Debbie's Doings: A Crafty Wedding: Getting ready with the girls.

There's this dream in my head of how the morning of my wedding is supposed to play out. It's supposed to be all champagne and beautiful smiles. It's supposed to be pictures of me being beautiful while getting my hair and makeup done. It's supposed to be any number of memorable images captured by my photographer and be something I'm so glad to look back on later.

It wasn't quite like that. It was reality instead. I was running late, didn't get the magical pictures of me in makeup, we were constantly on the phone trying to sort something out, I lost a contact lens in my eye (I did find it eventually), and all I ended up eating before the wedding was half a tin of fruit cocktail (my request). Even though it wasn't like I imagined it would be, it was still a great morning spent with my girls and I couldn't have enjoyed it more than I did.

Laura was on camera duty

I think Naomi isn't happy about her picture being taken

Mom waiting on me to be finished

My pretty hair did get photos...I was impressed because my hair was only just shoulder length

Me and my fruit cocktail...

So I was finishing up at the salon and Laura asked me what I wanted for lunch as she was going to walk over to the supermarket and get some nibbles for us. I said I wanted fruit cocktail. I don't know why I was craving that particularly. I don't normally eat it and in fact, I can't remember the last time I had it before that day. She gave me a funny look and said, "Really? Okay."

With all this spread of food she brought back to her house for us, I pretty much only had my tin of fruit. I did think not to eat the entire can because then I might have needed to use the toilet. So I only had half of it. There was a lovely spread of food though- salmon, hummus, cantaloupe, cheese, mussels, etc.

Laura and Naomi eating lunch

We got ready for the wedding at my best friend and MOH's house in town. It was easy to do that instead of going back out to my house which was 25 minutes away.

Girls getting ready before it's my turn.

I did have the forethought to tell everyone else to get ready first so they would be dressed for pictures when I got ready. Thanks Weddingbee for that idea!

Next up was myself...it was finally my turn to get dressed for the wedding. I wasn't super-anxious about this because I knew my dress was going to be tight and restricting. I was content to stay in my blue stretchy dress for as long as I could. But it couldn't be put off any longer. I had set an alarm so I knew when I had to start changing and before I knew it, it was 12:30pm and I needed to get my dress on.

Mom had practiced getting me into my dress before this day, so she knew what to do

This makes it look so much more glamorous than it was...

Getting my garter on

Getting Mom's pearls and diamonds on...I got to be a princess that day.

A peaceful moment

I love the next series of pictures and can't just post one...they tell a story and share the relationship Laura and I have had for nearly 11 years now.

My words were, "I'm getting married today!"

Then she teared up and started crying...

Then I did too...

It was an emotional morning with my girls and my mom. Before I knew it, it was time to head to the Japanese Gardens and meet my soon-to-be husband for some pictures before the ceremony.