What I Learned From Meg's Wedding Part 2

The other thing that has really changed about weddings over the past 30 years is the ability to have all of the wedding information online. Couples can create a wedding website that gives specifics about the wedding, including the date, the church and places to stay for out of town guests.  Meg and Nick used it to upload their engagement photos, tell a little bit about themselves, ask for RSVPs, and provide an online gift registry for guests.   I thought have a wedding website was very helpful.  When anyone asked me a question, I could refer them to it, send it as a link or look up the answer myself.  I also loved how easy it was for Meg and Nick to register for gifts from Amazon, and Target. It was fun seeing what they wanted and what had been already purchased.  I used it to buy Meg's shower gift and helped my boys pick out  wedding gifts for their sister.  I remembered back to when I had to fill out my own gift registry.  I had a huge list and had to walk through the store checking off items that I wanted and see if they were in stock.  It just didn't have quite the same feel to as the online system today.  I also liked the idea that their online registry had a link that directly deposited cash into the couples wedding fund. I know that a lot of people prefer to give monetary gifts and Meg and Nick would be able to use that money on their honeymoon right away.

Out of all of the gifts given, the one that surprised me the most was from Doug’s company.  They sent Meg a beautiful bouquet of red roses in a gorgeous vase.  It looked wonderful on the gift table.  I really appreciated the gesture and was happy that Doug’s company recognized how big the day was to him.  They have asked a lot out of him over the past four months.  He even had to login and work on Meg‘s wedding day. It was nice that they did something for him as I’m sure that it made him feel a little more valued. On the opposite side, Meg's company did not give her anything.  I didn’t think that reflected very well on them. She may be a first year, but she was still an employee. I wouldn’t think that would make her feel valued by them.  Thankfully, she didn't give it much thought and just appreciated the flowers from Doug's work.  The best part was that they made it all the way to Florida from Bloomington and looked beautiful on our kitchen table.  It was a wonderful reminder of what an awesome day it had been.  

What I learned from Meg's Wedding

Before Meg's wedding, our family hadn't really been a part of one since Jeanette and Mike got married almost 15 years ago. Before that the other weddings that I could remember actively being involved in were from the 1990s.  As Meg started to plan her own, I realized that a lot had changed. Most of the weddings that I was in years ago, including my own, were pretty elaborate.  At each one, at least 300 guests were invited, all the ceremonies were at large churches, the hair was big, the dresses were bright, and it seem like anybody and everybody was involved. It's just not like that now. Some people still have really big weddings, but not everybody. Some people don't even get married on the weekends anymore and a lot are forgoing the church ceremony for one at a wedding venue. Very few people invite friends of friends anymore. The dresses are a lot more realistic and many can be worn again. I actually loved all of the changes to modern day weddings.  It made them feel more personal.  Meg's friend Kaitlin just got married.  She only invited 60 people to hers and had it outside at a place that meant something to her and her fiancé. I thought that was perfect.  She chose what she wanted, not what others told her to do.  

As Meg planned hers, I realized that some people hadn't accepted the new changes. Meg decided from the beginning that she didn't want a big wedding. Because of that the guest list had to be trimmed. There wasn't going to be a work friends table. Every family member couldn't be invited. There would be a limit to the amount of children that would be there. I supported Meg on all of that from the beginning. I wanted her to have the wedding that she wanted. I was surprised at the backlash from that. Several people second-guessed Meg and Nick's wedding list and some pushed hard to be invited even though they weren't really a part of Meg or Nick's life. I was disappointed in that, but I didn't worry about it. The reason that Meg and Nick's wedding was so much fun was because the people that were there were the ones that supported them the most. Those in attendance danced, they laughed, they cried, all because they loved Meg and Nick. It was so incredible to watch and I will suggest to my boys to do the same with their own guest list. The people who love you the most will celebrate with you the hardest.  That will be a big part of making their wedding day even more special than it already is.  

We Made It

We left Bloomington yesterday at 12:40 PM just after we mailed Nick and Meg's marriage license application. The trip was a rainy one, but overall relatively easy until we got to Northern Georgia. There must have been an accident that had to be cleared as we were in standstill traffic for at least 15 minutes. Once it did start to move, we still had hopes of making it all the way to Ocala until we got to Atlanta. It was one of the worst rainstorms that Doug had ever driven in and he really did not enjoy it.  After we got through the area, he did not want to go any further. I couldn't blame him.  I found us a hotel in Tifton Georgia that we could use our Hilton points at and wouldn't cost us anything. We stopped at 11:40 to check in and by 11:42, Doug was sound asleep.

Doug and I were back on the road this morning well before 9 AM. I normally cannot sleep in hotel rooms, but did really well last night. They had a bagel breakfast this morning, which I appreciated. After that, we didn’t have to stop until we pulled into our driveway. Doug helped me unload the car, took a shower, picked up Subway and headed into work. I spent the majority of the day going through the mail, unpacking a little bit, buying groceries and resting. It was very nice to be home but I was still a little sad that we were all by ourselves. We have a busy couple weeks ahead of us, which hopefully will take my mind off of all of that. I have already gotten several texts from Meg about her honeymoon and I look forward to hearing more about that.

Saying Goodbye to a Fantastic Weekend

I think that all of the wedding fun finally caught up with me last night. I felt absolutely awful after midnight. I'm sure it was the adrenaline rush leaving my body.  I could barely move and I couldn't sleep even though I was completely exhausted. I was really worried about getting through today as I did not want to miss saying goodbye to Meg this morning and going out to lunch with the boys afterward. Thankfully, I made it.  Meg and Nick were up early, excited about their trip to Key West. We saw them off and then helped move their gifts to Grandma's car as well as the flowers from Paula.  Grandma agreed to take everything back to Syracuse so Meg could sort through it all next weekend. I did pack several vases of flowers for Florida.  I planned to display them around the house so that I could always remember what an awesome weekend it really was.

After we loaded Grandma's car, Doug and I went back up to the rooms to pack and make sure that we had everything. Cameron and Alina left to play disc golf and had a lot of fun even though it rained quite a bit this morning. We met them at Brett's afterward and picked up a few things from there to take back to Florida. We also gave Brett the wooden stairs to deliver to the cake lady next week. 

Grandma and Grandpa left for Syracuse from Brett's. The rest of us met Cal and Maggie at McAllister's. I really enjoyed talking with all of my children and their girlfriends. Everyone was so happy and I loved hearing their thoughts on the wedding, the reception, and just how much fun they had had. Lunch definitely went by way too quickly for me.  I didn't want it to end, but I knew that everyone needed to get back on the road. Cal and Maggie headed straight for Chicago after lunch. Brett and Karen went back to his apartment to hang out and rest before she left for New Albany. Cameron and Alina decided to stay in Bloomington a little bit longer and then stop by IKEA on their way home. I tried really hard not to cry when we left. We had had such a fantastic wedding weekend with our family. Even though I was very sad that it was over and that my summer with Cameron was done, I was still incredibly happy.  We have had some big adversities over the last couple of years, but our family is extremely blessed.   I am so incredibly proud of how much we have supported one another. This weekend was a wonderful reminder of that.

Meg's Wedding Day

Today was one of the most beautiful days that I could ever remember. Words could never describe it. It started early with Meg getting ready for pictures. Our family joined her and Nick at 11:30 and for me the tears started then. Meg looked beautiful in her wedding dress.  The photographer took wonderful pictures of her and Nick and of our family. I absolutely loved the one that she captured of Meg and her brothers just outside Sample Gates. I couldn't believe that the campus where Doug and I first met felt so much like home to our family that Meg chose to get married there.

I was a little concerned about the timing of the ceremony after last night's laid-back rehearsal.  I was also extremely worried about making it through mass with all of the problems that I had been having with my leg, but everything went perfectly. Meg and Nick exchanged vows in front of their family and friends in a beautiful mass. There were definitely tears when Doug walked Meg down the aisle.  Nick also choked up when he said his vows which made me cry as well.  I was so glad that Meg was able to have a Catholic mass in the same church that Doug and I first attended over 30 years ago together.  As soon the ceremony was over, I completely relaxed. I was incredibly grateful that I was able to sit through it with absolutely no pain in my leg. It was so much fun greeting and celebrating with family and friends before taking family pictures on the altar with Grandma and Grandpa.  Everyone was so complementary of the wedding ceremony and just how wonderful the homily was. 

The wedding reception was absolutely fantastic.  Doug, Cameron, Alina and I were the first ones to arrive. We had never been in the Far Center and were instantly impressed. The layout was perfect, everything looked elegant and the staff was more than ready to hand us a drink when we walked in the door. We spent a little bit of time unloading gifts and checking in with Paula as she had been the day of reception coordinator.  It was so incredibly nice to have her help.  I was extremely impressed with all of Meg's decorations.  They looked wonderful.  The vinyl records were my favorite part, but the flowers on the tables looked lovely as well.  I was also very proud of the cake that Nick and I picked out.  It looked fantastic as did the vintage wedding pictures of the two families that Meg placed beside the cake.

Before dinner started, the DJ introduced the couples starting with Doug and I first. I was so happy to be part of Meg's wedding party. She picked the most wonderful songs to walk in on.  They put everybody in the perfect mode. Dinner was an Italian buffet. The food was absolutely delicious, especially the chicken Marsala.  It was very nice of Meg to pay attention to everyone's dietary restrictions and allergies.  I was glad that there was plenty of it as many people went back for seconds. After dinner, Meg and Nick visited all of the tables and then took some more pictures. The one that meant the most to me was a photo of the entire Heinisch family. I knew that Jeanette would have just absolutely loved that picture. Since Meg didn't have a grandparent to be there with her, uncle Phil took on that role.  It was just so incredibly nice.

Meg took a lot of care in picking out the first song for her and Nick. She chose Forever by the Beach boys.  The lyrics were perfect and I loved watching them sing along as they danced.  It was also fun listening to her college friends singing the words as well. The next dance was my favorite. Meg had picked one of Doug's all time favorite songs to dance with him. As soon as It's a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong came on, I teared up. He didn't know that was the one that she had chosen.  I was impressed that Doug made it all the way to the end until he started crying.  That of course made everyone else cry as well. Afterward, Nick and Nancy danced to Beautiful Boy by John Lennon. As nice as their dance was, Cameron stole a little bit of their attention when he started sobbing. I couldn't blame him as it was such an emotional day, but I also couldn't help from laughing. We had talked so long about who was going to cry first and who was going to cry the hardest.  Everyone knew that it would be me to cry first, but it was the Meg that was right about who would cry the hardest.  Gabrielle, thankfully, told him to "suck it up" and get out on the dance floor when the bridal party danced together to Jim Croce's I Have to Say I Love You in a Song. The last planned dance was the anniversary dance. All of the married couples joined Nick and Meg on the dance floor to see who had been married a longest. Doug and I made it pretty far and my parents almost won, but Leroy and Maxine earned the top spot by couple years. I could never tell Meg how much it meant to me that she played Glory of Love for the anniversary dance.  That was the song that Doug and I first danced to over 30 years ago at our own wedding reception.

The rest of the night was a lot of fun and it went by so fast. We ate cake, we danced, Meg threw her bouquet and we enjoyed the bar. I talked to so many people and even got on the dance floor for some of our favorite songs. The best part was when the DJ played Jump Around for the Heinisch family. It was the song that got Phil on the dance floor 30 years ago at our wedding and the song they got the entire Heinisch family on the dance floor at Meg's. It was absolute blast. Meg and Nick ended the evening with Wouldn't It Be Nice by the Beach Boys. It was the perfect way to end a fantastic day that I will never forget it

Rehearsal Day

Today was all about getting ready for Meg’s wedding. We did have some time to grab lunch at Buffalouies and walk through campus a little bit, but most of our day was spent getting ready for the rehearsal. I used the majority of my free time to steam my dress for tomorrow and the guys' shirts for tonight. Everyone said that I was a little obsessive about it, but I wanted everything to be perfect for the weekend.  Thankfully, we were able to check into the IMU early. It took a little while to move everything to our room from Brett’s apartment, but I was really glad that we did. It meant that I could be available to help Meg with anything that she needed, and we could get Phil‘s clothes to his room before he got off of the shuttle.

The rehearsal was tonight at St Paul’s. It was the most laid-back Catholic church rehearsal that I had ever attended.  Father Reginald was awesome, but he didn’t go over a lot of the details with everyone. He spent the majority of his time focused on the mass. That was great, but I decided in the end to just take charge of what everyone would need to be doing tomorrow outside of the ceremony, such as what the ushers would be doing and where they would stand, where the gift bearers would be sitting, what room would be available for the bridal party tomorrow and how everyone would walk in before the bridal party. I felt a little bossy, but decided that if I didn’t say something, we would all be confused tomorrow. In the end everyone said that it really helped as they thought that the rehearsal was a little more laid-back than they had been a part of in the past. I was glad to hear that.

The rehearsal dinner was at mother Bear’s. Paula had gotten there early to make sure the food order was in and there was plenty of space for everyone. The room they put us in was a little crowded for 35 people, but we made it work and it was a lot of fun. I got to meet more of Nick‘s family and they got to enjoy one of our favorite restaurants in Bloomington. Meg and Nick also got to signed their names on the wall for the first time ever. I loved it all.

After the rehearsal dinner, we tried to meet up with Dan‘s family and Phil. We got to Nick’s shortly after they had left. Once we saw the crowd at Upstairs Bar, we decided to just stay at Nick‘s and catch up with them tomorrow. Brett tried to go over and meet everyone and decided that it was a little too much for him, so instead Paula, Brett, Doug, and I all enjoyed a drink at Nick's and unwinded. Cameron stayed at the hotel and worked on his speech. Overall it was a nice relaxing night after such a busy day. 

I was so happy that today was perfect.  In fact there was only one problem on the day.  Nick burned a hole in his pants right before the rehearsal dinner. I would have felt terrible for him, but everybody made fun of me for being obsessive with my steamer that all I could do was laugh when Meg told me.