The Elephant in the Room

It's well-documented that I will find just about any excuse to craft. My latest adventure comes courtesy of Mr. Goodlaff's sister, who brought a beautiful baby girl into the world this week, making me a very proud aunt on a crafty mission. Eventually I will make Baby H a baby blanket, but these things take time, and I wanted her to have a little something to tide her over until I can finish it.

Looking for a quick, easy-ish project, I consulted One Yard Wonders, a book filled with great projects needing one yard of fabric or less. After much back and forth with Mr. Goodlaff, we decided that Elodie the Elephant was the best choice. We chose fabric from among my stash and I got to work. I cut, I sewed, and I stuffed. I pinned her ears in place and was about ready to sew her shut when I stopped and took a second to admire my so-called handiwork.

And it was bad.

May Day!: We Vow...

After our first reading, it was time for our vows.  Houdini continued:

Marriage is a bond to be entered into only after considerable thought and reflection. By making this commitment today, Miss Goodlaff and Mr. Goodlaff's relationship will become stronger, better, and deeper.  

Today, Miss Goodlaff and Mr. Goodlaff demonstrate their devotion to each other by dedicating themselves to a life together, and they show their respect for each other by setting forth to honor the vows they have created.  

Today, their lives, which began on separate paths, will be joined as one.

May Day!: Getting Hitched

Mr Goodlaff and I joined our hands together, and Houdini began:

***

Miss Goodlaff...

Mr. Goodlaff...
I am so glad you are both here.
Thank you for including me on your special day.

Welcome, family, friends, and loved ones. You have been invited here this afternoon to share in the celebration of Miss Goodlaff and Mr. Goodlaff's marriage.

By stating their vows to one another in the presence of friends and family, Miss Goodlaff and Mr. Goodlaff have chosen to share their promises to one another with you. You are their community—the people who have played an important role in their lives, and the people who they hope will be a part of their lives in the years to come. Today, we honor them by sharing in their public expression of their commitment to one another. Your presence here today is a demonstration of your love for Miss Goodlaff and for Mr. Goodlaff, as well as your support of their decision to marry.

May Day!: Here Comes the Bride

After our flower girl, Dee, started down the aisle, the doors at the back of the Stone Hall closed, and Daddy Goodlaff and I stepped forward. 

The string trio began the opening chords of Canon in D...

And the doors opened: 

Daddy Goodlaff and I headed down the aisle, and I as I walked past my family and friends, I tried to take it all in--to smile and take mental pictures of the room, the people, and my soon-to-be husband.

May Day!: First, We Walk

It was go time. Everyone lined up, ready to head into the Stone Hall for our ceremony.  Daddy Goodlaff and I were the last to leave the small room where we were hiding from our guests, and it wasn't until we began walking towards the room that the nervousness hit.  As far as nerves go, it was a mild case, mostly triggered by the thought of walking down the aisle without tripping on my heels.  Oh yeah.  And all those people. 

First up, the parents were escorted to their seats:

SMIL Goodlaff

MIL Goodlaff

Mama Goodlaff

May Day!: An Interlude

After all of our pre-ceremony pictures were done, all that was left to do was wait for our ceremony to start.  My bridesmaids and I retired to a tiny conference room to hide from our guests' prying eyes, and I wasn't two steps in the room before I kicked off my shoes and sat in the first open chair in my path.  Sister Goodlaff pinned a few stray hairs back in place, touched up my makeup, and after a few minutes of sitting, Bridesmaid Cosmo made me stand back up so she could undo the wrinkle damage I did by flopping in that oh-so-convenient chair. 

I looked around at the chaos of the room. Makeup and flowers were strewn on the table, sweaters, purses and spare pairs of shoes lay all over chairs and the floor;  it looked like a messy bedroom, where no thought was given to neatness or organization.  Through the small window nestled next to the room's ceiling, I could see the guests beginning to trickle in. Water bottles were stacked on the table, which was odd, because I didn't remember buying any.  It seems that in the planning process, we forgot that the wedding party might be interested in bottles of water during the day, so Sister Goodlaff's boyfriend--Fender--went to the convenience store up the street and negotiated (really--he talked the store owner down to a lower price) for a case of WAT-AAH! 

I dare you not to laugh...

I stood, hands on my hips, shoes off to the side, chatting with everyone before the ceremony. Steam rose up through the layers of tulle in my skirt, and I struggled to take it all in--to remember these final moments. Friends and family members popped into our little hideaway, curious to see me before the ceremony and offer me compliments and a few words of congratulations. 

May Day!: The First Look that Almost Wasn't

I fell in love with the idea of a first look very early on in the planning process.  For those of you not versed in wedding lingo, a first look is a chance for the bride and groom to see each other before the wedding ceremony. As an avid Weddingbee reader, I saw so many awesome first looks, and with all the good reasons for having a first look (time alone before the wedding, a special moment, cool photos), I was completely sold.  But there was a problem: Mr. Goodlaff didn't really want to do one.  He wanted to see me for the very first time as I came down the aisle to become his wife. 

He gets bonus points for sweet sentimentality, but I have to be honest: when he wasn't really into the idea, I was crushed. I decided not to give up, so I kept bringing it up and bringing it up, in the hopes that Mr. Goodlaff would warm to the idea.  A few days before the wedding, he finally gave in.  It might have had something to do with all the craziness of family constantly surrounding us and the very little alone time we had, or maybe the photography timeline scared him into it, but either way, he came around and agreed that a first look maybe wasn't the worst thing in the world.

My inner Bridezilla was mollified by this turn of events, because I knew exactly how I wanted our first look to--well--look.  Less than two weeks before our wedding, I had fallen in love with the first look that Laura (of Wine and Cheese, Please) had done, and it was so sweet and perfect that I knew that if Mr. Goodlaff ever changed his mind, I could only hope to have a moment half as beautiful. 

The corner, the peeking, the awesomeness!

The peeking around the corner totally did me in, and that was that.  Of all the first looks I've seen, that one was the best; I just knew that the ivy-covered wall at the back of the Foundry would be a stunning background for our fist look.

But it wasn't to be.  The ivy-covered corner was bathed in sunlight and as such was unfit for pictures.  Minutes before our first look was to happen, we picked another spot right across the street from the Foundry, and used this obliging hedge instead:

May Day!: It's All About Me

There are so many cameras, so many pictures being taken, and so much pressure to look good, that your wedding day will become an exercise in vanity. When you finally look in the mirror and see yourself as a real bride, at first it will be hard not to be astonished at how awesome you look.  After a few minutes of gazing at yourself in wonder, reality sinks in and you think to yourself, "hot damn, I'm fabulous!"

Right after Sister Goodlaff finished my makeup and I was about to get my hair finished, I had my first "fabulous!" moment.

There were many, many more moments that the cameras captured that day, and I thought I'd share some of my favorites. I didn't really have a plan for how I wanted to look, so here's what we came up with:

May Day!: Sharp Dressed Men

There's nothing better than a man in a suit, and I have five to show you! After all those pictures of pretty girls, we need a little testosterone up in here.

Okay, maybe matching argyle socks aren't exactly super manly, but, well....you get my drift.

While my girls and I were resting, it was time for Mr. Goodlaff and his groomsmen to take a turn in the camera's spotlight.

May Day!: Girls, Girls, Girls

The first official order of picture business was to get me and my bridesmaids in front of the camera lens.

Before we even got to the Foundry, Niki had me and my bridesmaids take a few shots at the suite.  It just so happened that there was a window in the bathroom, and she took a few pictures through it, making for some really great, framed shots. 

May Day!: My Chariot Awaits

Well, it was about that time. Hair and makeup done, entourage ready--we had pictures to take and a venue to get to.  But first, I had important floral business to attend to; my bouquet had just been delivered, and I took a second to look my flowers over:

My flowers passed inspection!  They were beautiful. Colorful, fun, full of texture--this was not a fussy, perfectly manicured bridal bouquet, which is just the way I liked it.

My posies passed the test, and just in time, because Daddy Goodlaff--my ride to the venue--arrived right after that.

May Day!: Dress Success

Hair? Check!
Makeup? Check!
Dress? Check minus.

Clearly, I needed one more big thing before my bridal transformation was complete.

You know, it didn't occur to me until the moment I was going to put on my dress in front of the cameras that the moment would be awkward. See, I'm not an exhibitionist, nor do I have a beach-ready body, and with unattractive yet effective undergarments on under my robe and two male photographers in the room, I knew the way to proceed: the only way I was getting into my wedding dress was by doing the seventh grade P.E. quick-change shimmy.

Not familiar with this move? Allow me to demonstrate:

May Day!: Beginning the Bridal Transformation

 It took hours and hours for me to go from this:

to a bride. The process took over three hours, but at the end, was totally worth it.  First, Lindsay Mackey from Styles pinned all of my hair to my head and let it set for several hours in pin curls--I have to say, it was not the best look for me.