A semi-relaxed breakfast then packing for the mountain trek.
My spirits soared as I headed out of town with a car full of boxes and bags full of greenery, Until today, I didn't realize the significance of having a threshold moment on a mountain. We're going to a mountain for this sacred event, the union of two people and two families.
Until my drive up, I had just thought of it as being special that we were going to be surrounded by nature so much. Today, I understood the symbolism of going to a mountain.
We spent the day preparing the venue for the wedding tomorrow. Several friends showed up and all of the Bee's. We strung lights, put up tables, hung fabric banners, fluffed tablecloths, laid out decorations, cut flowers, set up chairs, ate food, got excited. The rehearsal was at 3:30, we were done w/ that by 4, finished the last touches and headed home for the dinner.
On the way home, I picked up balloons to highlight the sign on the mountain road and a few last items at the store. We got ready for the dinner and headed down as a family.
*****
The rehearsal dinner was attended by the immediate families, the bridal party and our wedding coordinator, also a friend of KT's. We had drinks first in which I managed to turn down a yummy sounding whiskey sour. Vainly, my face and body are so much less puffy when I stay away from hard alcohol. Red wine was bountiful and I saved a cork.
The highlight was the toasts made by the families and friends. I was especially moved by Bee's sister's toast, a loving tribute to a brother/sister relationship that has healthy competition and a lot of differences. KT also spoke for both her and Scott, emphasizing their thanks for everyone's help and their gratefulness for the community they're in.
Then we played the video I'd worked hours on. My main concern was having a balance of photos from each family and the right display and mood. I wasn't able to embed the song I wanted so just started them at the same time. I believe people were touched and later, my friend that was housing all the groomsmen said that was the highlight for Bee.
We left tired, but happy, nice to have kicked off the official party. I felt pretty in my standard "special outfit" dress and nice to have some new makeup as well.
These are the memories that feed you forever.