Taylor's Wedding has Come and Gone

On May 20, 2017, my bestie married Kenny!  If you're friends with me on social media, I'm sure you saw how incredibly beautiful everything and everyone was. It was held at The White Barn in Brooksville, FL. Amanda, the wedding coordinator, was amazing! She handled the wedding with poise and professionalism taking great care to turn Taylor's vision into reality.  Nikki, Taylor's wedding photographer, helped make the day as seamless as possible. Nikki and her videographer worked hard to get great shots of the venue, wedding party, family and guests. They also re-worked the itinerary as the day went along like champs. Their passion certainly did not go unnoticed.

As for the ceremony it was the first wedding I've ever been in. I probably didn't pay as much attention to the actual ceremony as I should have. I had quite a few things running through my head, and I didn't want to forget what I was supposed to do.  Don't trip. Make sure the other bridesmaids know their marks. Guide the flower girl, Bella (she actually ended up holding Taylor's veil as Taylor walked down the aisle instead) where to stand and when to help Taylor back down the aisle. Once Bella stood next to the bridesmaids, the veil was my responsibility until Taylor and Kenny walked back down the aisle. When you pick up the veil, bend with your knees together. Whenever Taylor turns or walks, pick up the veil and follow her. Fluff the veil a little before setting it back down. Pick it up and hand it to Bella before they make their way back down the aisle.  And then there was my Maid of Honor bouquet and Taylor's bouquet.  Thankfully, Cybelle, another bridesmaid, was a hero and held my bouquet once Taylor handed me hers. Cybelle also held Taylor's bouquet whenever I had to fix Taylor's veil. The ceremony lasted about 15 minutes, so it was a lot to remember and pay attention to in such a short amount of time.

I will say that Taylor was the most gorgeous bride I've ever seen. I may not have been to many weddings, but I've watched enough episodes of 'Say Yes to the Dress' with Taylor to know.  I love how in love Kenny and Taylor looked when they gazed into each others' eyes. I am so grateful for Cybelle! She really helped a lot and I couldn't have done it without her.  It seemed to be second nature to her. Whereas most of it was completely foreign to me.

After the ceremony, the photographer took some pictures. We ate dinner inside The White Barn. I drank some beer and made my way around to talk to the guests I knew and even some I didn't know. I gave my MOH speech, which I'll probably post in a different blog post. I recruited Cybelle and we worked with the DJ to request songs and encourage people to get on the dance floor. We did the Chicken Dance and we started a train. Once it started to pour, I went out of the barn to dance in the rain! Dancing in the rain was my favorite part of the night. It felt so good and it was liberating!

Cybelle, the groomsmen, and I packed up Kenny's car and pulled it around to the front of the barn for their exit. We danced a few more songs before their arm tunnel and glow stick exit. At this point it was still pouring, which I think made it perfect.

Once the bride and groom left, Cybelle, the groomsmen, and I loaded up Taylor's mom's car and helped clean up and pack up before leaving.  I went back to the hotel for the after party with Taylor's family. It was my first time doing fireball shots! It was fun!

Overall, I still don't understand weddings. They are as baffling and mysterious to me as they were before.  I just don't think the payoff for all the time, money, and work that goes into it is worth it. But, it wasn't about me, it was about the beautiful bride and her handsome groom having the wedding of their dreams. It made them happy, and that's all that matters!

"YES!"

After my 15.5 mile run Saturday morning, I drove down south to go wedding dress shopping with Taylor. Taylor's friend, Cybelle, rode down and back with me. Cybelle and I found out that we have a mutual love of the TV show LOST as well as rock music!  Taylor's mom and grandma were already at the hotel when we arrived. Before going to the dress appointment, we went to the mall to eat and kill some time.  The dress appointment was at Patricia South's Bridal, which happens to be the same place Taylor's mom bought her wedding dress over 30 years ago. I have never seen so many wedding dresses in my life. 

We were served mimosas, cookies and cheese and crackers while they picked out dresses to try on. The first dress Taylor tried on had a sweetheart thingamajig with a corset doohickey and a lace pattern all over it. It was pretty, but it didn't have the "wow" factor. The second dress was little more form fitting and had a halter-toppish kind of style and an open back. It had some lace shenanigans going on, but the leg part on the front was plain. Again, it didn't have the "head turning" factor. The third dress I consider to be a princess type of  dress. Perhaps ball gown is a better description. It had tulle from the waist downward that flowed outward.  The top part was sleeveless and had shiny sparkles and lace.  It was pretty, but it didn't really flatter her figure. The fourth dress was my favorite up this point. It was also sleeveless with tattooed lace on the back. It was form fitting and had lace; however the train of the dress was rather boring.

As soon as Taylor came into sight in the fifth dress, an Enzoani dress, I could tell it was THE DRESS! Not just because of the tears in Taylor's eyes, but also because of the radiance she emitted and the undeniable beautiful way the dress complimented Taylor's elegant essence. I won't describe the dress as I did the others because I don't want to give it away before her big day. Believe me when I tell you though that her dress will turn heads and it will make you say "wow".  She would be a gorgeous bride without the dress, but the dress compliments her style and charm.  Taylor said, "Yes, to the dress!"

Taylor gave me an amazing box and when I opened it the top of the lid read "will you be my maid of honor".  I may not yet fully understand the meaning of being a maid of honor, but I can tell you that I was truly honored to say, "Yes!".  I'm super excited to go on this journey with Taylor as she becomes a Mrs. I also can't wait to be standing by her side when she says, "I do".

Part 2 of 3: A Wedding , Marriage, and a Gut Check

Marriage:

Yes, here I go again. There are two definite opinions I have that make me feel like a heartless asshole. Just because it isn't for me doesn't mean it isn't for you.

1. I do not like animals as pets. It's a big commitment. They're stinky, they're a lot of work, and basically you love them and then they die... it's heartbreaking. I've only ever had one pet that I truly loved and when she died, I told myself it's not worth the pain of death. Great, now I'm crying just thinking about her. Anyways, I am currently an anti-pet person. I will not have any pets of my own in the near future.
2.  I do not understand marriage and why people get married. That is probably because I do not understand love.  It's a huge commitment. Spouses can be stinky, they're a lot of work, and basically you love them and then one of you die... It's heartbreaking. It always seems like one person in the union is constantly giving more than the other.

I do not have the confidence in myself to be able to fulfill my would be role as wife. I can be a selfish, heartless, asshole and so the thought of a wife's role in marriage makes me itch. Despite of the fact that I also think I am one heck of a good person and I think good ladies like me are hard to find, so the flip side is that I would have a difficult time believing any man could fulfill his duty to me as a husband... And I just wouldn't accept anything except balance. 

Being a finance major, I do see the financial benefits in marriage and that might make it worth considering.  After reading the above post, even I am somewhat confused on marriage and my views on marriage. I know I don't understand marriage and that is probably why I'm confused. This post does pretty much describe my view at this point in time though.

Part 1 of 3 - A Wedding, Marriage, and a Gut Check

A Wedding:

As you know I attended a lovely wedding in Alabama this past weekend. The wedding was absolutely beautiful, but I was a little confused at the ceremony! It was a Catholic wedding and the ceremony lasted an hour and fifteen minutes. I'm not Catholic and although I don't regularly go to church, I'm no stranger to Sunday morning Baptist church service. During the ceremony the 200 + guests would stand, sit, kneel, sit, stand, kneel stand, kneel, sit, stand, sit... Most of the time I was wondering how almost everyone knew what to do and when to do it? The audience would pray and/or shout back words toward the pastor/priest/father (I don't know what the dude is called that was conducting the union).  Anyways the guy looked like the one kid from the movie Sandlot.How did those folks know what to say and what the heck were they saying?  The only thing I knew was the Lord's Prayer.

If you know me, you know I'm very skeptical of marriage and weddings. I was completely lost when the look alike guy from Sandlot began praying in Latin... for like ten minutes. I sat there baffled because I was not understanding the prayer.

My cynicism was confirmed when he cited the Bible verses that feed my dislike of marriage because of the misunderstanding this part of Scripture creates: Ephesians 5:22 - 33. More on that in blog part 2 of 3.

After the wedding, the reception was held at a mansion with buffet style food and drink rooms, a dancing room that also had the wedding cake (that seemed like a dangerous placement to me), tables and chairs scattered throughout the mansion and outside, and even a photo booth. I had a great time with mom. I enjoyed dancing and the wedding cake was incredible.