(Wedding Recap) Dance the Night Away

The remainder of the night passed in a blur of music, dancing, and fun.  In fact, I took a little break to cool off.  All that dancing in a dress made out of the "best" (translation heaviest) fabric in 80 bazillion layers, can really tire out a girl!
[Note to designers: make detachable wedding dresses that turn into short, cute, dancing dresses for the reception. One dress, two ways.]

The guests danced on....

and LOVED the photo booth, which we turned into our guest book!

The photo booth props turned into an opportunity to have more fun...

  and you KNOW where you can find me when the Electric Slide hits...

My last present to Mike -

my rendition of (Mike's least favorite band) Journey's Don't Stop Believing.

 Because honestly, who doesn't love Journey?!

(This took some creative scheeming and planning with the band)

((and we majorly butchered this song))

(((because all my friends sang along and embarrassed my new Hubby)))

It was awesome to the max.

...and during the after party I went to the ER due to heat exhaustion & low blood sugar.

(apparently you're supposed to actually eat at your wedding? and for the record, I stopped drinking halfway through the reception)

((I wish I was kidding to the max))

The first time Mike referred to me as his wife, in public,
was at GW Hospital.

There's a story for your grandkids!

THE END.

(Wedding Recap) The Dollar Dance!

Immediately after the Hora we moved into another fun family tradition: the dollar dance (older post on the Polish history of the dollar dance).  It was completely exhausting going from the 25 minute hora to a 15 minute polka, and simultaneously fun. 

See, you pay a dollar to dance with the bride.
And then we use that money for the honeymoon (or to start the couple's life -- same diff).

My mom and sister collected the money for me while the dancers lined up and waited their turns.

My brother-in-law actually knows how to polka and totally whisked me around the dance floor!

My cousin is also amazing.

(so is my whooshing dress in this pic!)

My girl friends, in on the fun!

My dad, rocking the accordion again, with my aunt & uncle.

Because he's also amah-zing.

And of course my niece enjoyed the fun dancing too!

This great tradition really captured my Polish side & allowed me some individual time with friends and relatives.  (I especially loved when cousin Steve brought me a glass of water!)

(Weddign Recap) The Ceremony!

Finally the time came to walk down the aisle, exchange vows & rings, and officially become husband & wife!

From my spot out of sight in the balcony, I got a good look at the crowd gathering:

 

The chuppah translates to mean "covering" or "protection" and symbolizes the new home of the married couple.  It represents our desire for our home to be under the protection of God.  The marriage ceremony in Jewish faith cannot take place without a covering and four poles.

I remember standing at the top of the stairs, sneaking a peak and waving at friends who noticed me.  I listened to Wachet Auf lead our bridal party to their positions.  I heard the laughter and "awws," telling me my niece successfully made her flower girl debut.

I popped my head phones in and half listened to the chorus of Lady Gaga's Just Dance, to get me amp'd. Truth be told: I needed no help; my nerves turned over themselves, tears welled up in my eyes.  I heard the first chords of Pachelbel's Canon softly hit the air, just as I learned to play it on the piano around age 10.

Mike began his way to the chuppah with his mom and dad on either side.

When I successfully memorized Pachelbel's Canon way back when, I knew it would guide me to my groom in the future.  And here I was.
The music filled the air as I saw our wedding planner motion for me to start down the stairs.  Surprisingly, instead of don't fall don't fall don't fall I thought This is it.

 This is it.

My wedding!

Our wedding.

My dad waited for me at the bottom, with the biggest smile on his face.  He whispered to me how gorgeous I looked.  Blinking back tears, beyond my veil I saw so many familiar faces, all in one place, all smiling back at me.  So much love. Amazing.

As I approached Mike, I saw, with out any doubt, the happiest expression to ever grace his face.  I wanted to kiss him right then and there! (I also love his brother's face in the background)

Then I began the Seven Circles around my groom.  The seven circles represent my bond to him, just as the Teffelin straps are wrapped around a man's arm.  Also the number seven nods towards the complexity of the creation of the world, just as marriage reenacts the creative process.  Interestingly, some couples share the seven circles, taking turns rotating around each other.  We went traditional and I tried not to get too dizzy and fall down as I went around him seven times. For those of you wondering, the rabbi counted for me.

In Jewish faith there are actually two parts to the marriage ceremony: Kiddushin (Betrothal) and Nisuin (Nuptials). "Both parts are introduced with the benediction over wine, the traditional symbol of joy and abundance. The bride and groom each take a sip of the wine for each." {taken from The Jewish Wedding Guide}

 

During the Kiddushin we exchanged rings, by placing them on each other's right index finger.  Apparently, long ago one used their right index finger to make a mark or signature. 

I'm honestly so excited right here.

During the Nissuin the rabbi recited seven blessings over us, love, friendship, and completeness amongst them.  
We shared our own vows here.  And let me tell you, I thought we had this one covered, but...

Well, using a stock "fill in the blank" with sentence starters, we both had the same 8 statements to make.  I added a little bit to mine and so did Mike.  We had our bridesmaid and close friend, Kathryn, read them both to ensure we were on the same wavelength and literal length.  Kat encouraged me to add a little more, but it didn't feel natural.  

After I read my half page and felt pretty proud of myself.  Then seeing Mike pull out two pages just about made me gasp out loud.  He wrote and read the most heartfelt words.  I give him a lot of strife for not being "mushy."  Not anymore!

(And so much for trying to be on the same page - I guess you can't put a limit on love!)

Our rabbi read our ketuba and hand it to me.  I "own" it now. It's mine, all mine!

Finally, after the second cup of wine, hot veil was lifted off my face.  

The last thing left to do: break the glass!

The breaking of the glass can be a reminder of the fragility of life and also an affirmation that in times of happiness there should be a touch of seriousness.  It signifies that we are still mourning over the destruction of the Holy Temple of Jerusalem.  It also serves as a reminder of the sanctity of marriage.  A broken glass cannot be mended. 

We shouted "Mazel Tov!" (good luck!)

and kissed!

We were married!

Husband & Wife.

beautiful.

{all photos taken by Studio Juno photography}

(Wedding Recap) Bridal Party Shots!

Let me start out by saying we had the best attendants.  Our groomsmen & bridesmaids (have you heard them called "bridesbabes" ?!) were fabulous.  Whats more, we couldn't imagine better people to stand up next to us as we said our vows.
Thankfully, we have these awesome pictures to prove it:

But honestly, THESE are the pictures that really show how much we love them:

Oh, those boys...

The ladies:

Such hams! Love it!

I wouldn't have it any other way!

(and yes, there is double meaning in the title of this post...hence the great photos)

{said great photos, by Studio Juno}

(Wedding Recap) Putting on the Dress

We headed downstairs to the lobby of our hotel, with my wedding dress in hand. I previously arranged (and by arranged, I mean double-triple-checked with the hotel manager) for their Escalade to take us the 3 blocks down the street to our venue. My bridesmaids already wore their dresses and heels. Who wants to hoof-it 3 blocks in the mid-summer's heat, in fancy dresses? Not us. So you can imagine our surprise when the Escalade disappeared to run another errand, leaving me pointing at the scheduling book where it said "Bride plus 4, 2p." Luckily they called us a cab. Do you know what 4 girls in bridesmaids dresses looks like in the back of a cab?

 (picture phone quality apology)
Now that's a bridesmaid's shot if I've ever seen one.

Unfortunately my sister is behind the headrest and got cut off.

The 5 minute ride passed with lots of laughter.

At any rate, we made it to the venue & upstairs to the bridal ready room: the Library.

Special thanks to Lila Frances for their lovely gift of my personalized wedding wire hanger! I simply love it & look forward to passing it down to someone else, someday.

 

 I really love the simplicity & meanwhile complexity of this shot.

It says "Here we go!" to me...

But then, right as I stepped over to my dress, almost ready to go, I thought, "Oh my, I should really use the restroom one. last. time...since we all know how complicated that can get..."
I looked down at myself:
veil, button down shirt, special underwear, garter, heels.
I looked like something out of a pin-up catalog.  Which elicited these reactions from my mom & sister:

 

 Clearly, my sister thinks I'm hilarious.

My mom shakes her head and says "Oh, Vicki."

Typical. 

I love it.

 Here's a censored version of what I looked like:

 

 Thank goodness for caterer's napkins.

Although I will admit I did run down the back hallway of the venue with out said napkin....

But once I came back, it was time.

(suck it in, Vicki)

And in a matter of minutes, I really felt like a bride.

My wedding day finally arrived.

Butterflies tried fluttering in my tummy,

but I overcame that nervous energy with thoughts of seeing my

soon-to-be husband at our first look!

{amazing photography by Studio Juno, phone pic aside}