ord knows why I was so terrified of attending this wedding alone because it turned out to be an absolute blast. I surpassed all my expectations of fun-having so next time I start worrying about facing something by myself or getting anxious about stepping out of my bubble, just cyber-slap me and tell me it will all be more than fine.- I took about 30 pictures tops. I just couldn't be bothered to leave the dance floor and grab my camera. In fact, when I was called out to join a family group picture, I ran right back in as soon as it was over. "¡Me sube la bilirrubina! ¡Ay me sube la bilirrubina! Cuando te miro y no me miras..." (Yeah, a small group of us Latinos clung to each other and had to rep when the four Spanish songs came on. There might have been some impromptu choreography for this one.)
- As much as I complained beforehand, I was incredibly glad I attended the rehearsal the night before because the next day I was comfortable with the bridal party. A bunch of hilarious characters - all of them! At the reception, I was seated with the groomsmen - one of whom I went to school with and his wife and I became fast friends. (I had her at mangú.) A trip to visit them in Puerto Rico will hopefully be in the works for next year. And she was kind enough to record the reading for me :)
- Oy, the reading. I was so nervous about it because being the procrastinator that I am, I never actually read the thing out loud til the morning of! Luckily, it went off without a hitch (and without tears):- By the way, I thought I was going to be super late for the ceremony and possibly miss the reading. I could've sworn the invite said 4 PM (it said 4:30 PM) so I managed to speed down the Palisades (while...um...still practicing the speech) and get there at 3:55 PM. I rushed into the chapel and was greeted by...
You had to be kidding me."Um, it's here isn't it?" I asked the lone guy setting up the speakers in a corner. Ok, why was the thing set to start at 5:30?! And then of course, I managed to trick myself by writing in an earlier time in my agenda. That stuff never actually worked before! Thankfully, the MOH came down shortly after to lead me up to the bridal suite and hang out for a while.
- Want to know what's the sucky thing about living alone? No one's around to zip up and clasp the back of your dress. And so I threw on a jacket and drove to the venue with the dress as it was and asked a waitress for help. Fun times. At least the place was a ghost town when I got there.
- The ceremony was a beautiful mix of sweet and funny. The bride's father presented the groom with a proof of sale - pointing out that all sales were final. And I still have "Canon in D" (not this version though. I just had to link to my fave) along with their choreographed first dance (set to a "Lucky"/ "1,2,3,4" mix) stuck in my head. (Just watched the "1,2,3,4" video for the first time and it = the cutest thing ever!)
- I reconnected with some old school friends and fellow RAs I hadn't seen in four years! We had so much fun dancing, jumping up on the light boxes/ mini stages, goofing off and remembering our undergrad days. Though they each had their spouse/significant other, I loved that they either shared or we'd just dance in one huge circle with one of us jumping into the center to show off our moves. Sometimes I'd ditch them and join another circle of complete strangers or make my way around the dance floor. When asked why I kept bouncing around, I replied with, "I'm not here with anyone so I've got no strings attached!" It's entertaining when old school friends I've lost touch with see how much my shell has cracked since we last saw each other. Love the shock ;)
- The shoes came off. They never do, but that's how serious it was. All that jumping and rocking out to Bon Jovi, the Black Eyed Peas and freakin' "Shout" wreaked havoc on my feet. No joke, my body hurt for days! The playlist was an amazing mix of Latin (though too few), hip-hop, classic goodies and fun pop. A girl and I even did the "Hoedown Throwdown" though mine was more of an attempt. Sorry, Dama. I never could "hip-hop it."- You know I barely remember what I ate? I didn't even taste the chocolate cake!
I didn't make it home 'til noon the following day. (No, nothing scandalous!) After I dropped the car off by mom's at 11:30 PM, I was way too tired to take the bus home in heels. So I just crashed there and mom and I spent another hour girl talking in bed, which is such a rarity. I was dead tired, but inside I was still buzzing with excitement.
The whole night was lively and a pure joy and I jumped right in at full speed.
'Til I woke up the next morning and the sentiment hit me. "Wow...he's married."
Image: Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische