happy-to-be

I got a glimpse of REAL wedding day stress yesterday as my bridesmaid, Beth, and matron of honor, Ashley, tackled bridal portraits. I hadn't planned on having bridal portraits until I started to make a schedule for the wedding day. With a 10am ceremony and "brunch immediately following," there isn't much time for dillydallying. Bridal portraits are a way to get some one-on-one time between the camera and the dress without the hassle of a hurried wedding-day schedule. So, Ashley offered to do some pictures and Beth tagged along as the assistant. We made quite the trio... :)

But, like anything wedding-related, it was not stress-free... I didn't take a photograph to my hair appointment, and had a hard time explaining exactly what I wanted. Thank goodness I have an awesome hair girl and she pulled if off without the photo. My gown had just come back from being altered and wasn't ready until after my hair appointment. I had to sit in the car with my veil trailing behind me, pulled over not one but TWO rows of seats of Beth's Honda "Pontius" Pilate while she had to go in and pick up the dress for me. I didn't even get to try it on until right before the photos - bad idea. Then I had to sit in the car while she and Ashley went to pick out a bundle of flowers. Beth was also on a time-crunch and we needed another SUV, so mom had to be called in for back-up.

Long story short... it was a hot, hectic day. Towards the end of the shoot, I was nearly in tears because I just didn't feel like my dress looked right. It felt too big, and I was worried it didn't look the way I imagined. The dress was starting to get a little dirty at the bottom, which made me really nervous. Walking around with several yards of extremely expensive tulle hanging from your head isn't exactly calming, either. And before we knew it, it started to sprinkle and a bolt of lightening literally scared us half-to-death.

Yesterday was a reminder that I need to s-l-o-w down. I need to make it clear what I want to happen, and let my friends take care of me. I can't tell you how much I appreciated Beth carrying around a white sheet and tucking it underneath my dress time and time again to keep it from getting too terribly dirty. Ashley was a hero - working off of very little sleep, but still taking great shots and trying to cheer me up (and she sent me a few pictures late last night to tie me over until they're all finished). And Mom came to the rescue, telling me how beautiful I looked and calmed all my nerves. The hardest part about yesterday's event was feeling like I couldn't do anything... But, my friends and mama knew what to do and they made everything all better. I imagine they will do the same on June 25.

And, yes, that is a glimpse of some of the amazing photos Ashley took yesterday. :)