The Bunting Bash: And so it begins
I didn’t get a whole lot of sleep the night before my wedding. Mr. Bunting had been sent to stay the night with his brother and some friends at their apartment, so MOH Bunting came to stay with me. Despite my best efforts to go to bed in a timely manner, I was up past midnight nervously writing out a letter to the man I would soon marry.
It probably wasn’t a good idea to try and write such a meaningful and thoughtful letter just before trying to go to sleep, but it was the first time where I had a moment to myself to think and reflect. As you can imagine, it was awfully hard to fall asleep after that. My mind was reeling from the day’s events, including the rehearsal and dinner, and it spun even faster when my thoughts floated to the next day. Somehow, though, I finally managed to quiet my thoughts just….. enough…
I woke up before my alarm went off. But then, it wasn’t the first time I’d awaken that night. It was like Christmas Eve as a child all over again, when I would frequently wake and check the clock, wondering if it were time yet. No? Okay… just a few more hours. Back to sleep, back to awake, then back to sleep.
Back awake again. Glance at the clock. Only 30 minutes until my alarm is scheduled to sound. I have this odd resignation about getting out of bed before my set alarm time, so I dozed and waited quietly for that last half-hour. Then it was a quick shower, and MOH Bunting and I were off to meet the girls and Mother Bunting at the salon. It had begun!
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I didn’t have the best experience with my hair trial (it had ended in tears), so I was a little nervous about how it would go now that it mattered most. But I needn’t have worried because our hair appointments went smoothly, especially with the help of the most delicious mimosas I’ve ever had. (Thanks, mom!).
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As soon as all our hair-do’s were finished, we snapped a quick photo before MOH Bunting and I parted ways (temporarily) so we could head to the next stop: make-up. We were en route when I got a call from Mr. Bunting… Was it bad luck to talk to each other before the wedding? I thought about it for a split second, then answered the phone. (We were having a first look anyway, so why start being superstitious now?) Mr. Bunting was all business though. There was some confusion regarding where the tissue poms were supposed to go at the ceremony. Now, some women do not want to be bothered at all about these things on the day-of. I am not one of those women. I was excited to be of help and to even get a sneak peek at the ceremony site. We had incorporated some cushion room in our schedule, so MOH Bunting and I altered our course for the park, which happened to be on the way of our route anyway. The groomsmen and all our wonderful helpers had hidden Mr. Bunting away in the pavilion building, and, assured that he wasn’t peeking out the windows, I quickly remedied the problem poms and we were off again! (P.S. I reeeeally wanted to peek in the windows to spy one Mr. Bunting. I later found out he used this time to take a power nap. Haha, boys will be boys.)
Mother Bunting met us at the mall, where she and I had our make-up applied by a super-cool Sephora technician named Roy. I had done a trial version with him earlier, so we chatted happily until I was, as beauticians say, all-prettified. Alright, they may not say that (do they?), but I felt sufficiently prettified!
We met up with the rest of the Bridesmaid Bunting Bunch at our getting ready location (the parent’s house of Brother Bunting’s fiancée), and….. guess what was awaiting us? Wine mixed with raspberry lemonade and so many delicious munchies! I’m telling you, those midday munchies are a bride’s lifesaver. I was too excited in the morning for a proper breakfast (apparently mimosas don’t count), so the light lunch food was much appreciated by my rumbling stomach. Ya gotta feed the butterflies in there something!
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I also gifted the girls their handmade robes at this time and we promptly made ourselves comfortable. Having that extra buffer time was a blessing because it meant we could lounge and munch on food for awhile.
Meanwhile, our two photographers of Bryan and Mae arrived. Mae joined us while Bryan went next door to where the men were assembled and enjoying their own lunch.
The Bunting Bridesmaid Bunch, Mother Bunting, and I gathered for a group shot showing off our pretty selves. I love, love, love how all the robes turned out.
We had to make a few last-minute dress repairs. And then I began putting on my +50 charisma armor. Er, jewelry.
( earrings bought from Vatne Designs )
These earrings from Vatne Designs are my favorite out of my bridal jewelry. The aqua Mother of Pearl centerstone ties in perfectly with our aqua color palette and adds just the right amount of color “pop”.
( necklace bought from Carolee )
Recalling all the countless wedding photographs I’ve drooled over, I’ve realized that most women typically put on their dress and THEN put on the jewelry. I like to be backwards. Okay, not really. We had all finished our lunch and were just milling about, so I, unable to stand being idle any longer, decided “Hey, let’s put on my jewelry, yay!” And everyone responded with a resounding, “Okay, yay!” And there you have it (yay!).
( bracelet bought from Carolee )
It was also at this time that I realized if I wanted MOH Bunting to deliver Mr. Bunting’s wedding day gift, I had better do it soon. So I gave the girls a sneak peek of the gift that was shortly to be delivered next door.
Don’t worry, you’ll get to see what it is eventually!
Then Daddy Bunting stopped by, where we hugged aaaaaaaand…..
…I promptly started tearing up. I had to send him away because I was starting to get a bit too emotional and I wasn’t ready to worry about ruining my make-up quite yet.
I don’t know why I looked so serious afterward, or even what I was saying. Probably “Who let him in to make me cry?!” But a few moments later and I was all giddy with excitement again.
*All photos, unless stated otherwise, copyright Bryan and Mae Photography.
Follow the adventure:
1. We had a fluffing party and rehearsed.
