Dear readers, I will be on a blogging hiatus for a bit. I've been a busy bee lately; I'm going on a Europe anniversary trip with Mr. Eggplant next week! Fourteen days in Paris, Madrid, and Barcelona. The only thing is, I haven't touched our itinerary yet—yikes! If anyone has suggestions for must-see sights in these three cities, feel free to help a procrastinating Eggplant out and comment below. I would be incredibly grateful.

Now, onto our ceremony recap before my blogging break starts!

Part I: Primped and Prettied
Part II: The Dashing Gents
Part III: The Wedding Duds + A Suite Switcharoo
Part IV: The Threads, and How They Unravel!
Part V: Meet 'n Greet

We arrived at the church right on time with zero minutes to spare. In fact, I had no time to be nervous because it was go, go, go. In hindsight, this was probably a good thing.

All photographs are property of the awesome Apertura Photography. Please provide credit if you repost their photos.

My flower girls were a-dor-able. They kept whispering, "I wike your dwess!" They apparently thought I resembled Cinderella with my wedding gown. I had them give me a kiss for good luck.

Our floral designer, Stacey Miller, did a fabulous job with the flowers. We ended up repurposing the tall flower balls (for lack of better words) as centerpieces for our reception.   

My MOH was so sweet. She really took care of me the entire day. I thought she looked absolutely beautiful too.

I was so proud of our flower girls. They were not nervous at all. Total opposite of me. As a child, I was terrified of everything, especially being the center of attention. Not much has changed since.

Our usher passed out the wedding programs that we worked so hard on. They were definitely imperfect: stamps weren't centered, paper was sticking out of the ends, and ribbons were frayed. But guess what? No one noticed.

Mr. Eggplant had a personal moment with his guys before he took the stage, where they said a short prayer for him. He later told me that this was one of his favorite wedding moments because he felt so loved. Mr. Eggplant is a huge softie, but don't tell him I told you that.

I love the expression on his face. He won't admit it publicly, but he teared up a little. Hey, wait a minute. He shed a few tears for the guys, but didn't water his eyes even once for me! Humph.

Our flower girls held pomander balls instead of flower baskets. I originally thought that the balls were too small, but once I held one in my hand, I understood why our flral designer made them mini sized. They were surprisingly heavy! 

This was one of my favorite pictures of the whole wedding. Way to frame a shot! 

Before the ceremony started, my brother and Mr. Eggplant's sister did the honors and lit the candles on the altar. 

Our hired musicians (a.k.a. our talented friends) played the Feather Theme from the Forrest Gump soundtrack for our families to start the procession. Our musicians put together a really amazing musical program that I still receive compliments about. We were incredibly lucky to have such talented and generous friends take part in our day; it meant the world to us. 

My grandfather was escorted by my little cousin (who is really not that little... she's 5'7" or so). 

Mr. Eggplant's parents were next. 

Brother Eggplant walked my mom in...

... while we all waited for our turn.

My one-year old cousin was our ring bearer. In lieu of a ring pillow, I gave him a tuxedo bear from Build-a-Bear so that he could keep it after the wedding. The red wagon was purchsed in case he was being finicky and didn't want to walk down the aisle.   

All of the groomsmen entered the church. During the rehearsal, they were instructed to hold their hands like that. Good thing someone remembered to tell them, because I never thought about details like that!

Next up: the bridesmaids. My cousin smiled the entire way down the aisle. 

If I ever have daughters, I hope they are as cute (and as well behaved) as my cousins. I love the paparazzi of cameras taking photos of them.

This munchkin refused to walk down the aisle and also refused his red wagon. Poor little guy. It was way past his naptime.  

Finally, it was my turn. By this time, I had blocked out eveyone in the room. In my mind, it was just me, walking to my future husband. The one tip I did remember was to walk very slowly. It's so easy to speed down the aisle like a race horse. I took my time and savored in the moment—one of the best decisions ever. If you take away one small piece of advice from my wedding recap, I hope it will be to walk slowly and drink everything in.

Have you seen the movie 27 Dresses? There's a part where Katherine Heigl's character explains that while everyone is looking at the bride during a wedding, she looks at the expression on the groom's face because it says everything. Well, I'm really glad our photographers were able to capture Mr. Eggplant's expression. It speaks volumes to me.  

I haven't shared much about the church we were married at. It was absolutely stunning. I always wanted a garden wedding, but once I stepped into this building with its stained glass ceilings and cement walls, it took my breath away. I knew I was going to be married in it.

Our wedding was the first nuptials that our pastor ever officiated. He did a fantastic job. His words were touching, personal, and funny. Many a family member came up to me and told me how surprised they were that they enjoyed the formalities so much. This meant a lot since our ceremony was pretty long (one hour) and I was worried about boring folks. 

Mr. Eggplant's vows were awesome. I laughed out loud... 

... and then I cried while saying my own vows.

I just had to post this picture because it cracks me up. Take a peek at Grandma Eggplant on the right. Perhaps I should've shortened the ceremony. 

Finally, we said our vows and exchanged our rings. 

And we lit the unity candle together. 

Flowers of appreciation were presented to our parents. And then finally.....       

The Kiss! I don't know if I have a photo of it, but Mr. Eggplant actually picked me up off the ground.  

Our pastor officially announced us, "For the very first time, I'd introduce Mr. and Mrs. Eggplant!" 

And we retreated!

The emotion of the day was joyous. I was filled with incredible joy and gratitude and it hasn't stopped since. Being married is awesome and I recommend it to everyone!

Have a wonderful two weeks, everyone! I'll be back to conclude the recaps soon!

Part I: Primped and Prettied
Part II: The Dashing Gents
Part III: The Wedding Duds + A Suite Switcharoo
Part IV: The Threads, and How They Unravel!

To continue the Eggplant wedding story, where did I leave off? Oh yes, the ladies and I were dealing with our bridesmaid dress fiasco.

Meanwhile, back in the boys' camp...

All photographs are property of the fabulous Apertura Photography. Please provide credit if you repost their photos.

Mr. Eggplant and his guys made a trip down to the banquet room to set up the A/V. Mr. Eggplant wanted to make sure everything was set up perfectly and he insisted on doing it himself during the morning of the wedding.

It didn't take long before they finished and started goofing off in the hotel courtyard.

I loved the Mediterranean style courtyard of our hotel. It was decorated with red tile floors, a small fountain, and white Christmas lights strung over all the bushes. It was perfect for an intimate celebration.

Mr. finally took his crocs off and replaced them with tuxedo shoes.

Mr. Eggplant changed out of his non-wedding appropriate shoes just in time for Ray to snag his portrait. I'm really glad that he had time to do these, because grooms are often forgotten when it comes to wedding pictures.  

Mr. Eggplant will be the first to tell you that he's gained a few pounds in his squishy cheeks since the wedding. It must be my fabulous home cookin'.

 
Chinese pop stars unite. Oh yeaah. 

 

 
While Mr. Eggplant was busy playing cool with da fellas, the girls and I were heading down the elevator to meet them.

I know this picture looks like Monica and I were sharing a girls only secret. In reality, Monica was double checking my teeth to make sure my lipstick was in place. I also remember that I was no longer nervous. Nope, I was as calm as a cucumber. Or is it as cool as a cucumber?. Anyway, I was just so excited and wrapped up in the moment. I didn't care that we were a little late for the ceremony or that I had spent the last hour sewing instead of taking pictures with the girls.

I almost decided not to have a veil for the wedding. I'm so glad I changed my mind. Veils make cool photos like this one.

Our photographers set up the Eggplant meeting in the courtyard. They placed Mr. Eggplant on one side with his back turned to me. As I approached him, Mr. Eggplant clasped his hands in eager anticipation. I love how this picture captures the moment.

I tapped Mr. Eggplant on the shoulder...

Finally, the big reveal! Mr. Eggplant was so cute. His jaw dropped open and he didn't even come over to hug me. He just stared and stared. I thought he was the most adorable thing in the world.

I, on the other hand, was not so adorable. Mr. Eggplant turned me around to take a long, hard look at my butt, while I decided to purse my lips like a baby eating a lemon.

Finally, Mr. Eggplant gave me a hug. And it was a big, juicy hug, not one of those flimsy, pat your back hugs.

However, I wouldn't let Mr. Eggplant give me a big kiss, because I had to keep my lip gloss on for the ceremony. He settled for a small peck instead.

We headed straight for the church, which was conveniently one block from our hotel.

Next up: Miss Eggplant becomes Mrs. Eggplant!

Part I: Primped and Prettied
Part II: The Dashing Gents
Part III: The Wedding Duds + A Suite Switcharoo

As the morning prep progressed, all seemed well and fine. Erwin proceeded to take photographs of my wedding threads while the females and I continued to ready ourselves.

All photographs are property of the fabulous Apertura Photography. Please provide credit if you repost their photos.

One last shot of my gown before I slipped it on.

It took a hoard of hands to attach those tiny buttons down my dress. I packed a crochet hook in my luggage, but during the mad rush of dressing, I completely forgot about it.

Five minutes later, the girls were still buttoning.

This was one of my favorite pictures of the set. It captures all that I was feeling at that moment: I was incredibly excited, a little nervous, and overflowing with joy and gratitude. I also think I was in denial about getting married. I couldn't believe that nine long months of planning were about to be realized in one glorious day.

I was sooo happy to finally put on my Choos! They fit like a glove and were surprisingly comfy. 

I fell in love this picture for two reasons: the angle of the photo makes me look:
1. like I have a butt (in reality, it's flatter than a lukewarm Pepsi).
2. taller and thinner than I really am.
Thanks, Ray + Erwin! You rock!

 
Finally, it was time to put on my remaining jewelry and head out the door.

But wait!... Something was going down in the bathroom...

My girlfriends thoughtfully attempted to hide "the situation" from me because they didn't want me to worry. I knew something was wrong when I heard them whispering in hushed voices. They eventually told me that the zipper on my cousin's dress had fallen off its track and she couldn't get it back on. You see, the cheap bridal store that I purchased the dresses from hadn't bothered to sew up the bottom of the zippers. Grrrrr.  It still annoys me that I gave them so much business, yet they took thoughtless shortcuts on my dresses.

Kathy illustrated the fiasco to Jane, and Erwin caught the moment on camera.

While my friends attempted to resolve the situation, Erwin asked to take a few bridal portraits on the hotel balcony. I tried very hard to look calm and poised. Do you think it worked?

Nope. Erwin said, "relax," but I was only able to muster up a constipated expression.

I tried again to relax. Mostly I just took photos that looked nervous.

Finally, a was able to let go a bit for this shot.

I was also quite nervous about walking down the aisle. 360 eyeballs would be focused entirely on me and that was a very scary thought for this introvert.

After twenty minutes, the girls had exhausted their fingers and concluded that they could not get Monica's zipper to work. Our last resort was to sew the dress closed onto my cousin. Out of six women, I was the only one who knew how to sew, so I did the honors.

One of the ladies found some pink thread and I got to work. Yoona held the dress closed while I carefully made stitches up the bodice.

Sewing Monica's dress really helped to calm my anxious nerves. As I weaved the metal needle in and out, I felt myself relaxing until I was laughing and smiling again. No more nervous bride! It helped that I had padded our schedule with an extra hour and a half, so I wasn't concerned about time.

My cousin, on the other hand, was quite teary eyed and emotional. She thought she had ruined my wedding! Silly girl. I love her to death and I would never change a thing with her broken zipper, even if I had the option. One of my fondest memories was sewing her up in the bathroom.

Ray left the guys by themselves for a minute to check up on our delay. While he was updated on the happenings, he took this hilarious picture. I love it because it shows the madness that was my wedding: Monica, applying deodorant, Christine, holding Monica's dress, and me, sewing up the dress. Classic.

Finally, I tied the last knot of thread and made a mad dash for my veil.

Jen helped secure it to my hair.

Several hands and bobby pins later, we were ready to go—for real this time!

I took one last look in the mirror before I hurried out the door to meet my future hubby...

Next up: Groom meets Bride! (And Groom stares long and hard at Bride's butt!)