Rainbow Bride: She & Him

Because every story needs a soundtrack, please press play and enjoy along with this post.

Now that we've gotten my Public Service Announcement out of the way, let's resume the Rainbow recaps, shall we?

When we were done with family formals, It was time for Mr. R and I to go off on our own and take a few photos separately and together. At one point, Jessica our photographer, asked me to "swish" my dress. I'll be honest, I felt like a 5 year old idiot, but in hindsight, she knew what she was doing. I am so, so in love those photos! They certainly capture that child-like joy and excitement.

Of course we've got to show some love the the bouquet! The florist quoted me $150 for my bouquet, which I thought was ridic since I wasn't getting any exotic flowers, so I ended up just buying flowers and doing it myself! It turns out, putting together a bouquet really isn't hard at all. I am still so happy with how they turned out, and I saved myself $100!

I love how the navy blue suit brings out Mr. R's eyes. He wanted to go for black at first, but as soon as he put on the navy blue, we both knew it was "The One". He got his very own Cinderella moment! Don't tell him I told you that...

In this shot, the photographer asked me to make him laugh. I may or may not have made a lewd gesture while no one was looking. Hey, it works every time!

Finally, it was time for us to reunite.

"Hold my train, boo!"

We posed for a few shots under our massive wedding tree, which my mom likes to call "the Avatar tree". The first one feels so somber, but in a good way, if that makes sense- it reminds me of American Gothic.

I was a little hesitant to sit for these shots because I was practically sewn into my dress, and I discovered (in the car ride to the ceremony) that when I sat down, the boning constricted my ribs so much that I could barely breathe. I'm pretty sure I was thisclose to passing out in the car before the ceremony!

But then! Then we got to lay down. I have never cherished the ground as much as I did in that moment.

That blissful smile? 92.5% of that is the fact that I was laying down. Sorry to break it you, Mr. Rainbow. Don't worry, I still love you, I just really, really loved laying down. A lot.

But not as much as I love you, promise.

Miss a recap? Don't fret!

First, we rang in our New Years Day wedding day!

Then, the Rainbows got ready... together!

Next, I became a bride.

I walked down the aisle toward my love,

and we got married!

We made our way back up the aisle as husband and wife,

and made some time for family photos.

all photos (c) Jessica Charles Photography unless stated otherwise.

I Love You, Wallpaper.

One more reason why I can't wait to be in a house and out of our apartment: I want wallpaper. I honestly don't think any other design element adds as much visual interest to a room as great wallpaper.

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Love, love, love the pattern mixing.

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This feminine neutral is right up my alley. I'd love it as an accent wall in the bedroom.

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How great is that bold wave pattern?

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I imagine this is what Boho Barbie's dining room would look like. So fun!

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I'm really into this juxtaposition of modern wallpaper with vintage-inspired decor. *sigh*

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I think metallic wallpaper always looks incredibly chic!

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I have loved this yellow wallpaper for so long. So fresh and bright!

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Monocrome black. So, so, so perfect.

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I can't even handle the cuteness. How fun would this be on a nursery ceiling?! 

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Let's take a moment of silence. I have no words. None.

Are you dying to put up some great wallpaper?

Oh, Sandra Lee...

There truly are no words.

Happy Friday!

I hope you enjoy some Cocktail Time!!!

How To Not Let Anyone Rain On Your Parade

Let me start off by saying our wedding was perfect. I hate to perpetuate that whole "your wedding day has to be perfect" idea, but it really, really was. Did things go awry at times? Sure. My hair wouldn't cooperate at first, we ended up being a little late, Sophie whined for attention through half of the ceremony (she's a b*tch, but I still love her), the ipod ceremony music had a few glitches and I couldn't stop my damn legs from shaking during the whole ceremony. Still, despite those little blips, it was perfect for us. Most glitches that happen during a wedding are so small, so small, in the grand scheme of things, remember that.

One thing that wasn't such a small glitch? *Sigh* My mother-in-law. First and foremost, I want to say that I thought a very long time about whether I was going to write this post or not. I didn't want to write it while I was still angry (well, okay, I'm still angry, but no longer infuriated), offended, and hurt (mostly for my husband's sake). I want to make sure that this doesn't come off as a rant, because it's not. You've been with me through all the ups and downs of our wedding planning process, from getting rid of our bridal party to our postponement. From guest list issues, to copious family drama, and finally to the full-blown cancellation and I think it's only fair that I continue on with full-disclosure, so here goes.

My first inkling of something being wrong with my MIL on our wedding day was when we were taking family photos- she practically grimaced the entire time. Our photographer actually had to coax her to smile for at least a few pictures. Did it make me angry? Sure, we weren't paying good money for our wonderful, talented photographer to take pictures of someone scowling. But mostly, it made me upset that she couldn't put her issues aside for her oldest son's wedding day. I wish it stopped there, but it doesn't.

I later found out that while our dogs were being walked down the aisle, she not only complained about them being there, but she actually tried to kick them... twice. She tried to kick our dogs on our wedding day. And, unfortunately, it's captured for all of posterity on our wedding video.*sigh*

At the end of the night, after my parents gave their toasts, she stood up to give hers. While my mom, dad, and step-mom all congratulated us, talked about how much they love us, and welcomed Mr. Rainbow into the family, his mom, sadly, did nothing of the such. Not one congratulation did we get. Not one mention of our wedding. Not even a suggestion that I existed. The toast basically consisted of "I love my son so much. He means so much to me. He is such a wonderful, intelligent man." and that's it. While I agree that all this is true, it may have been nice to get a little shout-out on our wedding day, I don't know, maybe a "welcome to the family". I don't ask for much.

Finally, to add insult to injury, I leave you with our wedding gift:

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I really, honestly wish I were kidding. (Although, I will admit, now I just find it hilarious!)

But still, with all this, I can say our wedding day was perfect because I didn't let her bring me down.

So here is my little nugget of advice (and no, I won't give you tips on how to find your perfect mate, considering you're probably engaged, or ahem, married already): Do not, under any circumstance, let the negativity get under your skin on your wedding day. Whether it is from your family or his family, just ignore it and let it roll off your back. Bathe in your bliss. Let that be your safe place when other people are making fools of themselves. It is their misery to bear, not yours. You are happy, and in love, and marrying the man of your dreams, and don't let anyone tarnish that happiness that you feel on your wedding day, because you only get it once.

The End.

Do you have difficult family members to deal with? Did they show their displeasure on your wedding day? How did you deal?

A Little Cute For Your Thursday

Scout, the baby, playing with bubbles. He would do this for hours if I let him!

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I want to live inside of this picture!

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Gorgeous colors. This would be perfect for a little girl's tea party themed birthday!

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The hearts are made from melted crayons sandwiched between wax paper. Fun!

Happy Almost Friday!

Rainbow Bride: For Posterity

Can I just say I have the best family in the whole wide world? Because I do. Of course, we have our little tiffs here and there, but at the end of the day, they are always there to give me love and support and a shoulder to lean on should I need it. I have a pretty amazing support system, want to meet them? Of course you do!

Our happy family

L to R: Step-sister A, Step-mom/officiant T, Rainbow Pops, Me, Mr. R, Rainbow Mom, and Aunt R.

My parents love, love, love Mr. R and they are so happy to have him as a part of our family. Sometimes I think they like him more than me. It's okay though, I kinda like him, too.

Sidenote: See that vacant look on my mom's face? Our honorary best man, V, started playing "You Shook Me All Night Long" during family photos and dear ol' mom, being the caribbean islander that she is, couldn't stop herself from dancing during photos. I'm pretty sure that she's mid-headbob here. True story.

Ahh, my parents.

Us with our awesome officiant-slash-step-mom.

And one with just mom and just dad. I highly recommend doing this, even if your parents are still together. It's nice to have that moment with each parent individually. Also, my dad always busts out the suave when he poses for pictures, no lie.

Rainbow mom's side of the family. (P.S. How smokin' does my mom look in that dress?!)

Rainbow pop's side of the family.

My two favorite men in the whole wide world.

I'm sure the conversation went a little something like this... Rainbow Pops to Mr. Rainbow: "Let me officially welcome you to our family...*grabs ass*". Their faces say it all. I love it.

And last but not least, our fur babies. Our lives and our family wouldn't be complete without them!

Next Up: A small blip in the recaps titled "How to not let anyone rain on your parade"! Alternate title: On why we have no usable pictures of Mr. R's family (Because the Rainbow recaps just wouldn't be complete without a little drama!).

Miss a recap? Don't fret!

First, we rang in our New Years Day wedding day!

Then, the Rainbows got ready... together!

Next, I became a bride.

I walked down the aisle toward my love,
and we got married!

We made our way back up the aisle as husband and wife.

all photos (c) Jessica Charles Photography unless stated otherwise.

Rainbow Bride: All You Need Is

Because every story needs a soundtrack, please press play and enjoy along with this post.

Ladies and gentlemen, I now present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Rainbow!

Our guests blew bubbles as we started to make our way back down the aisle...

But first, we had to make a pit stop to say hello to our fur babies, of course!

 Those first few moments were absolutely surreal. It felt like we were floating.

And then it hit me, "Holy crap! I'm a wife!" Giggles ensued.

Look! There's a rainbow on his jacket! I was pretty tickled by this when we got our photos back!

We took our first few portraits as husband and wife, all the while trying to hold back happy laughter.

"All you need is, what you want is, all you need is love."

Agreed.

Next up: Gathering the families for formals!

Miss a recap? Don't fret!

First, we rang in our New Years Day wedding day!

Then, the Rainbows got ready... together!

Next, I became a bride.

I walked down the aisle toward my love,
and we got married!

all photos (c) Jessica Charles Photography unless stated otherwise.