Treely, Madly, Deeply: Reception Candids!

Oh, Hive, our reception really was so much freakin' fun. I know I've been a little moany and groany about the shoulda-woulda-couldas, but I swear it comes from a good place: wanting to inform future Brides about a decision I made that I would make differently, if I could re-do it. 

I'm done waxing poetic about it all, though, promise.

Once Mr. Palm Tree and I made our way to the dance floor, we didn't leave. I swear, I didn't even leave for the bar - my bridesmaids were ballers and were on top of it. My cup was never empty. 

*all photos courtesy of Limelight-Images

This is Macklemore's Thrift Shop and my cousin Z and I were totally word-battling. 

Rev. Fun's sister/my cousin K and I jamming to Hips Don't Lie. We both have a major Shakira crush.

This is really how I dance, you guys. 

I believe this was Whitney's I Wanna Dance With Somebody. GM Pythagoras and I have a whole collection of "Our Songs".

Jamming with the best FG's ever, Pad and Pie.

I ball hard.

I wasn't the only star of the floor, though - so many of our guests were having a blast, which makes me so happy. When I would daydream of the pictures that I wanted of our reception, these are pretty much exactly what would come to mind. 

Our bartenders did not F around, you guys. 

I wish I could say that the night lasted forever but alas, all good things must come to an end. . .

Treely, Madly, Deeply: Our Reception - Dancing And My 'Regret' Revisited.

One of the things I really wanted to make sure our wedding included was a ton of dancing. I told this to our DJ so many times he was probably ready to throttle me. I even emailed him and told him that I had a nightmare that nobody danced (dramatic, but true). When he came up to the Bridal Suite before our Introductions, he told me that he'd do his absolute best but it really is up to the Bride and Groom to get the guests started - something that we sort of failed at, at least at the beginning of the night. 

Thank goodness I put together a very intense 'Must Play' list (which I'll share in a later post) and thank goodness, my guests know how to have a good time (and how to drink ;) ).

*all photos courtesy of Limelight-Images

So much fun being had without Mr. and Mrs. Palm Tree. I get semi-sad/jelly every time I see these pictures. 

Treely, Madly, Deeply: Our Photobooth

I recently read that photobooths are on their way 'out' as a 'wedding trend'. This surprised me on a few levels. 

First, I didn't realize that it had become a tend, per se. I mean, does any/everything featured in one's wedding have to be considered a 'trend' or a 'thing'? Can't it just be something that was at a wedding? I'm not even up in arms about the "WIC" or anything and this confused me. But hey, I've never been trendy (I wear nude shoes with gray pants, which is apparently a big no-no), so I'll take it because it means I was trendy, for a period in time, and I can claim it as a characteristic. 

Second, WHY ARE THEY ON THEIR WAY 'OUT'?! Hive, I freaking love photobooths. If I haven't made it blatantly obvious yet, I am a picture whore. Choosing our photographers was not an easy decision (but it's one of the best we've made, if my recaps haven't echoed that sentiment clearly!). Deciding to have a photobooth was, however, an easy decision - even if it took some effort on my part to convince Mr. Palm Tree that it was worthwhile. 

Long story short: I went to GM Pythagoras' sister's wedding prior to our engagement. She had a photobooth. I fell in love. The Palm Tree's had a photobooth. Boom.

Treely, Madly, Deeply: The Dances

From the moment I got engaged, I was sure that Mr. Palm Tree and I would be dancing to Adam Sandler's "I Wanna Grow Old With You" from The Wedding Singer (like Mrs. Coyote and Mrs. Armadillo). Mr. PT and I both love Adam Sandler and one of our first 'dates' consisted of us cuddling up on his mom's couch and having a mini-Adam Sandler marathon. It was short, sweet and silly - and wouldn't require much actual dancing, because I am nothing if not clumsy and awkward. 

About a month before the wedding, though, Mr. Palm Tree sent me an email with a link in it and it said, "This should be our First Dance." I was so floored. For him to have had this type of reaction to a song meant a lot and that wasn't lost on me. I listened to it a few times and was touched that he associated the song with us - and that's how Allison Krauss' "When You Say Nothing at All" became our First Dance song (as a sidnote, Mr. PT started listening to a country station on Pandora after we became mildly obsessed with The Voice over the last year and that's how he came across this song). Feel free to listen as you look.

*all photos courtesy of Limelight-Images

"It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart

Without saying a word you can light up the dark

Try as I may I could never explain

What I hear when you don't say a thing

The smile on your face lets me know that you need me

There's a truth in your eyes sayin' you'll never leave me

The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall

You say it best when you say nothing at all

All day long I can hear people talking out loud
But when you hold me near you drown out the crowd
Old Mr. Webster could never define
What's being said between your heart and mine

The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes sayin' you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall
You say it best when you say nothing at all."

I might be the first Bride to ever say this but if I could give any advice regarding a First Dance, I think it would be to not practice. As I've mentioned, I am a clumsy fool with less than zero rhythm. I was so nervous that our First Dance would make us look like a couple of Shuffles McGee's, so Mr. Palm Tree and I practiced our swayage and added in a few carefully-timed twirls and a dip. We were both trying so hard to stick with what we practiced, that we were whispering to each other, "get ready," or "okay, here it comes." I tripped and at one point, Mr. PT almost dropped me. It's hilarious now - and it was hilarious to both of us at the time, were both like, "okay, we're done." - but I would have loved to have had a nice, uneventful First Dance with my husband. 

After our First Dance, we had a Generation Dance - also called the Anniversary Dance, I believe? I've always loved this part of weddings and I think it's a great way to get people onto the Dance Floor right before it opens for the evening. We chose The Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody" for this song, thinking it was a strategic move. 

*all photos courtesy of Limelight-Images

I just love this photo - how perfect is it that we're both fidgeting with our rings?

We both thought that Mr. PT's grandparents would be the 'winners' of this - they will be married fifty years next year, when we're celebrating our first anniversary. This was their 'song', so we wanted to honor both of them. 

It came down to a battle of months, though, and my cousin L (who I grew up referring to as 'Aunt L' due to the large age gap - Italian families for the win) and her husband 'won', as they'll be celebrating their fiftieth anniversary later in October. 

Our DJ asking them for their advice. 'Uncle' C said to play a lot of golf, because it takes practice and patience - much like dealing with a wife. 'Aunt' L said, and I quote, "keep your shit off of Facebook." She went on to say that there were so many times in their life together that one of their bags was packed and they were ready to call it quits, but nobody knew that - and that they shouldn't. She advised us to keep all of problems between us and work them out privately.

Pretty perfect advice, I'd say.

After this, our dance floor was open and the party (finally) got to the level I knew it would.

Treely, Madly, Deeply: The One Thing I Would Change & The Cake Cutting

After the speeches, we ate. We had a buffet, Hive, and although the food was fabulous, we don't have any pictures of it. One of my biggest pieces of advice to other Brides: know your guests. I work for a catering company that is known for its high-quality, 'trendy' food. . .and had we opted to serve this type of food at our wedding, it would have been lost on our guests (Mr. Palm Tree and myself included, if we're being honest). We aren't foodies and something like a served, three-course dinner would have been completely pointless and time-wasting for us - yet an open, full bar was an absolute must. Obviously, this isn't the case for everybody, but that's why I stress the importance of knowing your guests.

Our menu was what Mr. Palm Tree and I refer to as typical Western PA event fare: Seasoned Baked Chicken, Penne Pasta in Marinara Sauce, Italian Sausage with Peppers and Onions, Roast Beef with au jus, Green Beans with Almonds, Rice Pilaf, Tossed Salad and Freshly Baked Rolls. Seriously, you guys, I think I've eaten some version of this at almost every graduation party, wedding, family function, etc. - but it never stops being so damn delicious. Almost everyone in the wedding party commented that they wished they would have went back through the buffet line because it was so good. 

Mr. Palm Tree and I inhaled our food because I was so insistent on visiting all of our guests. I had this vision that we could totally get to everyone while they were eating their dinner, since we ate ours so quickly. I'm just going to say it now: I wish we hadn't done this. Not so much the inhaling, but placing such a high importance on visiting every table. We barely made it through one half of the room before our DJ came up to us, saying we had to get the rest of the evening started. I remember semi-battling with him, saying we had to finish the tables, and him saying that we needed to cut the cake and do all of the other things, otherwise we'd never have time for dancing - which is what I said to him was the most important part of the evening. After we cut our cake and had our first dance, we immediately flew to the other side of the room and tried to visit people. Again, I just wish we hadn't done this. I swear, we spent at least an hour, maybe longer, on this. If I could change one thing, I would have visited some of the family tables, maybe some of the older guests, and let everyone else come to us on the dance floor. I would have strategically planned: okay, we have to hit Tables 1, 3, 6 and 7 before we do anything else. I would have made an effort to seek people out when on the dance floor, but not making a point to go to every single table. It took so long, and even after we got the 'traditions' out of the way, our DJ was still trying to chase us down and say that people were requesting songs for us and that our dance floor needed us. I hate that I didn't listen to him, I hate that I was so stubborn and caught up in everything. I'm not saying that it ruined our wedding or even had a damper on the evening, because it didn't by any means. I didn't even think about any of this until long after the wedding, when I was reflecting bit-by-bit. It's still an amazing night and it was still everything I could have imagined - maybe even more than I could have imagined - but if I could change anything, that would be it. 

Treely, Madly, Deeply: The Speeches

After we all made our way to our seats (much dancing happened in the interim), our DJ handed the mic over for the speeches.

Introductions and Speeches are always my favorite parts of weddings, Hive. These segments are what showcase the personalities and histories of all involved. 

*all photos courtesy of Limelight-Images

Best Man R went first. In true Best Man R fashion, he completely pulled it out of nowhere. 

"Today is a very special day for all of us, for these two, for me - because, I got to see not one, but two of my best friends get married today. But I think we all have heard the story and history of Jon and Steph. I've actually known both of them for quite a while as well. I met Jon when we were both freshman at Pitt, when Jon was still a chubby nerd who played video games. And he went home pretty much every weekend, he never came out with us. It wasn't until the following year when I met the reason he would never come out with us - and that's the girl sitting to his right today. 

Treely, Madly, Deeply: Our Grand Entrance

Our cocktail hour immediately followed our ceremony. The wedding party headed back upstairs to the suite, where we cried together and shared our excitement. 

*all photos courtesy of Limelight-Images

Mr. Palm Tree had a little breakdown moment as soon as we got upstairs, so I gave him my handkerchief. Best Man R is, yet again, talking about how much he hates his shoes.

We all hung out and took the time to just breathe (there was a lot of breathing on our wedding day, apparently. I'll take it!). . .and to drink. I remember that GM Pythagoras and I both ordered the same thing (Captain and Coke) and we were both impressed by how strong they were. I remember remarking that I was amazed that none of us were drunk yet, despite having been drinking all day - since essentially 7:00am in the girls' cases! I remember Pad & Pie housing our cookies, which our attendant was nice enough to bring up to us (sidenote: I cannot remember her name for the life of me, but she was amazing). We all did a shot and then, DJ Dan lined us up for our Introductions. 

Introductions are always one of my favorite parts of weddings - even now, executing them every single weekend (for real), I still stand inside the room to watch and see what people do. It's like the official beginning - like saying, the typical stuff is over, here are our personalities!