i’ve never done drugs (i’m sure that’s how you expected this post to commence, isn’t it?) but i have to believe that coming off of that high is pretty terrible.

so this feeling of utter depression and withdrawal must be the cause of coming off of the high of one of the most perfect collection of days/wedding weekends of all time. i mean, it’s the only logical explanation, right?

but seriously folks, from first touch down in sav-town thursday morning to final booty shake on the checker-board dance floor saturday night, the four-day celebration of A & C was basically a dream.

and for yours truly, dreams tend to be pretty difficult to quantify (for the fact that i usually don’t even remember them when i arouse from my slumber). but equipped with a handful of instagrams and an arsenal of stories, details, and special moments, i’ll do my best to recreate the sights & scenarios from the nupts of the year.

i landed at savannah airport just a hair before 10 a.m. on thursday morning. greeted by the rocking chairs and exposed brick walls, i felt home in an airport i’ve visited now four times over. my chariot filled with the bride, matrons of honor, and a b-maid from pepperdine were all awaiting me curbside as i stepped out into the humid georgia air. i threw my carry-on in the trunk and wiped the mascara from beneath my eyes and tried to rally despite my less than adequate logged hours of sleep. there was no time for lathargy, wedding-a-palooza had begun and i best get on board the party train trolley.

we arrived at the dresser palmer house soon thereafter, the locale for many a wedding weekend function and the place where a majority of the bride’s family took temporary residence. i mean, it was basically the perfect little southern abode and i wanted to move in immediately, but i settled for being a frequent guest and told myself that the springhill suites marriot would probably offer a similar charm (spoiler alert: it didn’t). the rest of thursday was spent hobnobbing around town with about half of the bridal party (with 14 ladies to help get you down the aisle, it took a few days to gather all of us to the city) -lunching at soho south, boutiquing along whitaker street, and finally retiring on the back porch at the dresser palmer home for a little afternoon libation. after a life-changing shower (my first in 48 hours), i joined the party downstairs for the “welcome/get to know you/i’ve heard so much about you” cocktail reception. or as i like to refer to it as, the rehearsal to the rehearsal dinner. we ate, drank, and were [almost] marry(ied). and i spent most of the evening huddled around my two favorite savannahians -L & S, who have become close personal friends after my two previous visits to the city. side note: it’s really awesome when friends of friends become friends of your own, isn’t it? anyway, by 10:30 p.m., i was feeling the absence of quality snooze-time, so i was graciously chauffeured to my hotel room where i proceeded to watch the latest episode of real housewives of miami before falling fast asleep.

friday morning brought a whole new batch of adventures (fueled by copious cups of coffee) as well as the anticipated arrival of my wedding roomie, fellow bridesmaid, and overall partner-in-crime, E. all 14 of us, err, well 13 plus one groomsman (he gladly stood in for one of the maids who unfortunately had a work commitment that day) were treated to a day of pampering at the westin spa overlooking the river. and while i can’t know for sure, i can’t help but think that there might be white cotton robes, chaise lounges, and unlimited cucumber water in heaven. and also, unlimited manicures and pedicures. definitely unlimited manis and pedis. okay, so probably not. BUT those three and a half hours spent ohm-ing and zen-ing in the spa sanctuary were pretty darn fantastic. plus it provided us gals (and guy) some clutch bonding time. it’s kind of hard to believe that in a double-digit bridal party, there wouldn’t be a single lady of whose acquaintance i wasn’t stoked to make, but  y’all, i loved EACH AND EVERY ONE of them. seriously, mad props to C for attracting and befriending such quality XX humans.

after our treatments, we stumbled out of the spa in a relaxed stupor, and E and i retired to our hotel room for a little primping before the next stop on the wedding itinerary -rehearsal! donned in our rehearsal gear (mostly dresses for the gals, a romper for yours truly, and khakis and button-downs for the gents), we met up at the church for communion, some scripture-reading, and of course, the run-through for the big day. while the wedding planner and the pastor were having NONE of my shenanigans (i got called out a couple of times for  some side jokes i insisted in making in an attempt to entertain the bridal party), the rehearsal itself ran pretty darn smoothly. also, can we talk about how stunning the inside of this church is? i mean, i’m not gonna lie, i’ve always envisioned myself getting married al fresco, but this ceiling is a GAME CHANGER. just saying.

from the church we ventured to the rehearsal dinner site –blowin’ smoke, for some good old-fashioned, down home southern BBQ! just because i couldn’t eat about 95% of the offerings, doesn’t mean that i didn’t appreciate the homage to the bride’s southern roots. i threw caution to the wind and loaded up two entire plate fulls of roasted chicken (yes, only chicken) and drenched it with the bbq sauce. i may have thrown in a corn bread muffin for good measure. either way, it fed the beast. and by beast, i mean my stomach. and by my stomach i mean the bottomless pit. and by bottomless pit i mean i was hungry like an hour later.

anywho, after our two minute cab ride with our toothless cabbie (i mean, teeth are totally overrated) at the end of the night, E and i were quite pumped about climbing into our fluffy white beds. let’s be honest, friday had just been the warm-up. tomorrow was GAME DAY.

seeing as the wedding processional is a bridesmaid’s runway, E and i knew we needed to be looking our best. i mean, there were professional pictures involved, you never know where those might show up (see also: tagged on facebook). so we made appointments to get our hairs did at the j.w. salon just a few blocks from the hotel. russell, my hair guru, took me from hot mess to hot(?). eh, more like, lady like and totally bridesmaid-appropriate in one hour flat. and E’s guy did the same for her. no i did not just call E a hot mess. she was way better off than i was when i got to the salon chair.

ANYWAY, after our coiffed curls were set, we made a bee-line over the olde pink house for some brunching. you guys, if you eat anywhere in savannah, make SURE it’s at the olde pink house. they’re like famous for their cheesy grits. and also, the restaurant is literally in a house. that’s pink. i mean, i know she loves butter, but even paula deen’s eatery can’t top that. after brunch, E and i retired back to our room for a little rest and relaxation before the main event. and by rest and relaxation i mean that we watched bravo and made sure not to mess up our hair. then right before our call time, we slapped on a bit more mascara and blush, some false eyelashes, and our gowns and shoes and hitched a ride with the best man (thank you again, T!) back to the dresser palmer house to see our bride in her gown (spoiler alert: she was a STUNNER) and pose for some bmaid pics! after about an hour of hamming it up for the camera, it was show time! to the church we went to get our lady married!

 

 

the ceremony was beautiful. and fun fact? it was the same format/vows that prince william and kate used at the royal wedding! so i mean, basically A & C are royalty. nbd. after making it offish, we snapped a few more photos before caravanning over to the reception site, the gorgeous, posh, and so very southern oglethorpe club. and you know, this is where the REAL fun went down. as in, i don’t think i’ve danced more at at wedding in my entire life. i mean, i have the sweat stains on the back of my bridesmaid dress to prove it (#tmi). the food was phenom, the band UNREAL, and the company perfect. basically the culmination of a blissful four-day stay honoring one very stellar bride and groom.

 

but more about that band –the atlanta showstoppers. i mean, you guys, they did not take a single break in their entire three-hour set. the gals wore full-sequin curve-hugging dresses and busted out the lyrics to everything from “proud mary” to “call me maybe” (which i made a guest vocal appearance on) and by the end of the night i was not-so-secretly wishing i could actually become one of them. i kind of want to throw a party for a random holiday, like flag day or cesar chavez day just so i can hire them to be the entertainment. they are that good.

finally it was time to face the music, or the lack there of (as they were only contracted through 10:30 p.m.), and see the happy couple off in their pedi-cab. we flanked them with a sparkler train (which is not such a good idea when you’re standing in that close of proximity. holy fire hazard, batman) and wished them well. while there was talk of continuing the party (after the party is the after-party) elsewhere, i knew the smart decision, for me, at least, was to take my little sparkle-shoed self back up to my hotel room. i did have an early flight in the morning and well, i’m pretty sure i still turn into a pumpkin at midnight.

the next morning came WAY too soon and before i knew it i was in a cab headed back to savannah/hilton head airport. i tried to drown my sorrows, brought on by the realization that the wedding weekend of the century had already come and gone, with a venti iced coffee with light soy and a perfect oatmeal from starbucks, but the pain ran deep, y’all. or maybe that was the thought of having about six hours of plane travel ahead of me. woof. either way, i begrudgingly boarded that puddle-jumper with service from savannah to D.C. and then sprinted (literally) to my gate at dulles to catch my connecting flight home. the flight back to san di-ah-go was ROUGH.. try as i may, i couldn’t get comfy. and despite the fact that they were really insistent on keeping us hydrated (the beverage cart made not one, not two, but THREE visits down the aisle), i was all but ready to run off the plane once we finally touched down five hours plus later.

but then, touch down. not touchdown, although i did eavesdrop on the passenger in front of me’s broadcast of the broncos vs. patriots game, but touch down. as in, land, sweet land! and just like that i was home again, home again, left with a savannah-shaped hole in my heart but with enough memories and special moments to keep a permasmile on my face for months to come.

so for that permasmile, a few thank you notes -to persons, places, and things and to october 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th, 2012, too.

dear cheesy grits,

thanks for existing. i mean, i didn’t technically get to partake in you, but just knowing that you exist and made many a fellow wedding guest really really happy is enough for me.

dear russell at j.w. salon,

thanks for making me look like a 40’s pin-up. i mean, just without the voluptuous body, heavy black eye-liner, and red lips. so maybe not really at all. either way, i loved what you did with my hair.

dear fellow bridesmaids,

thanks for being just plain AWESOME. there is no one i’d rather don a jubilee-colored dress with more than each and everyone of y’all.

dear atlanta showstoppers band,

thanks for making it nearly impossible to leave the dance floor. but seriously, you are like the best band that ever was. can you come out of retirement to perform at my wedding (#itmightnotbeforlike20years)?

dear feet,

i mean, thanks for holding up for the entire weekend. there was a whole lot of walking and i really appreciate you not swelling to the size of small cantaloupes. also, how great were those silver sparkly shoes i put you in for both the rehearsal dinner and the wedding? i know, right? anyway, thanks for letting me dance the night away with minimal heel damage. because between you (both) and me, we KILLED it on the dance floor.

dear parents of the bride and parents of the groom,

thank you for everything. seriously. EVERYTHING.

dear savannah,

thanks for being so easy to navigate. i mean, you’re basically a bunch of squares, so as long as i was in my map (a la joey from friends), i was golden. and by golden, i mean, it may or may have taken me a couple tries to find the salon on saturday morning, but rest assured, i still made my 9 a.m. appointment.

dear front porch,

thanks for being so gosh darn festive. this might be my most favorite photo ever. okay, maybe not ever, but come on, if it doesn’t scream “quintessential fall in a quaint southern town,” well, i don’t know what does.

dear springhill suites marriot on oglethorpe and montgomery,

thanks for having bravo. and for the unlimited supply of coffee in the lobby. still kind of weirded out by the fact that the toilet and the shower were in different and not conjoining rooms, but i’ll let it slide since our room was basically an ice box which was a much-welcomed oasis in the still kind of swampy savannah weather.

dear southern boys at the wedding,

thanks for being great eye candy. and i didn’t want to dance with you anyway.

dear friends that i hadn’t seen in like, no not “like”, in actually six years (since college graduation),

y’all look great. and also, i wish we lived closer because you’re just as fun (maybe funner?) than i remember you being back at pepperdine. it’s okay, i know i’m WAY more fun now, too.

dear A & C’s wedding weekend 2012,

thanks for coming to fruition and allowing me to be a part of it all. you basically rocked my face off and i’ll forever be obsessed with you.

love always,

the red-headed bridesmaid, yes, that one #sorryiwasbeingflippantattherehearsal

A & C forever (eva, eva, eva).

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