rI woke up really early that morning, around 6 a.m. This is partially because I went to bed at 9:30 the night before, partially because I tend to wake up early every day, and partially because of, well, it was my wedding day.r
Of course, no one was awake -- not even my parents, who normally get up around 5 a.m. It felt strange, after all the hoopla, that no one was around to share in my excitement that April 30 was finally here. So, for a while, I went out onto the balcony (where we would later have our first look), and just sat.
I snapped this picture, overlooking the pool and the mountains in the background. It was calm, quiet, and actually a little chilly. After a while, I grabbed a copy of the Wall Street Journal and went to the hotel's restaurant for some coffee. FINALLY, my parents woke up and I was able to spend a little time with them.
What I could already tell though was that the day was primed to be a beautiful one. As the sun rose over the mountains, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. After watching the weather like a hawk for the past 10 days -- would it be too hot? Too windy? Raining? -- it was clear that it was going to be perfect weather (OK, maybe we had a touch too much wind, but that's something we could handle).
Around 7:30 a.m., the idesmaids started waking up. We had plenty of time, though, because the hairstylist wasn't due until 10 and the makeup artist at 10:30. However, we did crash my parents' hotel suite for the day because they had so much space. Girls, take note -- the more space you can get, take it! The executive suite that my parents had booked for the night rang in at a whopping 1,000 square feet of space, with two bathrooms, a bedroom, a living room, and a kitchenette, including a massive conference table for 10 people. And we used every inch of that space.
Mimosas were essential, and idesmaid Jenny K. (on the right) ought delicious bagels from my favorite bagel shop in the whole world. Later, Bridesmaid Cheryl ought coffee from Starbucks. Overall, we were a happy crew.
Once we were caffeinated and fed and had a touch of champagne in our systems, then we were ready to get our hair and makeup done!
Looking back:
