Our Wedding Goals.... MET!

I have been avoiding this. Recapping the wedding. OUR WEDDING! Why? Because I'm afraid that I won't be able to fit everything into one post. There is no way that ONE post could cover all the things I want to say. So I'm breaking it down. It's all wedding, all week. Again.

We had a few wants for this wedding. They did not include a gorgeous dress, a Wrigley Field grooms cake or unwavering support. However those were all things we did get. Our goals were simple:

1. Tears.
Call us wrong, but we wanted people to cry at our wedding. We wanted sweet, romantic tears while we read our vows to each other. We made people cry that my mother has NEVER seen cry. Grown men that she has known all her life. It was mostly my family (of course). Aunts, uncles, cousins... Even the best man and officiant were trying to hold it together. It got to be such a joke, at the reception Joel made an announcement asking if everyone had cried yet. My dad was the biggest crier....
But did I cry? NO! Not during the ceremony anyway. I was tearful after I was fully ready and waiting to do the thing. But then the second I saw Joel excitement filled every little corner of my body. I couldn't stop smiling, and I even danced.

2. Good Times.
We wanted to make memories. And we did. It's been 2 weeks since the wedding, and it's still all anyone talks to me about. I had a conversation with the MOH, a two-hour conversation that only covered getting ready. After we got back from our honeymoon, my mom told me that everyone was still talking about how much fun they had. A few people said it was the best wedding they'd ever been to. That the casual elements mixed so well with the elegant elements and that made everyone feel so comfortable.

3. Good Food. Good Drinks.
Three days before the wedding we had to scramble to find bartenders, because our wedding planner had MAJOR failed on us. The day of the wedding our caterer was late. But in the end none of that mattered. It was some of the best food I have ever had. And the bartenders were amazing. There was never a line, which (being from NOLA, I know) is sometimes a problem.

4. Come Together.
We really wanted our families to get along. Not that we expected them to make lifetime friendships as most of Joel's family is in Chicago and most of my family is in NOLA, but we didn't want an 8th grade dance either. Them on their side, us on ours kind of thing. All night long Joel's family came up to me to tell me how great my family is. When we got back from the honeymoon my uncle called me to get Joel's parents phone number, so he could call them about the Bears. The Hated Bears.

5. A Dance Off.
It's a tradition in my family pretty much. Every big event. My Tio Tony. Usually versus my cousin, Maurice. Once my Tio Chito. It's always amazing. My Tio Tony is in his late 40s. But you would never tell by the way he moves (or looks). This is not just a regular line dance competition. It's an on-your-knees-feel-it-in-the-morning competition. Some may call it break dancing. I call it sick!