I will explain to you as I explained to her
B___ and R___ are dhs bosses. They work as a small firm with just the three of them as the attorneys. They have a long history in which they were working together and then they werent working together and then dh ended up accepting an offer from them again the same weekend that we decided to buy a house and to get marriedjust six months before this. We had been very good friends with B___ and his wife, and then things had gotten awkward during the whole work split, and then in the last six months we had been trying to improve that again. When we first set the date they had been totally excited about coming to Florida for the wedding. We had not expected R__ and his wife to come. Primarily because it IS a small office and we figured someone had to stay home to take care of things. They had brought our shower gift over to our house to see the house and have dinner about a month before the wedding. They hadnt mentioned whether or not they were coming, but again we just assumed not. About six weeks before the wedding we were at B___s house and he and his wife said that they did not think they could afford to come to Florida, even without the four kids. I was floored and very, very upset. I tried very hard not to show it (but they later told me it was incredibly obvious) but I knew how much this truly disappointed dh and that really made me mad. I was pretty sure that this trip was not totally out of reach for them. The Friday before the wedding B___ and R___ took dh out for a celebratory drink with some other attorneys. However, they seemed to sort of ignore dh and talk to all the other people instead. He was disappointed but pretended it didnt bother him. That next day was our friends wedding in Canada (go way back to trip log 1 for that reference!) Their wedding was absolutely beautiful and perfect to the nth degree. The bad thing is that they had assigned seating at the table and I was next to P___. All she talked about was some wedding they were going to next Saturday for one of the attorneys that had been out for a drink that Friday. It just made me more mad for my dh.
NOW, not only was B___ and P____ there but SO was R___ and his wife. I was stunned, excited and totally in shock. I explained to MOH that Scott and I not only totally didnt expect them to come but was pretty sure that they hadnt even tried to make an effort to come. I was completely overwhelmed as I watched them walk in. I so badly wanted to see dhs face when he saw themI knew it would make him beam! He really looks up to and admires these guys and it would mean the world that they made the effort to come down.
Just then the limo started moving us to the bridge.
I was so excited about seeing Scott and telling him that his bosses had made itnot just one but BOTHthat I had absolutely no fear. Moh and I got out of the limo and I literally felt like I was sailing, completely in control as I flew, slowing more and more to a walk following Tracys quiet instruction, to the vestibule.
In the vestibule room
was such a crowd that I hardly remember. I know that my three bridesmaids, three flower girls, ring bearer (not sure who put him in the girls room), and my mom were all there.
The videographer captured me talking to my girls, moh fixing her hair, etc. I saw my mom and I said, MOM, B___ and R___ are here! SHE already knew!!
Apparently they had called my father and asked him to arrange a surprise so that they could surprise us. My mom was so proud of herself that she had kept it a secret for so long. I asked her if Scott knew and she said no, not yet. I once again found myself just chattering with the little girls. They kept me occupied. They had little trains that until now had been kept bustled to keep them from being damaged. Their mom called them butterfly wings and she told them that it was now time to release the butterfly wings. My mom had already stepped out of the vestibule when all of a sudden I recognized the music playing to be When You Wish Upon a Star. I had requested that this be the last prelude song. My heart jumped and I announced, This is it, this is it. This is the last song before it starts!! Im not sure that anyone heard me but I felt that little flutter like just before I go on stage for a performance. And then I found out that only at the Wedding Pavilion can they play the longest never ending version of When You Wish Upon a Star that you had ever heard!! I thought it was concluding at least six times before it finally ended. In the mean time, Tracy had lined everyone up except me, my flower girls, and the ring bearer; we were still back in the vestibule.
I heard the parent music (Can You Feel the Love Tonight) start,
but then suddenly my beautiful little angel flower girls were yelling and hitting each other. I panicked and separated them so that they wouldnt step on each others trains (apparently the basis for the screaming). Then I started reminding them how beautiful they looked and how they had to be like princesses just floating down the aisle. Then my dhs song started. We had picked an Irish Notre Dame song for him (he went there for law school and I think they brain wash them!) called Here Come the Irish. DH wanted the whole almost five minute song to play through so we had timed the music so that my coordinator would wait almost a full minute before swooshing open the doors for his entrance. I listened to the song beating out the time to where the doors would swing open.
The song totally put me at ease. As it came to an end and the bridesmaids music (A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes), I began to get nervous for my flower girlsno seriously
I started pep talking them and getting them lined up in the back of the archway. As I got them lined up my best friend from law school came up the entrance with his wife, daughter, and parents. THAT made me nervousI wasnt sure if they should see me and I wasnt sure where to send them. Thankfully my coordinator or one of his assistants stepped in and I finished lining up the kids. I sent them forward and waved and said hello to my slightly late guests and joked that they were the first to see the bride! I heard the little kids music (Kiss the Girl)
and realized it was my turn. My coordinator was calling me forward.
I saw my dad and I said, I cant believe that you guys kept it a secret that B___ and R___ were coming!! He said, I knowI cant believe YOUR mother kept it a secret! He was so proud of himself. Suddenly standing there, I realized that they wouldnt have anywhere to sit at the reception, or that I would need more centerpieces (we had extra tables), or, or, or! I told my dad that he would need to get some extra shells and he shushed me. It turned out that the two couples that my dad had told me were coming, the one staying at the vistana and the one mysteriously missing from the Swan, had been covers! They were actually coming to our home reception and swapping seats with B___ and R___. I couldnt believe how clever they had been!! That is why Tracy had been so insistent that I have extra shells and my paint penhe had to make the NEW name cards. (My father later explained that he had called Tracy and asked if they could secretly add four people to the guest list and I guess there was an issue that the count had to be known by the bride. Im not really sure why since I wasnt paying the per person, but I guess I had asked for total control, and I got it!)
So anyway, this whole conversation is had while my flower girls and ring bearer walk up the aisle and suddenly the chimes sound (which by the way is the coolest thing and every girl should definitely do!)