Friday, August 03, 2007

Wedding Day Memories

My godmother asked me a while ago to write down my memories from our wedding day and to send them to her since she was not able to be there. Here are little excerpts from the things I wrote to her.

· I still smile when I write and remember it all. It was the most amazing day of my life this far.



· That morning all the women met in Neil’s sisters’ room to meet each other and to chat. We had such an amazing time!!! I think it was one of the best ideas I had. All these women who I love and who love me finally met each other. I had been telling them about each other for years and now they were all in the same room! Everyone from my mom and sister to Neil’s family’s women to all my friends. Stories were told, breakfast and coffee was shared, tears were wiped, happy laughter was booming. I loved those moments!



· I remember my dad and I in the room while we were waiting for the ceremony - he was telling me jokes and making me laugh. I think he was a little nervous and was looking at me with a little bit of wonder – his little girl, who used to dance on his feet, is getting married. He gave me hugs and said he was proud of me and that everyone in the family loves Neil.


· I kept looking in the mirror – I WAS WEARING A WEDDING DRESS!!!


· I remember Laura in the room with my dad and I while waiting for the ceremony, she made that day unforgettable – so quiet, so professional, always at the right place at the right time, taking the pictures. I was so thankful to her! And the best part about it was that she was not just a photographer, she was one of my close friends there. She was a person I love and know so well, sharing those intimate moments with me.

· I remember checking the time, it was getting close to 2 pm and I had not heard from anyone, I was wondering if they have forgotten me – the bride. I called the office and asked if anyone will come and get me or if we should go to the ceremony ourselves. The office told me not to worry, that they would not start the ceremony without the bride. OK, so we kept waiting.



· I remember the hot pavement. My feet were bare, Neil and I had decided not to wear our shoes since it was a beach ceremony.

· I knew that they would decorate the beach but had no idea what it would be like. To my sweet surprise there was a heart made of flower petals. It was so beautiful!




· The wind was blowing so strong and Felicia held down my veil. I was so thankful for it.



· I remember the heat that day. Sticky, humid and strong wind to keep it at bay. The heat didn’t bother me one bit. I was so hot but it mattered nothing to me that day.

· I remember how thankful I was to everyone who chipped in and helped with decorations and getting everything settled and done. There is no way I could have done it myself and I was so thankful to Kerry and Lynn and my sister and Rochelle and Vanessa and everyone else who were running around for me and making places beautiful and making sure people were settled in. This included my groom who was taking care of my dad and my mom’s husband and they didn’t speak a language that they could understand. I knew I am marrying the right man when he didn’t make complain about it but was trying to do his best!

· I remember how Tyler, Melissa’s husband was ironing my dad’s shirt in their room because my parents were running late while getting ready.

· I ordered a big hamburger to our room since I had not eaten anything while running around and doing my hair and thinking of decorations and the fact that my parents were in a different resort because of the mistake our resort had made. With my bridal hair done and the veil sitting in it I was eating my hamburger – in a hurry!

· My hair didn’t stay the way it was made and I had to run back to the hairdresser, a sweet Jamaican lady who had to fix it up. She took each strand and curled it with so much care and love! I remember admiring how much effort she put it my hair that day.

· When I was walking down the isle I had no intentions of crying. I had so much peace. All the worries about the weather, people getting there, things being done on time were gone. There was my groom, handsome and smiling. There was my family. There were my friends – it was one of the best days in my life. All I could do was smile from ear to ear and thank God for all the blessings He has poured out on me.





· I had told Neil not to be silly while he kisses me. I have seen men do some … interesting things when they are told they can kiss the bride. Neil took me so gently, he put his arm on my neck and held me with the other one and gave me such a sweet kiss. I still remember that moment.

· When I got to the reception site I was pleasantly surprised myself – I had not put the tables together to decorate them beforehand, so when I saw what Kerry, Lynn and Santa had done I was really pleased!


· We had 4 courses for the dinner but now, neither Neil nor I can remember what we actually ate. The only thing I remember that it was very fancy and delicious.

· The setting for the wedding dinner was magnificent – a sunset over the Caribbean. We got there when the sun was just getting toward the horizon and in the 3 hours we were there the candles were lit and the margins of the terrace were lit up and we were enjoying a soft breeze.



· We had a waiter whose name was Garfield. A young Jamaican man with a huge smile. He was so polite and so sweet. He was wishing us well and taking such a good car of us and the guests.

· I remember I drank red wine the whole night. I am pretty sure my teeth were blue, as were my lips but it didn’t matter. I was so happy!

· But most of all that day will stay in my mind because of the love and care. Everyone was there to support and to love. Everyone had made sacrifices to come to our wedding. Everyone was willing to do anything to help. It was such an awesome feeling!

My groom worked so hard to give me this wedding, I still smile while remembering that week. I am so happy that I married him. I am so glad that God led us together while on two different continents. He is such an amazing man and He is such an amazing God!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I still smile too when I think of your wedding in Jamaica. It was like a dream... memorable in every single way! Love you girl!! Now when is the first piece of that broken plate coming to life?:) There were quite a few pieces... you two should better start working on that:)

V said...

This was great fun to read - now it seems surreal - I am so glad I was able to share your joy that day! It was and is wonderful to see how right you and Neil are for each other and how God brought you together and continues to work in your lives. Love for you both!

V said...

PS Your teeth *were* blue. But so were all of ours! :)

Anonymous said...

this is so lovely. you definitely need to save that somewhere so you can pull it out in ten years. i'm impressed at how well you remember everything. mine was pretty much a blur. of course, mike and i were already living together, so we both wanted to just get through all the chaos and go back to our normal life!

Buffy said...

Beautiful Bride. Amazing wedding. And such a sweet gesture..

melissa said...

That is so beautiful, Ags :)