look, it really happened!

Now that I've been married for two whole days, here are some LOVELY pictures (provided by my cousin - she had a neat perspective during the ceremony, right smack behind my mom and dad)...having never seen my dashing husband in anything but tee-shirts and cargos for the last year and a half, I was nothing short of FLOORED by how nicely the man cleans up - HAHT, I tell ya. I'd say we make a fine-lookin couple!

I can't gush enough about how PERFECTLY the entire day turned out (I'll add to these pictures as I get some more...my sister stood around while I frantically tried to finish the hair and makeup with half an hour to go and snapped some pictures of the "before." ) I dare say, it looked and felt and sounded just like a REAL WEDDING! There's no place more beautiful than this beach, and everyone we've talked with since Saturday agrees it was a terrific, fun, low-key, happy wedding (favorite quote came from my mom as we were setting things up a few hours before: "Heather, your wedding is cooler than mine was!")

I can't omit huge thanks to Grandma and Grandpa - Grandma for making the lovely dress (and spending sunny days at the beach inside, sewing, sewing, sewing until it fit just right) and Grandpa for performing the perfectly short, sweet, beautifully articulated ceremony (the very same ceremony he wrote for his own wedding 57 years ago!)

I've got the BEST set of parents out there (not up for discussion) - and not to make this entire run-on post sound like an Oscar acceptance speech, but without them stepping in whenever I needed it and lending a hand, the day wouldn't have been as perfect as it ended up...it was that much fun (the Mister and I joked yesterday that we should "get married again" because it was just a NEAT day).

Also - I'll brand-name-drop long enough to rave about my sister's shockingly, amazingly over-the-top liquid gifts of Dom and Don and the most beautiful roses I've ever seen scattered all over our 1-nite honeymoon suite ("unity candles" yet unlit, B). And when this is all said and done, I'll reread this and count the number of times I use superlatives like "great, fun, incredible, neat," ETC.

Retrospectively (yes, 48 hours counts as retrospect!) I wish the day could have lasted much longer...for all of the preparation and energy invested in getting everyone in one place, at one time (still humbled by how many people made the HOURS-long drive for the day), it absolutely flew by...I wish I could have held everyone captive in the sunshine for several more days. The pizza idea worked out well...sunshine, beach, patio, ocean view, pizza and a claw-footed bathtub full of beer make for a GREAT time...

View from the lawn before our heels made swiss-cheese out of the pretty white runner...
Just after I'd been given away by daddy...

That's dad's arm around mom in the foreground...

After exchanging rings...

Grandpa's face is priceless...

The general pre-formal-photo chaos ("where do we stand? for how long? next to whom? why? ouch! my shoe's stuck in the boardwalk...")


Showing off the ring hand-made by my sweetie...
The Ladies (and I don't ordinarily look that tall...hmmmm)
Perplexed, with the parents...

Stay tuned as more pictures come in from different people...ceremony performed by Grandpa...