Wedding Rewind: The Rehearsal

McKenna and I walked back to the hotel on Congress. A few of the bridesmaids continued to call and text and update me on their status of arrival. The butterflies were starting to flutter in my stomach. Again, it was like my tummy knew what was going on but my head was totally not tracking. We headed upstairs to our hospitality suite where the dads had made a giant CostCo run to make sure we had enough food, drink and adult beverages to last us for months (yet we were only going to be there for 3 days)! Not only was the suite beautiful, overlooking the Austin downtown skyline, the suite was full of people. I was a bit overwhelmed. But maybe overwhelmed in a good way. I made my way around the room. I was so excited to see all these faces of the family I love so very much and hug them and catch up. My aunts were helping my mom stuff goodie bags and the dads were organizing the bar (really the bathtub full of multiple varieties of beer and liquor). I then realized I had about 1 hour to get ready for the rehearsal - so I headed off to my room. Hustle.

After I got out of the shower I peeked out the window and saw that it was now pouring down rain outside. My heart sank - thinking about how we were going to pull our outdoor garden wedding off in the rain. Mac helped me pull myself together (no tears) and I continued getting ready to make sure we could leave on time to meet our coordinator and pastor a bit early. Mac did a fabulous job on my make up (she really could quit her job and become a make-up artist if she wanted to) and I put on my new Anthro dress, chunky necklace and wedges. I'm not gonna lie - I felt pretty fab in my new outfit. Even in the Texas humidity and downpour, some how my curly waves turned out. (I think it was the anti-humidity hair spray Mac was packin). My boots were loaded up for dancing later in the evening. I was ready to go. Let's do this.

I walked downstairs to head toward the car and finally got to see B. I hadn't seen him since we left Houston separately. After all the hustle and bustle since we have been in town - just being with him gave me an overwhelming sense of peace. He is the reason all these things were happening. He is the reason I said yes, I would marry him. He is the reason I planned a wedding. Oh how good perspective feels. We all hopped into the car and drove to the Wildflower Center. We were going to our rehearsal?! Really? I could barely believe it! I hopped in the front seat and the girls piled in the back with B at the wheel. I held his hand the whole way there. I didn't want him to leave my side. He really has that calming effect on me. The rain kept pouring...but it wasn't going to rain on our parade. Peace.
We met our coordinator and our pastor along with all of our other bridesmaids, groomsman and ushers under the awnings of the WFC. It was so exciting to hug those girls who I hadn't seen in such a long time since we all live far apart. It was so special to see each person of our wedding party walk up to us. So special that they all made the trip for us. So special that they love us they way they do. So special that they were all there - huddled together out of the rain. Honored.

Heath started our rehearsal by praying for us and for our day. It truly was the perfect way to set the tone for the focus we wanted to have during our ceremony and wedding. It was our hope and our prayer that people would see our relationship with Jesus through the events of our wedding. He lead us through the flow of events and talked us through what each person's role was and what to expect. The actual rehearsal was done in two parts....part one: inside for our back up plan and part two: outside where our Plan A could potentially take place, weather allowing. To be honest, it wasn't super smooth or seamless (mostly because our wedding coordinator turned out to be a total bust)- but I knew that everything would just fall into place the next day. Trying to let go. My flower girls and ring bearer were too cute for words dressed up in their western attire. At least they would be an adorable diversion if everything fell apart! One of my favorite moments was where Liz rehearsed the song she planned to sing during our ceremony the next day. It was such a sweet moment filled with quiet time to connect with Jesus and hearing the voices of everyone I love in one room singing praises to our Father. My mom teared up. I think that was a good thing for her. Release.

Beautiful ladies with their ribbon bouquets all in place to stand by my side....
The boys striking a pose in line...
My adorable husband-to-be. Not sure what he is doing here....but probably something to make me smile or laugh!

Such a proud dad. He's held it together without any emotion this far. The whole time I was thinking, "he's totally gonna loose it tomorrow and be an emotional wreck!"

At the end of the rehearsal a moment happened where everyone happened to be crowded around us huddled under an awning after we had finished running through the ceremony. My sweet sister circled up all of our wedding party and had them pray over us - laying hands on us- and blessing our marriage and day tomorrow. She is a blessing. It was a blessing. Humbled.

Then we were off to party.....

To be continued.

If you want to catch up you can start by reading about

....the week before