It’s Rehearsal Friday!
Me wearing Mom's dress that my grandmother made for her when she was 16! Blue bows are made by Mom!
Today, I am told by my fiance and family that I am supposed to sleep in with my new exfoliated skin. Not a chance, I am excited to seize the day! I’m up by 7:00 am enjoying coffee with Roz. All the others start trickling out to join us on the front porch. The tent is up in front of the house (as of yesterday) so we don’t have much of a water view, but the tent looks great, and our guests will get to enjoy the water view due to the clear walls we have used.
I woke up this morning with a lot of new emails on my bberry from friends Val, Carrie, Jenny, Ruby and Betsy. Their NY flight to Bangor last night was cancelled and a bus was sent for them and 30 other passengers. But the bus was too small for all of them! A nightmare, but they are finally enroute on a very long ride via a too-small bus and should be in Blue Hill in time for the rehearsal. Exhausted I am sure, but not without a lot of very funny stories. They are troopers for soldiering on and the best friends in the world. I don’t want to call them so early in the morning, because I am afraid they are finally sleeping. Some of their emails were from 3am!
Bryan and Dad have lined the driveway and the path down to the water with tiki torches and they look great. Everyone at the Neuhauser home and at the Haenle house has taken turns being available to meet vendors as they are setting up and making deliveries. Yesterday, Dad kept an eye on everything while the ladies were at the spa while Mary Lou met the dishwasher repairman.
Maria is working today on tonight’s decor for our “Merging of the Families” potluck supper. My first offical appointment today is going to the chapel at 2pm with Mom, Dad, Paul and Aunt Claudette to meet the jazz band we have secretly hired to play for the ceremony. A quick run through with them and then we are ready for the 3pm ceremony rehearsal.
Val and Jenny will make it to the rehearsal, and I will be so glad to see them. It is quite a humbling experience to see a place start filling up to celebrate you and your partner. This is the part where they warn you about–take it all in, make it go slow, enjoy it!
Jenny, Val and Me!
Tonight the Haenles have planned a very special event at the Holt House and a supper at the Neuhausers for everyone. We will even have a groom’s cake! My favorite thing to look forward to tonight is seeing all the people we love many of whom will meet each other for the first time. Jane has put together a program that will be a lot of fun..stay tuned.
Paul practiced in rehearsal using his Dad's ring as a special remembrance of him.
Mom, Nate and I decide to get some exercise and enjoy the sunshine (a break from the rain) and head out for a walk. Nate entertains us my finding as much road-kill as possible. He also has said I should be the groom and Paul the bride.
Time flies-gotta go get ready–I am wearing an ivory dress my grandmother made for my mom when she was 16! My mom has tied blue satin bows to my cream shoes and with my new earrings I am old, new, borrowed (the dress is still my mom’s) and blue already! Can’t forget to take the “bow” bouquet cousin LaVerne has made for me using gift bows from the bridal shower she hosted for me. She affixed them to a paper plate! It’s adorable.
Practice makes Perfect!
Paul gets in the car with my parents and has a scotch in his hand! Hope this is a good sign!
More after dinner….
Jane, as toastmaster of the evening, did not disappoint. All guests wore name tags wrote on them where they called home. Each guest was paired up with a stranger and had three questions to ask that one another. (Paul, Jane and I had previously written written the questions). I loved seeing this unfold. Six folks-Kim, Carrie, Paige, Nova, Roy and Dan were selected to talk about their meeting Todd, Tim, Karin, Mama Jo and Nate respectively. They all did a great job! Other highlights from the program included, a welcome and toast from my brother, who introduced his father-in-law Hans Neuhauser to talk about the history of the Neuhauser family home and connect the home to some of Paul’s ancestors who also grew up in the area. Julie wrote and read a poem for us, Jill made a very moving toast and the triplets gave us a “Romeo and Juliet” basket of goodies.
Paul and I recognized the triplets and Nate by giving them gifts and the girls received their baskets mom decorated for them and in a presentation from Paul, Nate received the rings. We had a super time. Off to bed after mom and I work on the triplets blue bows on their shoes for a little while! Last night as a single girl and glad I spend it with my family!
Paul's ancestsor's home, the Holt House--now home to the Blue Historical Society--was the location of our Welcome to Blue Hill Reception for all of our wedding guests
Paul's Uncle Dave as Jeremiah Thorndike Holt. Holt is Paul's ancestor who was one of the first five settlers of Blue Hill. Here Jermiah welcomes us to Blue Hill, the Holt House and shares Paul's Holt ancestry. This was the largest assembly of Holt descendants ever gathered at the Holt House.
Paul's Meet and Greet Game pairs Mama Jo to get to know Roy at our Rehearsal dinner reception.
Paige, Carrie, Me and Heather
Todd and Paul's Aunt Carol
- Our tables are all set for our Rehearsal Dinner and Blue Ribbons will be awarded to family potluck supper entries! Just like in Charlotte’s Web!
Tomorrow wedding day!
Tip #26: If you can afford to, include everyone (like we did) in your rehearsal dinner or at least plan an outing such as a meeting at a bar or restaurant where everyone can stop in. My friend Heather Patterson Robinson had a “Welcome Cocktail Reception” by the beach. It gave her guests a chance to meet and get to know one another. Made for an even livelier wedding day! Heather’s wedding was at the gorgeous Gasparilla Inn in Boca Grande, Florida. http://www.the-gasparilla-inn.com/wed_reception.php
The Groom's Cake was his grandmother's chocolate cake recipe.
I gave the flower girls the baskets mom created for them to carry the next day. They also received shoes with blue bows on them like mine. Paul presented Nate with the REAL rings to carry and we gave the all copies of the book Charlotte's Web.