The Wedding Day

Notice how I didn't mention the picking up of the bridesmaid dresses in my prevous blogs. That's because we picked it up this morning at 9AM. Everyone's dresses seemed to fit perfectly, except for mine. It was a little too big and the straps kept falling off everytime I would raise my arms. The back of the dress was supposed to dip down like a little v but mind ended up being a big V. I would even call it backless. But, this was my sister's big day so I got over it quickly. There were so many things going on in different areas of the house. In the kitchen, we had a flower making sweat shop. After so many weddings and other occasions, our family has perfected the making of the boutonnieres. The only problem was, there's no way you can do this ahead of time because you want fresh looking flowers. It was pretty quick to do - considering we had a dozen helpers. Upstairs, Floree was setting up shop and Rohani was her first customer. Floree did an amazing job with our makeup. Thank you to Rennie for providing the MAC makeup. While she was taking care of makeup, I somehow got stuck with hair. I enjoy playing with Hazel's hair because it's exactly like mine. I mean, it was like mine before I got the Japanese hair straightening. With Kate's help, the flowergirls looked simple but elegant. Just what the bride wanted. Downstairs in the living room Hannah was getting her hair done by her hairstylist and friend, Jeff. He did our hair for free. Now that's what I call a friend!

It's now 12:20 and we're all searching for the car keys for the Yukon - the bride's chariot. The wedding was at 1:00. Eek! After calling in a search party, I finally located the keys in Hannah's robe pockets in her closet, in the hamper. That's right, I went into their hamper. Now that's what I call love!

1:00 It's showtime. Everyone was lined up ready to walk down the isle. Remember, there was no rehearsal so everyone was a bit confused as to where they stand. I went back to the car and there's the bride, smoking wtih Floree. Although it wasn't picture perfect, I say give the bride whatever she needs to get through the next hour. She was as cool as a cucumber...at least that's what I thought. Once I brought her into the church, out they came. Tears just rushed down her face as Floree was trying to save anything left of her beautiful make up job. I guess it finally hit her. ...she's getting married! It is quite emotional once we got into the church. There's just something about it and believe everyone should experience it. We also knew Dad was right there, beside her. Later she told me she felt his presence as she was walking down the isle. I don't doubt it.

2:00 Horray! It's officially Mr & Mrs Almero.

Before we headed to White Rock for some picture taking, we passed by the graveyard to visit Allan's mom. I know, it's a little weird to be going to the cemetary in your wedding dress but once we were there and saw how much this meant to Allan, it was a good call. Pictures were taken at Whiterock and although it didn't rain, it was freezing cold. Luckily I stayed under Han's cape to keep warm. It quickly turned dark so off we went to the reception.

Let the party begin...

The whole night was amazing. A couple of us booked rooms for the night so it was a great place for us to crash. Especially for those who went to the casino last night and did not get home until 6AM. Ahem. Highlights of the wedding were as follows: My whole plan of dancing to Sexy Back did not work out because of my dress. I was afraid it would fall off completely. Speeches were good - I tried to make mine humorous knowing the others would be tearful. My brother almost broke down. He said it was bittersweet because he gave away his last sister but he has also gained another brother. And now there were 3! Hannah was a little upset that she lost her speech but she did a good job at winging it. At the end of the night, Floree and Katie were dancing like no one was watching. It must be the effects of the open bar. Floree also got all emotional on me. Again, the effects of the open bar. It was priceless.

As I kicked everyone out of our hotel room, Norm and I enjoyed our duvet covered King sized bed. It's been awhile since we've slept in a normal bed. This was actually the best sleep we had during the whole trip. Thanks Han and Al...for the open bar!

And for those of you who keep asking me to put my speech in my blog, here's part of it. My blog for today is long enough...

...As a big sister Hannah was always the one giving us advice but since I've been married for almost 5 years now, this is my chance to share with you a few tips in marriage:

1. Never go to bed mad. Stay up and fight
2. If you fight, get naked.
3. The best way to remember an anniversary is to forget it just once.
4. Road maps are a good thing. GPS is even better.
5. Make sure to share everything together, including housework.

I wish you both a wonderful marriage. Allan, welcome to our family.

Please raise your glass for Hannah & Allan:

To Love
To Laughter
To Happily Ever After

Cheers!