"I Never Saw Two People Enjoy Their Wedding As Much As You Two"

So says my mother.

And I tend to believe her, mostly because from the second I turned the corner out of the hallway to walk down the aisle, I was in wedding bliss.

I carefully reminded myself all the tips of the days that were imparted to me by all of you:

"Take it all in."

"Go slow."

"Remember EVERYTHING."

"It goes so fast so enjoy."

And I did. All of it.

I remember just about every last detail - and the tiny group was just right to make sure I got a chance to talk to everyone, and still spend most of the night (and quite literally every song) on the dance floor.

In fact, my dress is ruined at the bottom from all the dancing.

So here are a few of the moments:


The cake, complete with the silver ribbon to match my dress. However, I have no idea who put those rose pedals around it.

Not my call.

But quick story - Cheese and I actually were thoughtful about putting together this cake - I mean, we all know how important cake is in my life, so I wasn't just going to show up with some Betty Crocker nonsense (well, to be honest, given our budget, I might have, but the fancy cake actually came with our food/drink package, so we took full advantage!) So we chose moist white cake with three layers of thick fudge and Baileys Irish Cream filling, topped with buttercream frosting -yeah, 'cause that's how I roll - if your not in a sugar coma, it doesn't count. But I never got to eat it. Remember that story - I'll finish it in the next post.....

The table - I post this for a few reasons - this first is that my sister (again) did all the centerpieces, and I loved them. So simple, so perfect. The little bags with the "d" on them are actually homeade chocolate chip cookies made by my mom, while those red labels are embossed by my sister Devin. She did ALL of them. The lower case "d" represents my new last name, and was also the same lower case font we did our invites in. I liked the casualness of it. My mom then decorated the rest of the table with the grey runners and the floor-length linens.

Cheese's nephew - but the reason I put this in is this: Look at what he's holding. It's a chinese take-out box filled with Swedish Fish, Mike n Ikes, Tootsie Rolls, Peanut MnMs, Red Vines and Reeces Pieces. If he turned it, you would see a similar red round label also embossed with lower case letters that read "thank you." Heck yeah - No wedding of mine was going to be without a self-serve candy bar!! And thanks again to Devin for the labels she put on literally 100 boxes.

Ellie giving a speech. I believe it went something like this: "Now, I know many of you don't know Megan all that well, but in addition to being kind and beautiful and smart, you should also know that when she gets raging drunk, she pees in closets and on floors."

*Insert crowd roaring here*



And then up was Devin. My favorite quote from her speech? "Cheese, I intially wanted to use my speech to call you an asshole for stealing my best friend, but I see how happy you made her, more happy than we have seen her in so very long."



Is that a tear I see? Did Devin actually *gasp!* cry?!? Dang, makes my stone cold heart all warm and fuzzy.

Mom, in the two seconds of her speech she wasn't sobbing.

The best man and speech.

Just chatting.

I *heart* this picture.

And now, for the first dance...

"Today is the day I make you mine" - Today, by Josh Radin

"You looked right through me, there was...no one else

I sat besides you and...became myself."

Cheese and Momma Cheese

And lest we forget my dance with my mom - "You'll Never Find Another Love" by Lou Rawls,which she used to dance around to while holding me right after I was born. Momma Q spun me around for four minutes while my dress hung on for dear life. Yeah, these are the G-rated pictures.

Me and Nolan

Flower Girl Kennedy and her dad- sweetness!

Momma Q

"I got a feelin'....that tonight's gonna be a good night...."

"Here we go, here we, now we on top!"

Daddy Cheese

"Apple bottom jeans, boots with the fur, the whole club was lookin' at her

She hit the floor!

Next thing you know -

Shorty got low, low, low, low..."

"I like the way you move - da da duh."

Devin and Patrick!

"Let the music play

He won't get away..."
"Just hit the groove and he'll come back to you....Let it play!"

Nicole, fellow blogger and probably the best dancer of the night - showed my ass up, for sure!

Nolan and Jenny

"Footloose! Cut loose! Kick up the Sunday shoes!" And then Colin dropped to the floor and did the catapiller. Hell yeah, he did.

Footloose wore him out.

Oh, looks like someone's crashing from the sugar binge of the cake, pastry table, cookies, and finally four trips to the candy bar!

"Rock me momma like a wagon wheel, rock me momma any way you feel"

"Oh oh! We're livin' on a prayer!

Take my hand and we'll make it I swear!"

"Pour some sugar on me!"

Check Jenny out!

Me and Nicole at the Dollar Dance - oh yeah. Have I mentioned this?

Apparently, anyone NOT from Chicago likes to participate in this thing called the Dollar Dance, where the maid of honor and best man collect money from people who want to dance with the bride and groom - it can be any amount of money. The point is to make extra money for the honeymoon - and I guess its all the rage in Kansas. I dreaded this, but we actaully made out with mad loot.

Who knew I am sort of a hot commodity when it comes to dancing?

Now I can't say for sure how much Nicole paid for a little "Megan Action," but I am p.r.e.t.t.y sure I made it worth her while *wink*

Lady: "You come here often?"

Kade: "No, my mom wants me home and in bed by 8."

Lady:"Well, can I buy you a drink?"

Kade: "Sure, I'll take a milk, straight up. You know what? Make it a double - I brought my cookies over from the dinner table."

Lady: "Your mom every talk to you about cougars?"

Kade: "Like the ones in the zoo? Oh yeah. She said to stay away because they'll bite me really good."

Lady:"Your mom, huh?"

KAde: "Yeah - she looks sort of like you. Do you know her?"

Love.

Is the night already over?!?!?! They had to literally drag our asses to the car to go to the hotel. I could have stayed many more hours. But bigger and sunnier and sandier things awaited!

Hope you have enjoyed it so far - I know we have.

So if you're not sick of this yet, tune in tomorrow for some pictures (I'll find that one of Devin!) and a recap of the rehersal and honeymoon.

Becoming Mrs. Cheese

(Click to enlarge pictures - in fact, they are WAY better enlarged)

A morning at the salon - mom, me, and MIL. It's a pretty good bet that at any given point that monring, one, two or all of us were crying.

Dev and me, pre-makeup. Can you tell?

Ellen

My flower girl and Cheese's niece, Kennedy.

Ah, much better - makeup almost complete!

The main room - the wedding was at a resturant, so ceremony was held in the main room, and later broken down to house the tables.

Me.

Trying to squeeze in some pictures in the side garden pre-ceremony, before Cheese saw me. At this moment, he is just houses away at the corner bar, buying shots of whiskey for the groomsmen.

Me and my brother Nolan, doing what we do best - me telling him what to do, him pleading innocent.

Me and El. She look soooooo glamorous.

Me and Dev. She looked straight up sexy hot.

My final moments with my ladies of the same last name.

This was actually taken afterwards (note Cheese in the picture), but my little Nugget (ring bearer) was rockin' his green Chucks, so I had to put it in!

Me and the ladies. I selected gold-ish jewlery for my sisters (co-matrons of honor -Ellen with the flower necklace and Devin's earrings) while I selected the blue tear-drop necklaces for Adrienne and Anne-Marie. They selected their own dresses - simple black jersey knits. Ellen did all the flowers - mine, bridesmaids, and centerpieces. They were amazingly beautiful and simple.

Last moments of freedom....

I die.

My mom walked me down the aisle. You can't tell by this picture, but see those stairs right behind us? We had to walk up them, and I tripped on the second to top step, on the hem of my dress. My smile here was actually me laughing at myself and asking my mom is my boobs were still in the dress. They were.

Please note Cheese already openly crying.

Still crying.....

Reading his vows...still crying.....

Ah, sweet kisses!!

And like that, about seven minutes in total, the whole ceremony was over. As the officiant (Cheese's friend Jon) announced, "You may kiss the bride," we played Josh Turner's "Will You Go With Me?" as we recessed down the aisle.

A candid moment.

And now, for the first time, introducing.....

Mr. and Mrs. Big Cheese!

Now onto the reception, and where the REAL fun begins......