Sweet Beginnings: My Little Girl(s)

After all had been sufficiently wined and dined, the dance floor was opened on a sentimental note with the father-daughters dance. The plural isn't a typo: my sister didn't have a traditional wedding reception, and as such never had the opportunity to dance with our dad. She had voiced this as a deep regret, so this tradition had a special purpose in my heart from the very beginning. If memory serves me right, after screaming into the phone to her that I was engaged, my next shriek as a soon-to-be-married woman was to declare that she was getting her father-daughter dance. My dad chose this song of his own accord, and I'm still brought to tears whenever I hear the hauntingly beautiful lyrics.

{Photo by Aruna B. Photography}

Sweet Beginnings: The Truth of a Toast

Hive, I'm afraid I haven't been entirely forthright with you. Although it's true that for the majority of our wedding day Mr. Tartlet and I lived in that coveted world of "sunshine and rainbows," there was a dark little cloud hovering over our marriage that I haven't spoken of until now, mostly because I was conflicted about how to approach the topic on such a public forum. Plainly speaking, I seriously considered glossing over the whole affair. Upon reflecting on my years of reading Weddingbee, though, I realized that part of what makes this community special is the open acknowledgement of the ups and downs that accompany engagement, marriage, and life after the wedding. At any rate, I digress. The springboard for this post is the following nugget of wisdom that my sister shared during her toast, and later wrote in our guest book:

{Personal Photo}

There is someone (let's call this person "Sue," because no one wants to be a Sue) who became increasingly antagonistic towards our relationship over the last couple of years, especially with how we chose to execute our wedding. Sue's first act on our wedding day was to mock my appearance, and her last was to try and drag Mr. Tartlet away as we shared our last dance.

Sweet Beginnings: Be Our Guest

Dusk had fallen, and everything inside the Conservatory was bathed in romantic candlelight. As we dined to the soundtrack of murmured conversations, tinkling silverware, and the occasional outburst of merriment, I surveyed our guests from the vantage point of our sweetheart table and in a moment of uncertainty nervously asked Mr. Tartlet whether or not he thought people were having a good time. Through a mouthful of steak he brusquely mumbled something along the lines of: "Woman, are you crazy? Eat your food." He moved on to attack his pile of dauphinois potatoes, and I once again let my eyes run over the scene, giving a small nod as if to reaffirm that all was well.

{Photo by Aruna B. Photography}

No matter what breed of wedding--big or small, rustic or modern--we can all appreciate what an investment it is of time, money, and emotion. I found myself profoundly worried that our guests were bored.

Sweet Beginnings: Only You

After our fleeting, 15-minute-and-change ceremony, family portraits, and signing our marriage license, we were at last ready to commence our reception. We had planned for our entire wedding party to participate in the grand entrance, but after noting that all members were deep in earnest conversations, we decided there was no sense disrupting the flow to pull them away. The idea was thus canned on the spot, and our unflappable DJ, Mary Ann Ross, simply asked our guests to rise and give a hearty welcome to the newlyweds.

{Photo by Aruna B. Photography}

Habitually wallflowers, the experience of stepping into a room resounding with applause, whistles, and cheers specifically for you and your husband was both overwhelming and delightful. Slightly abashed, we wasted no time in transitioning straight into our first dance to the tune of Joshua Radin's Only You.

Sweet Beginnings: All The Small Things

Before we transition to our reception in earnest, I thought we'd take a wee virtual tour of our wedding to see how the various elements came together. Imagine yourself in the shoes of a guest, and let's start at the very beginning with our beloved invitations!

{Photo by Aruna B. Photography}

I wrote about the inspiration, design, and crafting process for these precious bundles--and we couldn't be happier with how they turned out. They truly set the tone for our event, and every time we went to someone's home and saw our invitation displayed on the refrigerator or carefully set aside on the counter it made our hearts swell with pride that our hard work didn't go unnoticed.

Sweet Beginnings: I Think I Wanna Marry You

"Dance first. Think later. It's the natural order."

-Samuel Beckett

After being introduced for the first time as "husband and wife," Mr. Tartlet and I made our way down the aisle to the tune of Bruno Mars' "Marry You." My feet started striding to the beat, and before I knew it my shoulders were shimmying, Mr. Tartlet gave his hips a little Ricky Martin shake, and we were prancing and singing down the aisle.

{Photo by Aruna B. Photography}

Blissfully unaware of anyone but each other at the time, we later found out that our guests (allegedly) did not think we were insane, and that our brilliant bridal party--in all likelihood bewildered and wondering whether they missed the memo--followed suit in fine form.

Sweet Beginnings: I Am The Luckiest

After our declarations of intent, Mr. Tartlet gave my hands a squeeze and delivered the personal vows he had composed in the weeks prior to our marriage:

"Every single day with you is special, because it gives me another chance to learn from your kindness, your empathy and selflessness. I look forward to the rest of our lives together, to wake up next to you knowing that I’m fortunate enough to come home to you. I look forward to the late night bubble tea runs..."

{Photo by Aruna B. Photography}

 
"...our movie marathons, learning new things and discovering new places with you. I give myself to you completely; my whole heart and soul for the rest of our lives. As I once wrote to you on our one year anniversary: should you fall down, I will always be there to carry you, should you ever feel alone, I will always be there to hold your hand."

Sweet Beginnings: The Way I Am

After a heartfelt welcome and a brief opening benediction, Reverend Tuttle transitioned into the reading we had selected to kick off the ceremony.

{The Promise}

Eileen Rafter

{Photo by Aruna B. Photography}

The sun danced on the snow with a glittering smile,

As two lovers sat quietly, alone for a while.

Then he turned and said, with a casual air,

(though he blushed from his chin to the tips of his hair)

"I think I'd quite like to get married to you."

Sweet Beginnings: One Step At a Time

After a whirlwind photo session with our wedding party, hand-in-hand Mr. Tartlet and I stepped inside the sun-drenched Conservatory to soak in the transformation that had taken place over the last few hours. The Parsonage truly outdid themselves to design centerpieces that were both airy and lush, and in concert with Twofoot Creative perfected the tablescapes.

{Photo by Aruna B. Photography}

We were briefly reunited with our officiant, Reverend Brian Tuttle, whose genuine warmth and heart always transfused us with a sense of security. Words of assurance and well wishes were exchanged, and then we were spirited along through numerous pairs of welcoming arms before rejoining the bridal party in our suite where we collected our thoughts and quietly anticipated the next big step in our lives. At a quarter to six, we journeyed back down to the Conservatory--and a blow was delivered to our carefully planned timeline.

Sweet Beginnings: Papa-Paparazzi

Happy tears from our emotional first look soon dissolved into peals of laughter when the rest of our wedding party joined us on the meticulously groomed grounds at the Royal Park. To quote Carrie Bradshaw, "they say nothing lasts forever; dreams change, trends come and go, but friendships never go out of style." These incredible people are a handful of those who make our brightest days brighter, always have our backs, and whom we love unconditionally.

{Photo by Aruna B. Photography}

Our relationships with friends and family defined our wedding celebration, and we couldn't help but get caught up in the gaiety of having so many of our nearest and dearest together.

Sweet Beginnings: You Have Stolen My Heart

The placid atmosphere of the morning and early afternoon followed me as I gathered up my train and headed down the elevator for our first look. Aside from feeling slightly tingly with anticipation, my nerves remained calm even as I was instructed to wait alone, hidden in the hallway while they finished staging the scene. I stood quietly with my hands clasped in front of me, a tranquil smile on my face as I reflected on what thus far had been an enchanted day until Ryan, our videographer from Epic Motion, appeared by my side and signaled that it was time. As I turned the corner and saw Mr. Tartlet's back through the double glass doors, I experienced what can only be described as an upheaval of emotion--the kind that feels like hundreds of butterflies are fluttering their way from your stomach into your heart. I heard myself emit a strangled sob/laugh (that was captured so well on film), and there wasn't a coherent thought in my mind.

Well, almost. As I approached the exit, heels clicking rhythmically on the marbled floors, one thought kept interjecting itself into my reverie: "Hold the door open for Ryan, hold the door open for Ryan."

{Photos by Aruna B. Photography}

Sweet Beginnings: Get Ready 'Cause Here I Come

After my sister and I had finished ogling our statuesque mother, I slipped into the adjacent room to take down my dress that had been carefully hung on a padded dupioni silk hanger, purchased from Etsy seller tokyoblues.

{Photo by Aruna B. Photography}

As I draped the delicate alencon lace dress and veil over my arms and turned to walk out into the sitting area of our suite, a thought struck that made me stop dead in my tracks: "...am I going to have to show my...boobs...to everyone?" Stunned, I couldn't believe that the thought had never crossed my mind that in order to get dressed (and have pictures taken), I would first have to get un-dressed. After a moment's hesitation, I walked through the door with wide eyes and vaguely remember apologizing for my inevitable nudity. There was a bit of fussing from my characteristically modest mom as I divested myself of my clothes (she seemed every bit as mortified as I to be stripping down in front of a crowd), but after a few awkward giggles and quick helping hands, my dress was on.

Sweet Beginnings: This Gift

After a halcyon-esque morning, the air went from placid to sparking with activity in a span of 10 minutes. In rapid succession, Twofoot Creative, Aruna B., and Epic Motion came on the scene while Laura R. from Posh took the arrivals as her cue to put the final touches on my makeup:

{Photo by Aruna B. Photography}

Adding to the wedding fever, our bouquets had been delivered by a friendly staff member from The Parsonage: