By Amanda Parker
August 30, 2014
6 a.m. I heard some commotion outside. What is going on?! I rolled out of bed, threw my hair up and went to the front door: There is Maria, decorating the house with big white bows. The day was finally here and I was totally calm. Actually, I was so calm I felt like I was just getting ready for someone else’s wedding, not mine.
7:45 a.m. In came the fabulous team from Salon KG ready to make everyone look beautiful. My dad was calm(ish), but he needed something to do so we sent him back and forth to Dunkin Donuts — literally — to get one coffee at a time. That kept him busy for most of the morning. Bridesmaids and flower girls arrived and it was exactly what I pictured the morning would be like: wedding morning organized chaos! Girls everywhere, dresses hanging everywhere, food everywhere…it was perfect.
9:30 a.m. I talked to Adam and he was still in bed, going to go for a walk and wait for the guys to come….What a stressful morning for him!
Before I knew it the photographers (Blueflash) were there, Jay from Golden Gate had delivered my beautiful bouquet and I was in the hot seat getting beautified. The veil went on, the dress went on and we were out the door, getting on the trolley singing, “Going to the Chapel of Love.” Before I knew it, it was time. (Please note that I was actually early for the church, so we got to sit in front and enjoy the bagpiper.) Then it was time.
2 p.m. They opened the doors to the church and my first thought was, “Holy s**t, it’s packed!” Not quite the most proper thought to have while walking down the aisle but, hey, I’m just being honest. My dad and I made it down the aisle with only a few tears and there we were: Adam and I getting married.
The mass flew by and then the entire wedding party was whisked away on the trolley to take pictures. We decided to go to Brown University campus to take some pictures. What we weren’t aware of was that it was move-in day. We got cheers and some students even blasted “Here Comes the Bride” on their iPod speakers. We got claps and high-fives. My dad even played Frisbee. It couldn’t have worked out any better! Then we were whisked away again, this time to the Biltmore, to take pictures in front of the famous elevator and on the terrace. We then had about fifteen minutes to freshen up. And then, up to the seventeenth floor we headed….
The doors opened and it was even more beautiful than I imagined. The flowers and the linens (both from Golden Gate) were absolutely breathtaking. The cake (from Queen B’s Cakery) was absolutely gorgeous. Everything was just gorgeous and perfect. Off to the cocktail hour we went (I was determined not to miss the cocktail hour!). We mingled and chit-chatted and I ate a few oysters (yum), and there we were lining up to get introduced. It was absolutely amazing. Adam and I had a quiet moment and then they opened the doors to 225 people standing, clapping and cheering, all for us! (I think this was my favorite part.) We got to the dance floor danced a little and went right into our first dance, “All the Way,” by Frank Sinatra. The dance floor opened up, and it was packed. Everyone was up dancing to the fabulous band, GQ and the Lady. Dinner was served and while everyone was finishing eating, I danced with my dad to our song, “Unforgettable,” and Adam danced with his mom to “The Way of the World.”
Now that the formalities were over, it was time to dance! And we certainly danced the night away right until midnight. After that we went back to our room and had some cocktails with everyone who was left. Then we all went to Haven Brothers at 1:30 a.m. for snacks.
It was an amazing night. Everyone always says, “Enjoy every moment — it goes by too fast,” and you’re like, “yeah, yeah, yeah.” But it does. The entire day felt like a minute. The day literally flew by and before I knew it, it was over. We had breakfast the next morning upstairs at L’Apogee for everyone who stayed over. Everyone left and we carried home a bunch of flowers, cleaned up, and went back to my parents’ house to hang out. Adam and I had another night at the Biltmore so we went back there. We ended up walking over to Jackie’s Waterplace for dinner, where the bartender asked if we did anything fun last night to which we replied, “Oh, yeah…we got married.”
I bet that wasn’t the answer he was expecting!