Love love love

This weekend has been an incredible and joyous surprise.  Maybe because I never expected a perfect wedding, nor, to be perfectly honest, did I expect that it would be so much fun and so deeply satisfying.  Each day has brought a deeper level of happiness, despite, and dare I say because of, being seeped in social events.

What would I have changed about any one of the days in our 5-day long celebrations?  Meeting with family, going to City Hall, a picnic in Central Park with friends and family from so many times in life.

On the day of the ceremony, we woke up gently, ate breakfast separately as we usually do.  my mother came to the hotel room to start on my hair and then we finished packing and walked next door to Flushing Town Hall for short walk-through rehearsal.  My friend arrived and I spent the next hour and a half sitting in front of her while she did my make-up, my mother and sister-in-law behind me trying to figure out my hair, the photography coming and going, everyone chatting about this and that.
And the first look, which was strange, but shortly followed by an easy and fun photo shoot around FTH.  Then back to the waiting room for a few minutes and then downstairs to wait outside the door.  The music started and everyone began slowly walking in until it was my turn.  And then I walked slowly through so many eyes of people that I love looking at me happily.

I loved our ceremony, the words that were shared by guests and other loved ones,  having an opportunity to share my own thoughts about marriage, and our vows.  We walked out and took more pictures with family on the rainy front steps of the building before a quick stop in the cocktail hour and then upstairs to the reception.

Great food, slideshow, speeches, our own performance.  And the Horah, perhaps my favorite, dancing in a large circle with people, dancing with Andrew in the center, being lifted on chairs by people I trust.  What a thrill.

And then Ceilidh dancing!  And cookies!

We still have so much wine.  Still receiving gifts.  Still getting more pictures and hearing from more friends.  And still spending time with friends and family.  Lunch with Andrew's Cambridge friends and Ellis Island and Japanese a Ootoya with Andrew's parents.

But we are back at the apartment and starting to put things away and tidy up from the whirlwind leading up to the weekend.  What an incredible gift to have been able to have this time to celebrate one another and to reflect on love with family and friends.  It's not often that we can hit the pause button on life and be able to open such a space of gratitude.  Very thankful.  And feeling very full of living....