E & C Wedding - August 20, 2007!

After months and months of research, planning and decisions, and many a stressed out moment, the Big Day finally arrived. Whew!

The wedding day itself was actually very unstressful. Since the wedding wasn't until 2:30 pm, we had quite some time for hair, makeup and just to get ready. Our room became Bridesmaid Headquarters, with the Mother of the Bride joining us, too. Since the boys (and Meg) were staying next door, that became Groomsmen Headquarters, with Charles joining them.

Side note about the bridal party: instead of having 4 bridesmaids, Em had 3 bridesmaids and a Pic. However, it was decided that Pic would stand with the rest of the guys on Charles' side so Charles had 3 groomsmen and a Meg. I don't remember the reason but I think it might've been too much of a controversy if Pic was standing with me, Dem and Venus, and Meg standing with Paul, Ian and Oscar, so that's the way it turned out. Em didn't have a Maid of Honor but Paul was Charles' Best Man. (Okay, that was more of a side paragraph but whatever.)

Like I said, we had a lot of time to get ready, with the boys having even more time. Pic even went for a swim when the all the girls trooped in; he hadn't tanned in a couple of weeks (but luckily, he's already got a base coat!). The hair and makeup lady arrived (I forgot her name!) and we got down to business. Dem went first, then Jane (Mother of the Bride), then me, Meg and Venus. Em went last. The steamer lady arrived soon after we started hair and makeup and got to work tackling the wrinkles on the wedding gown. Fortunately, our bridesmaid dresses didn't get squished too badly; a couple of shakes shook them out.

Somewhere in between, we made trips for breakfast and managed to stuff ourselves as much as was comfortable since we wouldn't be having lunch (only cake and champagne!) and dinner wasn't until later. Em's parents brought yummy beignets and fruit and other snacks. Fruit bowls were added to the mix and Dem had a croissant (it's a good thing I got it for her otherwise she would've been starving!). Em had her last meal as a single woman and Pic and I shared a grilled ham & cheese sandwich and a cheese and egg croissant - the croissant breakfast sandwich was SO yummy! Makes me crave one right now...

Em's last meal as a single woman.

In the process of steaming the wedding gown, the bustle had to be let out and we should've taken a picture of it because the diagram did not make any sense at all. I remember a lot of what-the-hells and disbelieving laughter (along with some funny comments by Farrell, Em's dad) as everyone took a look at the bustle diagram while I was getting done up. I looked at the drawing afterwards and what the hell indeed. Luckily, the wedding coordinators know a lot about bustles and Em's was no different. With makeup and hair all done, we moved on to our dresses. Tricky. It's damned hard being a girl sometimes! Hair, makeup, corsets, strapless bras, thongs, no-show panties, not to mention all the accessories: headbands, earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelets, sexy shoes and matching handbags/clutches. Em had the extra veil and petticoat, too. It boggles the mind. The guys had tuxes, which consisted of a jacket, a shirt, a waistcoat, a tie and trousers. Simple, shiny black shoes completed the ensemble. I know that Pic had cuff links and I think Em's dad and Charles had them, too (I don't recall seeing any on the other guys but I wasn't exactly looking either).

Our accent color was going to be Tiffany blue but it turned out harder to do, so it went to champagne to match Em's dress. In the end, she settled on lavender and it turned out very lovely. The bridesmaid put on their dresses first, helping each other zip and tuck and adjust. Then it was Em's turn. We managed to drop the dress over her head and she shimmied into it with no damage done to hair or makeup. Success. Then came the veil. I slipped it into place and voilà, picture perfect! And yes, lots of pictures were taken. I haven't all of them yet, but in due time... Pic went over to join the boys and helped them all with their tuxes. Much hilarity ensued when Meg, who had been hopping back and forth between the two rooms, reported that the boys were in a bit of a panic when they couldn't figure out the buttons (on the shirts I think...don't really remember now).

Pic helping Oscar and Charles with their tuxes.

The limo picked up the boys first and dropped them off at the Wedding Pavilion, then swung back to pick the girls up. We took deep breaths to prepare ourselves for the sweltering heat and humidity outside, gathered up our belongings (Em's bridal bag, bridesmaids' bag with flip-flops for changing into later and other miscellaneous items) and Em's train, and proceeded down to the the limo. Apparently, the way things are done is that everyone goes first and the bride's the last to get into the limo. Interesting. Sliding into and out of a limo is NOT as easy and graceful as it appears on TV by the way. Damned hard in fact, especially with our dresses and heels. Oh, and our limo driver was pretty cute, albeit a bit older.

The Wedding Pavilion was beautiful and the setting was gorgeous. There were palm trees all around and we could see Cinderella Castle across the Seven Seas Lagoon. Randy the photographer was waiting for us as the limo pulled up. Em's got a celebrity smile. We dropped off our stuff in the bridal vestibule and picked up our bouquets and flowers there. Em's was a bouquet of lavender calla lilies wrapped in champagne colored satin ribbon (with a hidden mickey in the back!) while the bridesmaids carried single, long-stemmed white calla lilies with lavender colored ribbon knotted and wrapped up the stem. Very, very pretty. More pictures were taken, then the wedding coordinator and the officiant walked us through the ceremony. Walk up the aisle in a slow stroll, said the officiant. Slow stroll, HA! Dem said she doesn't stroll slowly and Meg was afraid of tripping. Venus just laughed. It was all kind of hilarious and Dem jinxed herself: the wedding coordinator had said that I'd be going first and Dem was so relieved. Turns out, she was wrong and the officiant corrected us: the bridesmaid standing furthest from the bride goes first, making Dem the first one to walk up the aisle instead of me. Oh dear. Since I was the tallest of the bunch (hard to believe huh), I was the one standing next to Em and was charged with the duty of holding her vows, then exchanging it for her bouquet during that part of the ceremony, and spreading out her train. I didn't do a very good job of spreading out her train though because it was difficult to stoop down in high heels while holding holding a flower and vows (even if it was just an index card haha) with the very high possibility that I may lose my balance and fall down the steps.

Our worries were for naught as the entire ceremony went smoothly. Walking up the aisle was slightly daunting but none of us tripped or fell and we carried it off with much aplomb if I do say so myself. The groomsmen walked before us, followed by the bridesmaids, then by the bride and her father. I remember standing up there and seeing Em and her dad's shadow underneath the door, thinking to myself, 'My best friend of 12 years is about to walk down that aisle and get married. Omg.' I almost lost my composure then and started crying but I managed to get myself under control. There were a couple of other moments during the ceremony when I was close to the edge but I'd look away real quick and then I'd be okay. Dem told me afterward that she also kept thinking about not locking her knees.

Em also included the sand ceremony in which the bride and groom pour different colored sand (hers was lavender and his was black) into a bottle then shake it to mix, signifying the mixing of his and her families. Then they were supposed to both hold the bottle aloft while the photographer snapped off some pictures. The officiant had told Em to pour generously as there was a lot of sand to go through. Obviously he hadn't told Charles the same thing; Em was almost all done pouring her sand and Charles still had almost half still left in his vase. It was a funny. So was Em's expression when they posed for the camera with the finished product. It was a classic Emily.

After the Kiss, we all walked out in pairs, with the bride and groom going first and disappearing for a bit. I was paired with Paul, Meg with Ian, Venus with Pic and Dem with Oscar. (At least I'm pretty sure that's the way it went...) Once outside, we lined the walkway and blew bubbles as the bride and groom reappeared and walked back into the chapel for pictures. One particular shot was with the bride and groom on the steps and the bridal party lounging casually behind them against the table (where the sand was during the ceremony). Randy said to look casual. Em's dad chimed in with, 'Look like you're at a club.' We all laughed and I was thinking to myself, 'No, seriously, you don't want us to look like we're at a club.' Well, I can't vouch for the others but what I look like at the club is definitely not appropriate for a wedding. (That remind me of when Ryan and I were debating whether or not to dance at Sue's wedding. We opted not to, of course, and it wasn't like there was a pole there anyway. Haha!) As Pic would say later that night, 'Party Bus!' Indeed. If you, dear reader, are still with me, I applaud thee! I'm glad someone's still here... I hope this is as entertaining for you to read as it was for me to experience it and remember.

Anywho, moving on. After pictures galore were taken, the bridal party tripped into the limo, which dumped us out at the Grand Floridian. Gorgeous!! Its design is Victorian-inspired and that was my name written all over it! We drew stares as we walked into the lobby and lounged around, waiting for the bride, groom, the parents, and Charles' sister and brother-in-law. Em's brother, sister-in-law and little nephew couldn't make the trip because the kiddo's still too young to fly. He'd be pissed off on the plane and not afraid to let everyone know. They were with Em in the form of pictures in a locket bracelet. Lovely, non? Many more pictures were taken with our personal cameras. The best, and funniest one, was Pic's 'gaysha' (geisha, gaysha - get it??) picture with one of the fans that Em had supplied all of us with. It was too awesome.

Finally everyone arrived and we went to an upstairs balcony for the cake cutting ceremony. Yay cake! It was delicious and Em had also bought a bottle of Martinelli's Sparkling Cider. Super thoughtful! Despite being a bit of a snob (yeah, just a bit), I really don't like champagne and much prefer sparkling apple cider. Yummy! Paul, Charles' best man, gave a very nice speech about the couple. I'd probably freak out about what to say if Em asked me to give a speech (although I would do it for you if you asked Em!) and it'd be the only other written piece I didn't procrastinate on (the other being an essay I wrote two days before the due date back in 2005). The cake was equally yummy and the cake topper - a Minnie Bride and Mickey Groom - was too cute. And they get to keep that? Cool. There was a violin soloist present taking requests, too. Wait, was he also at the wedding? Totally don't remember that. I think I recall an organ playing...

More chilling out ensued, emphasis not on the chill, and lots of intense fanning was involved. The wedding coordinator had a hell of a time doing up the bustle but she got it done! I'm glad someone understood that diagram. More cake and sparkling cider, more pictures - yay - and mazel tov's, then Randy gathered up the bridal party for pictures around the resort. By this time, Meg and Dem had already changed into flip-flops. Venus had comfy shoes on already. And there's me adamantly refusing to take off my shoes - they are CUTE - until we'd finished with ALL the professional pictures. So what if my feet were killing me? It's a small price to pay for them to be in the pictures. They'll get plenty of rest for the rest of the night after I change into flip-flops. Then Randy led us out onto the beach. Thought sand in your shorts was bad?? BAH! (But then again, I don't wear shorts.) My heels kept sinking into the sand so I had to walk as if I was tip-toeing and grabbed Pic's arm for support. And I got sand inside my shoes, which made things worse.

One picture that Randy took was really cool - or at least we all think it'll come out really cool: it was of the bride and groom's reflection in a pair of sunglasses, with her bouquet sitting next to it. The wind kept trying to take Em's veil, with a short-lived success at one point, but I rescued the veil and kept watch over it after that. After the last of the pictures were taken - I can't wait to see them! - we all trooped back into the resort (I'm walking very gingerly at this point but not limping) and I was able to finally take off my shoes. Like I said, it's a small price to pay and I've experienced worse. A quick trip to the restroom, then the cutest thing happened: as Dem and I were walking out of the restroom, a family with two little girls was just walking past. They stared at us in the awed way that only little girls can do, then Em, in her full bridal glory, walked out behind us. As we passed the family, I heard one of the little girls whisper, 'Look! A princess!' Awwww!! We got a lot of those stares and whispers all day, but it was so precious coming from a little girl.

Dinner was at Narcoossee's on the shores of Seven Seas Lagoon. We all got drinks, even me! It was a strawberry cocktail of sorts. Note I didn't say I finished the entire drink - that's because I didn't. Or couldn't. I didn't even get halfway through it before I started tasting the alcohol and as soon as I can taste the alcohol, it's all over for me. I just can't stand the taste of alcohol. I tried adding more ice cubes to dilute it but still didn't work. I went to have a sip, then set the glass down before it even hit my lips. Sad, innit? Luckily (more for whom though?), Pic finished it off for me. I had the Surf and Turf: Maine lobster tail and filet mignon, accompanied by asparagus and potato gratin. The food was absolutely DELICIOUS! I was quite stuffed with yumminess that I couldn't have any dessert (not like there was any more room in the dress for more food anyway!) which was really too bad because the desserts sounded so lovely! I had a cup of Imperial English tea instead and that wasn't too bad.

After dinner, we lolled around the lobby again, resting and digesting as we waited for 9 pm: the time for our Wishes cruise. We had two Pontoon Boats, with the friends on one boat and the family on the other, and the cruise took us around the lake with the pilot/tour guide giving us tidbits about the different resorts. There was a musical light show on the lake that precedes the fireworks show over Magic Kingdom. Then our pilot commented that we were too quiet of a crowd. Quiet?? We're the Party Bus! Well, Charles' friends up at the front of the boat were very quiet so I don't know about them, but they did go to Pleasure Island the night before... (I didn't go to PI again this time but I am so going next time I'm there!) Okay, you want us to sing Disney songs out loud like that Canopy Boat over there? Pic and I busted out in song (I can't remember which Disney song we sang now!) but it didn't last very long as the Wishes fireworks show was about to start. Our boats were strapped together, the pilot cut the engines and tuned the radio to broadcast the music and dialogue part of the show. Wishes is truly, uniquely Disney and breathtaking, and I loved it. I recorded a short bit on my phone and I'm not too sure about the quality but if it's good enough, I'll post it.

The show ended, we were dropped back onto shore and everyone parted ways. We had to find our own way back to our respective resorts and hotel rooms but it wasn't too hard. Pic, Dem, Venus and I took Em's advice and took the monorail to the Transport Station. On our way to the monorail, we passed by a group of people sitting in the lobby and one guy yelled out, and I do really mean he yelled, 'Hey, it's the gay best friend and the bridal party!!' For some reason, we found it hilarious and we could NOT stop laughing. Way to use labels there buddy! At the Transportation Station, we found out that we were supposed to catch the All-Star Music bus at Magic Kingdom - one stop before. Oops! Back on the monorail, we went in a circle because we couldn't go 'backwards' to Magic Kingdom.

At the bus line, we met up with Charles' side of the party and after what seemed like forever, we finally boarded a bus. On the way back to the resort, we started laughing when the radio started playing Garth Brooks' Friends in Low Places, a song that has much meaning to Em, Dem and I. We, of course, had to sing along and when the line 'Everybody now!' came on, I sang that, too, and then a whole bunch of people did sing along! Much kudos to the couple sitting in front of me who sang as loud as I did! It was so awesome.

Once back at the hotel room, the first order of business was to unzip ourselves and get out of our dresses. We could finally breath!! It felt so good to finally divest ourselves of everything and slip into much more comfortable clothes. Venus went back to her room; Pic, Dem and I rested and relaxed and looked over Pic's pictures (he had his laptop with him). Very awesome pictures. I can't wait to get my hands on them!

Dem and I left the next day - we wanted to stay and play some more! Pic, Venus and Em were going to another park and I wished I had taken an extra day of holiday! Our flight home was uneventful - thank gawd! - and the only thing worth mentioning was that I was able to get onto Dem's flights home (hers were earlier). Yay! The Continental lady at the counter in Orlando - Nora was her name - was SUPER friendly, nice and helpful! When I had trouble checking in, she looked and realized my outgoing flight was delayed. She didn't want me to miss my connection so she put me (and my suitcase) on Dem's flight and put me on standby for her connecting flight, which I was able to get on, too. Awesome.

All I have to say now is that it was very magical. Thanks for everything (rooms, cruise, etc) Em and congratulations to you both again. Hugs and kisses and lots of love~