents house, we just hung out, the bridesmaids put on their make up and then every hour they handed me a card from Jimmy that were all pretty hilarious. He also wrote me a very nice note….I was worst fiancé and ran out of time and didn’t write him one….that I got to read before I put on my dress. After some pictures with the dogs, talking with the neighbor girls, it was finally time to put on my dress! And then out the door to the church we went.
Here is a picture that the photographer caught of me reading one of Jimmy's cards...
The guys were taking pictures when we got there, so we stayed in the cry room. Then it was our turn to take pictures and by that point I was starving and awaiting Andrew’s (sister’s boyfriend) arrival with the Mr. Goodcents sandwiches. When I saw him, pictures were done and we ran back to the cry room to eat. Ok, and here’s my bridezilla moment. Let me give you a quick background story. When we walked through the church for the first time with Chris, the church wedding planner, she walked into the cry room and said this is where the girls will be the day of the wedding. We can bring any food we want in there, except she warned us not to bring onions because the smell just spreads and gets into the fabric of everyone’s clothes and then when we walk out…we smell like onions. So the one thing I told my mom when she ordered the Goodcents was to not bring in onions. Haha. So fast forward to the wedding day again. I hurry and grab a quarter sandwich, but skip the condiments because I don’t want to spill anything on my dress. So I’m going about my bride way, eating my sandwich and I smell something. I turn around and see my aunt standing there with a condiment tray….with a HUGE PILE OF ONIONS. I lose it. I walk over to my mom and say “Why are there onions?! I told you no onions!” Of course, then she feels horrible and grabs the whole pile with one scoop of her hands and then runs into the bathroom with my aunt and flushes them down the toilet. And, problem solved. Bride is happy. WOW. Thinking back, I cannot believe I flipped out that much about something so stupid, but thankfully family & friends forgive and forget and I pulled it together the rest of the day.
So we just hung out in there until it was time to go! The bridesmaids went out first and I was in the room by myself, waiting. I think this is when I started to get nervous/excited/overwhelmed with happiness. I remember looking in the mirror and realizing that this day was here, the moment that we’d been waiting for the last year of wedding planning had arrived. I hadn’t seen Jimmy all day, so the anticipation was killing me. I couldn’t wait to see him and start this amazing life as one. Then the wedding planner comes in and tells me it’s time. I walk out to see my mom & dad and the ushers waiting. I lock arms with my mom and dad and then the door opens and I’m pretty sure I have never been so overwhelmed in my life. The church was full, everyone was turned looking at us, and then my eyes meet Jimmy’s and I lose it. That deep breath she told me to take, yeah, I didn’t take it. I couldn’t, I couldn’t remember to do anything but walk and get down that aisle! We were off and the wedding video is hilarious because we were almost sprinting down the aisle…my mom and I both crying, and my dad laughing and smiling. About half way down the aisle, my mom stops us to say “slow down!” and we start laughing and then are off again until we get to Jimmy. Several hugs, kisses, and handshakes later, I’m standing with my groom and the ceremony begins.
Great shot walking down the aisle!
It was a wonderful, beautiful, and very personal ceremony and was everything I had ever hoped for! Father Mike has known us both since we started dating and did a fabulous job of making everything very special. There were a few things we messed up on, including Jimmy trying to put my wedding band on my right hand because that’s where my engagement ring was and I had to correct him (really funny on video), but in the end, we walked back down the aisle as husband and wife as happy as can be.
Family pictures went great and very fast too! We got some great ones of my family and then the Carter family. The kids were SO cute!
After we took about 20 minutes to figure out how to tie up my bussle and my sister did a great job of taking out my veil and putting in my flower, then we were off on the trolley with the whole wedding party and their dates. The trolley stops included the Liberty Memorial, JC Nichols fountain on the Plaza and then the last stop was at our house—where the open house was finishing up! They got some great pictures at all the stops and I was so excited to get the CD in the mail!!!
Final stop of the trolley….Aquinas for the reception!
Picture from the Liberty Memorial and then at our house!
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