Can’t Rain on this Bride’s Parade

As I mentioned before, there were scattered showers on the day of our wedding.  Miraculously, there were NONE after our ceremony as we were exiting the church.  The Polish folk band was playing, the guests were dancing, and the joy and happiness was evident on everyone’s faces as the sun (and angels) shone upon us.

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{all images in this post are by Missy Photography}

There were 90 minutes between the end of our ceremony and the beginning of our cocktail hour, so we invited our groomsmen, bridesmaids and their guests (many of whom are also our very dear friends) to join us on our trolley for pictures during that time.  Our groomsmen generously provided alcohol and sandwiches on the trolley which helped get all 32 people talking, ultimately culminating in several acapella renditions of old school rap(including Baby Got Back WITH corresponding dance moves).

The plan WAS to head to the beach to take striking photos of us with the view of the Chicago skyline behind us…but several things lead me to call it off mid-stream and head to someplace close and quick so that we could make it to cocktail hour on time 1) The rain that just began pouring, 2) the traffic and 3) the scene in the trolley.

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King and Queen of the Parade :)

As I sat in the back of the trolley, totally relieved after the ceremony, completely at ease, sipping on champagne, and soaking up the wonderful scene in front of me (32 of our best friends from all walks of life…together….laughing.dancing.singing.) the chauffeur informed me that there was a TON of traffic all the way down to the beach and that is just started to pour.  I looked briefly out the window and realized we had been sitting in the same spot for 10 minutes in the pouring rain.  I thought that by the time we would arrive at the beach, cocktail hour would be starting at our wedding, and it was at that point that I knew I did NOT want to miss ANY second of my wedding reception.  I made the executive decision to head to the nearest park (which happened to have a great view of the Sears Tower), get out the umbrellas, take some shots, and head to cocktail hour as soon as possible.  After all, you only need a few framers right?

Despite the short photo shoot in the POURING rain, Missy managed to get some spectacular shots.  Our bridesmaids and groomsmen were serious troopers, smiling and laughing through it all with us.  Looking back on that time, all I could remember is pure joy.  So brides, do not worry about the weather.  As long as its your wedding day, and you are surrounded by your loved ones, no one can rain on your parade.

Turns out, I ADORE our umbrella pictures above all others and the cocktail hour surpassed my wildest expectations. :)  Trust your gut.

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My lovely ‘maids and I.  The rain didn’t stop us from smiling, and it didn’t stop the kayakers behind us from hitting the river.

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The guys.

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Apparently, my husband did not get the memo that the Bride and Groom are the only ones that do NOT “get crazy” when everyone else does :)

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The formal pics above are my parents’ favorites, however the urban scenes below are ours.

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Love.

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Classic Us.  No matter what, we always have fun.  Love.

Up Next:  Cocktail Hour with African Drummers and Chicago Blues!