The Infamous Wedding

And so, after months and months of planning, Megan and Hunter were married this past Saturday. It's the first wedding that I felt 100% part of and not just because I was the maid of honor. From living with them I witnessed from stage one every decoration, every invitation, every flower arrangement and every center piece being planned. There were moments when we had all aforementioned decorations, flowers, etc sitting on our kitchen table. At times, I caught myself saying, "Yes, we--er--they thought the purple was a good choice."

Even though she had a wedding planner, I acted as Megan's personal assistant at times, knowing where everyone was and when each friend would be coming into town. I even scheduled some hotel rooms, flight pickups and more because some friends decided to wait until the last minute to get those done. Friday night was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. Straight from work, I rushed to the beautiful Grand Bohemian Hotel downtown. My room was luscious, deep purples and reds on the bed and couch. For that night I shared the room with Megan and our friend Shannon (Samir couldn't get into down until the next day due to a music law conference he was putting on.) The rehearsal went incredibly well and the dinner was delicious. We ate at a nearby steakhouse and watched a montage of Hunter and Megan photos (some containing us and yes, most were embarrassing.) I recieved my bridesmaid gift which was a beautiful neclace with a single pearl on it. That night, five of us girls sat up late telling stories and talking about anything, just taking advantage of our last moments with the un-wed bride-to-be.

That morning we woke up with excitement. There were no stretches, no yawns. Megan was extatic and so were we. After a quick bite to eat downstairs at the Starbucks, we started to get ready. A team of hair and makeup people were at our disposal who were all amazing. Part way through I had the honor of running up to Hunter's room to give him his wedding gift from Meg. He was absolutely extatic to see the Captain America cufflinks (which had been hidden in my closet for a month. I was dying for him to see them.) From him, she received a saphire ring (which she picked out - no surprise there.)

Samir arrived around 2:30 and in a hurry I changed into my dress and stayed with him for a short 20 minutes until pictures. The photographer was absolutely amazing and took some great pictures of us hanging out downtown, lounging in the lobby, and, of course, getting ready.

Ten minutes before the wedding was when the real trouble started. Problem #1) We forgot things upstairs in the mom's room. The mom didn't have her key. We had to run to the lobby to be let in. Not too bad. #2) The DJ decided to inform us that he didn't have 1/2 the songs requested for the ceremony. Quick scramble to download and burn the songs and pick new songs in case they didn't play (they didn't). #3) Her sister, the matron of honor, forgot her bible verse that she was going to read (and we couldn't remember which one it was.) Okay, just skip it, not important. #4) She also LOST THE RING. It was misplaced in a backpack. It was upstairs in a room. We didn't have time to get it. Hunter was to be married using Meg's dad's ring. Thank God Meg was more excited about being married than the ceremony. She wasn't too phased about any of the problems.

The ceremony was beautiful. It was outside on the roof of the building under a white canopy. My eyes were teary for the majority of it, regardless of the fact that Hunter made a goofy face, Megan said "I do" way too soon and the paster was just plain funny. Megan made an absolutely beautiful bride and Hunter was just as smashing. I can't explain how happy I was watching my two close friends get married.

After more photos, we walked into the reception all which was decorated in a Morroccan/Moulin Rouge theme. Little lanterns sat on each table with huge crystal and floral center pieces. Their first dance was adorable and it ended with a proper circus pose. Samir held my hand as I mentally prepared for my speech, which I was incredibly nervous about. Thankfully, it was received quite well. People laughed and cheared and I, again, got a little teary eyed. It was nice hearing my fan base, the rest of the circus crew and Samir, chearing loudly to my left. The food was, of course, delicious, as was the tiered purple and white cake. It was the first time I truly enjoyed cake, so that says something. For the rest of the night we danced quite a bit. The girls took the floor for Beyonce and the guys had their moment with "Thriller." We all shared a laugh and dance with "Don't Stop Me Now." At one point, we even circled around Dickie, the ex-circus director, who is in his late 60's/early 70's. He was very pleased to have so many girls around him, i'm sure.

The reception was moved to a smaller room afterwards for the afterpart. Hunter's iPod played more music so the dancing continued, as did the eating (carnival themed food!) and drinking. I liked the after party because it was a chance to continue partying with our crowd, allowing the parents and relatives to end their celebrations. At one point, the bridesmaids and I removed the ribbon from our waist and performed an enchanting ribbon dance for Megan. She loved it. It was great reconnecting with all of my friends, dancing, eating, and drinking with them. We chatted, took pictures, and had an overall lovely time.

At the end of the night, Samir and I retreated back to our room. We were completely exhausted, but it was okay. The day was definitely worth it.