Bride-to-be Blogger Alyse: Stories From Our Wedding

Alyse and Kevin, dancing at their wedding.

If I had written this recap immediately after my wedding, which happened on July 7th, I would have probably told you about how great it was, even though it was crazy hot out, and you would have thought “that’s nice, but what really happened?” I could tell you how much fun I had or how it really was the best day of my life, but what would that mean?  Well you are in luck, because for my final post, you’ll get actual testimonials from the real day.

These quotes come from bridesmaids, family and close friends. One of my friends had the great idea to have some people list their favorite moments of the day while I was on my honeymoon. I came home to a thick envelope filled with sweet and funny emails about the Big Day! Below are some of my favorite of the “favorites” with a few comments of my own.

• “Seeing Alyse in her dress that afternoon at 1:15, according to the timeline.” Yes, of course there was an extremely detailed timeline … That’s why things went so well, right?
• “Seeing Alyse’s dress for the first time—I had absolutely no idea what it would look like, and it completely blew me away. I think that’s the first time I didn’t see a dress until it was actually on the bride and I totally loved it.” I am so glad I (mostly) held out on this one. It made it so fun!
• “Alyse’s cousin singing Ave Maria at mass.” I wanted to break out in applause right there on the altar.
• “That Alyse wore her hair down on the hottest day of the summer and looked SO fabulous.” It was 107 degrees, and my hair was a hot and sweaty mess by the end of the night, but that was mostly from dancing, not the brutal heat (I’ll keep telling myself that).
• “Taking pictures outside even though it was super hot. The boys were funny.” By “funny,” she means “creatively complaining.” I’m sorry, but the pictures had to be done outside! It wasn’t too bad.
• “The food was legit delicious. You could tell there was so much thought out into the dinner, additional dessert trays and soft pretzel stations—I was obsessed.” Peachtree and Ward did a fabulous job. We wound up being the first wedding at Pomme, and everything went smoothly. Multiple people said it was the best wedding food they had, and of course, I agree. I hope that many more brides take advantage of this venue!
• “Seeing Kevin bite his lip and hold back his tears when he saw Alyse come down the aisle. It was the sweetest moment of the day.” It was.
• “When Alyse’s dad, then Kevin, then Alyse got on everyone’s shoulders and danced.” This was a highlight of the night, unexpected and so fun! My mom ran into the other room for fear of being next!
• “Kevin and Alyse’s families dancing arm and arm.” Our entire families danced in a circle at the end of the night. It was very special.
• “The best man and maid of honor speeches. The older brother and younger sister combo was so sweet.” Both did a great job! Kevin’s brother mentioned this blog and said the format was that I present an argument, weighed both sides, then decide along my own majority rule …  Nothing wrong with that! And my sister gave a great perspective as someone whose parents have known her sister’s husband longer than they have known her.
• “Not the cake smashing … but Alyse being the perfect sport about it, and Kevin telling her that she looked more beautiful after she cleaned up. Nice save.” Yep. Kevin cake-smashed. That’s all I’ll say about that.
• “Mr. Fiori’s toast. OMG. Genius.” My dad went from his father-of-the-bride speech right into singing the Beatles’ “With a Little Help From My Friends.” A total shock to Kevin and I, but many guests were tipped off and joined in the song—then the dancing never stopped …
• “How relaxed and chill dinner was … And then all of a sudden, the whole night erupted into Dance Party USA after Alyse’s dad’s speech.” See.
• “THE BAND!” Back2Life was amazing. They played the perfect blend of new and old songs, which kept everyone dancing all night. I couldn’t give a higher recommendation.
• “A+ wedding is what I keep telling people when they ask how it was. Just an amazing time all around. Thanks to Alyse and Kevin and their families for throwing such a perfect day and letting me be a part of it.”

Thank you everyone! Whether whether you followed this blog, zipped up my dress, danced with me at the reception, or wrote one of these recaps, you all made the day complete.

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