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I was really looking forward to having some small-group time with our idal party who'd, in many cases, traveled far to be with us. What I didn't realize prior to the event, was that due to the nature of the guest list, rehearsal dinners are mostly just parties of all your very best friends. I figured that part out quick.
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Let me preface that by saying that the rehearsal itself was a little terrifying. More so, even, than the actual wedding ceremony. I just wasn't sure what to expect, or what I'd need to do--and to top it off, I'd forgotten the box labeled "things to take to the rehearsal dinner," so my immediate reaction upon arrival was stress.
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So once we boarded the bus to dinner (we got a bus so all of our friends didn't have to worry about directions and rental cars), I was ready to get the party started. We had our dinner at Cafe Mezzanotte in Severna Park, and the buffet was delicious. After/while chowing down fantastic Italian food, we enjoyed wine, conversation, and a lot of laughing. My now father-in-law gave a very sweet toast, and gave all of my idesmaids the robes I'd gotten em oidered for them to wear during the getting ready process the next day. The whole evening was perfect.
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Earlier in the day, we'd decided to keep the party going at Metropolitan on the roof after the dinner, where we invited the rest of our out of town friends. The rain kept us from enjoy the roof, and we headed to Pusser's instead. Aaron and I had set strict bedtimes (in separate houses of course!) for 10:30, so imagine my fear when at 1:30 a.m. in Dock Street, I finally rallied up my girls and hopped in a cab. My sister and three of my best friends and I headed back to my house, where we sipped more champagne and giggled a recap of the night.
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I was half hating myself for risking a wedding day "illness," and half patting myself on the back for sticking it out to spend such an amazing time with so many of my faves.
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Saturday morning, my sister BURST into my room to tell me it was my "WEDDING DAY!" I've never jumped so high in my life. When I realized it was only 8:45 (I was scheduled to have 15 more minutes of beauty rest), I sent someone out for bagels and a fountain coke, and immediately called Aaron to make sure he'd made it home safely, and was feeling up for the big day ahead. To my half-surprise/half-appreciation, he sounded chipper as could be--surprising considering the last time I'd seen him we were mostly sprinkled with some kind of cooling party foam. (Thanks, Dock Street!)
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Anyway, the rest of the day is for another blog post, but here's a piece of advise for ides-to-be: look forward to the rehearsal dinner. And, if you're like us and want to avoid the post-wedding after party, considering a post-rehearsal night on the town. It made departing the reception for the hotel a lot easier, and gave us plenty of time to spend with the people who made our big day so special.
