Wedding Leftovers

For our wedding we bought strands and strands of custom papel picado, in red, orange, yellow, and white from Casa Bonampak.  It wasn't cheap, but I was in love with the delicate paper banners.

On our wedding day, after days of prep in the sweltering sun, we woke up to clouds and rain, with forecasts of much more rain to come.  The banners  didn't make it up, save for a few in the barn and a few in our room to surprise us after the reception.   

I was sad I'd bought this expensive thing, and felt silly that I HAD to have it, and then didn't use it, but I truly love them, and we can hang them as we celebrate our anniversary for years to come.

I've been rallying against my pain and sadness, trying to show it whose boss, which mainly means DOING THINGS.  I finally framed a flag of each red, orange, and yellow, so we can enjoy them every day.  This is the largest size of float frame, available at Micheal's or Jo-Ann Fabrics (and often for half off with a coupon or sale).

I was just planning to post our rad and finally framed papel picado, but then I realized I'm SURROUNDED by stuff from our wedding, and how happy it makes me.

This one is Walker's favorite.  We supplied chalkboards made from thrifted picture frames and blackboard pain for use in the photobooth. This one, presumably written by one of the cousins pictured here, is a play on Walker's last name, spelled h-a-e-u-s.


It somehow survived till the next day despite the extensive partying and constant rain. Now it's sealed with hairspray and behind glass, hanging above our dining room/kitchen pass through

Turkish evil eyes, favors at our wedding, are strung in the window.

Our cake toppers from Leslie, friend of main man's mom and mom of main man's high school friend.  They live in the curiosity cabinet and still make me happy every time I see them. 

Milk glass planters with succulents used as centerpieces,  and old movie theatre marquee letters, decorations at the wedding.  The ampersand came in the mail on our wedding day -- how fitting!  Only twelve of the wedding succulents remain, but not bad considering I had no idea what I was doing when I split the originally. 

Day of the Dead bride and groom shadow box, from my mom.  Sort of.  I loved it, and my mom said, as she did many times,"buy it for yourself from me, and I'll pay you back!"  It hangs above a portrait that main man's aunt did of Mom from the photo on her memorial cards. 

Party flags made for our pre-wedding pizza party, larger versions of what I made to deck out our wedding cupcakes, are perfect for cheering on our mucking good times.

 

And of course, DISHES.  Lots and lot and lots of dishes.  We kept about 1/3 of the place settings, and they've been used at five events since our wedding -- a funeral, two yard parties, a brunch, and a Canadian Thanksgiving.  The jars and mugs have also made many part appearances.

Investments.

Proof that buying a crap ton of hats is never a bad investment.

There's so much stupid stuff you might never care about again that you find yourself spending money on or pondering spending money on when you are planning a wedding.  I decided to harness the power and buy a stack of carefully selected headwear.

Now I get ridiculous hats and wigs as gifts.  I love my friends and family.

The hats have been invited to three weddings, a luau, a birthday party, a goodbye party, and a post-proposal defense cocktail hour.  The best props -- small children, faculty, and pets -- were provided at each site.

The most recent hat bash -- the wedding of Karen and Adam.  Not our photobooth.  Photos snatched from the photobooth friend Steve.

Built for Two

California Laura had a fantastic wedding present idea for Pennsylvania Karen -- a vintage Schwinn tandem bicycle from Goodwill.com, in Indiana -- and invited me, in Illinois, to be a part of this multistate mission.

Illinois Shawna and I picked up the bike in Indianapolis while Pennsylvania Karen was in town and staying at our house.  It added an extra bit of fun to know that we were rolling the bike right by her under the cover of night.

 

Illinois Eric came over and offered diagnostic advice to Califoria Laura via Google Video chat.  For as much as was wrong with bike -- I was relieved.  Repair was possible.  I hoped it was clean up decently.

The next day, Illinois Shawna and I sanded into the night getting the sloppy white coat of paint off.  Then Illinois Dan paid a visit to CUT the wheel with bent axle free from the bike.  The next day, the bike got a wipe down in the shower, then had it's newly shined chrome taped up.

And then for painting.  The first coat shone like the sun.  I was so excited.  I gave is plenty of time to dry.  Then I applied the second coat.  Shiny and luxurious.  And then, the weather changed, and the coat began to crackle as the humidity rose.  Fast-forward -- two days later, the day before I need to leave for the wedding.  The bike has dried, been sanded, been wiped clean, and is ready to once again be painted while I kicked myself over the whole ordeal.

California Laura and Diane flew in to Ohio with bike tools, new tires, ribbons, and handcut decals to give the bike a Katamari theme.   Nothing goes as planned, and the California troops labored over the bike until just before the ceremony.

The wedding service ended and the officiant asked that everyone join Karen and Adam in front of the house, where their getaway vehicle was revealed to them. 

A very big year.

A year and a day ago, I married my man man, my best friend, and then danced the night away.

At 3 a.m. after the last guests had boarded the school bus back to the hotel, we pulled the plug on the lights, and wandered back to our cottage to find that good friends and cousins had cleared our bed of the getting ready debris, hung papel picado through the house, and decorated the mirror.  We collapsed into bed, husband and wife.

We woke up at six a.m. and lay in bed reading the guest book note cards.  Then we left breakfast bars and juice at the tent door of our campers, and headed to the wedding tent to straighten up and gather up some flowers, before heading to the bowling alley for one last wedding hoorah.

As we about to leave the bowling alley, we got word that our family van,  Big Red, which had been incorrectly parked at the wedding and thus made it into the wedding photos, broke down.  Exploded, some say.  Eventually, another van would be borrowed and it would break down too.  Then Amy and Dad would ride home in that van on the back of a truck.    My mom fretted, and I laughed. 

Annie, Walker, and I started the longest wedding cleanup ever, while Mom spent another night at the inn with Amy who awaited Dad with the second doomed van.  Three people took down what had taken many more to put up.

At some point we realized we'd forgotten to have our officiant, Xavier, our dean from undergrad, sign the marriage certificate, and we headed to his house to remedy that.  Annie headed back to Springfield, and Mom saw off Amy and joined us in in the last of the cleanup.

When we returned to the farm, the big white tent was gone, the tables and chairs were loaded on a truck bed.  Our uhaul of plants and furniture and plates and vases and jars was packed.  The delicate items were in the car.  We were beat, and it was time to go.
 

First, we posed for final sentimental photos of the farm (love the timer).  When we left, I wept that our wedding was over.

Mom, Walker, and I arrived home exhausted, and basked in the air conditioning to a dinner of PB&J and potato chips, the food stash we'd bought from Aldi's as a just-in-case for our guest and campers, and beers in awesome steins (A&W 2010) from some of our favorite people in the world.

In the year that followed, we went on Amy's Make-a-Wish trip to Florida.  I started a new job.  Walker got a fellowship.  Walker started a new job.  We ran our first 5k with my sis.  We celebrated my birthday with my mom and sisters, and our most favorite Indian food from Chicago, picked up by Mom and brought downstate.  We celebrated Halloween with my sister.  We got a new niece.  We lost Biggie, my step-brother, and a week later, my amazing friend lost her brother.  We and Annie, accompanied by Mom and Amy, ran a race on Thanksgiving morning, wearing tshirts honoring Biggie and swearing we'd make running on Thanksgiving a tradition.  We spent our first Christmas with Walker's family and away from mine.  We went on our honeymoon to Trindad and Tobago.  We flew through Houston on our way home and saw four beautiful faces, two who we hadn't seen in years.   We visited Walker's grandparents in Palm Springs.  We celebrated Easter and decorated eggs as a family, for the first time in years.  We ran the Illinois marathon relay.  We lost my mom.  We celebrated my mom.  We took in my mom's dog.  We started our new life without here.  We finished grad school.  We had a Luau for Amy's 24th birthday.  We visited Tacoma, celebrated Papa, spent time with our marine, and met a new cousin with the best name ever -- Annie.  We moved Annie to Chicago to start her new job and new life.  I didn't get the job I wanted.

And, on the day before our first anniversary, we followed through on what we said we'd do to celebrate.  We competed in the Mudathlon -- 3.3 miles, 44 obstacles, and a LOT of mud.

We are still standing.  Here's to the next year and the next.