And Then We Were One
Well, it all went smoothly. The only thing that went wrong was the weather – no snow! But at least it was very sunny and dry.
Billy arrived safely on the Sunday beforehand, and spent a couple of days running errands with me – walking the dog, picking up the rings, etc.
On the Wednesday I went to Chicago to meet my Mum, sister and brother-in-law. We were booked into a hotel there for 2 nights, leaving Gordon and Billy at home to dog-sit. Ian had never been to Chicago, so wanted to see the sights. Unfortunately, the weather was terrible on Thursday, pouring with rain, and visibility was so poor for a while you could hardly see the end of the street. We went on a guided trolley bus tour, then did some shopping, anything to keep under cover. For that evening, they had brought over some hen night supplies, which was a complete surprise to me. So we all had sashes, tiaras, wands, and I had a badge. And everything flashed. Ian even joined in by wearing a pink shirt and a sash, but drew the line at the tiara and wand! We went to a couple of bars then to Hard Rock Café for a meal and some cocktails. Friday dawned very bright and sunny, so we went to the bar at the top of the Hancock Tower so Ian could at least get one view of how the city should look. Mum and Madeleine had been here last summer so had seen it before. Then we got the train home as there were a few last minute things to do before the big Day!
Claire and Simon arrived Friday afternoon with their daughter Scarlet. We were only able to see them briefly on Friday as by the time they arrived at their hotel nearby, it was already evening. But we made arrangements for Saturday as Claire was the official photographer. We had to decorate the venue Friday night. We were using candles only for light in the ceremony room, no electric lighting, so had around a hundred candles to lay out. We placed them on mirrors on tables around the room. We were not able to decorate the reception room as it was being used Saturday morning by someone else, so left instructions for the staff of what to put where. Then we all went for a meal and tried to get an early night.
We had an early start Saturday, with my hairdresser’s appointment at 9am, followed by make-up at 10.30. Since all that was being done in the local shopping mall, everyone decided they wanted to come with me so they could shop. So I took Mum, Madeleine, Ian and Billy with me. Gordon stayed home waiting for his clothes from Scotland, which still hadn’t arrived. And they actually didn’t turn up until about 3 days after the wedding. Luckily Billy had brought 2 shirts with him, and they are around the same size, so he was able to borrow one of those. But of course he didn’t have the waistcoat and tartan sash that was also on order.
After lunch, we packed Gordon and Billy off to Billy’s hotel round the corner, so I could get into my dress without being seen. Claire came over and took a few photos of us getting ready, then we went to meet the guys at Independence Grove Forest Preserve for some outdoor photos. We had considered having the ceremony at this place, as it is beautiful, and the only reason we decided against it was that we had no idea what to expect from the weather seeing as this was our first winter here. An outdoor wedding in snow sounds magical, but it could have been a disaster. And as it happened, the 18th February turned out to be the coldest day here for years, at a high of 5f, which is -15c, and that is without the wind chill factor! Needless to say we were not very popular for making people go outside for photos.
We just had the family in the ones at Independence Grove, and then we went on to the Country Squire, where the wedding was to take place. We were early so could oversee the setting up of the reception room, and had time for more photos outside, and this time we made all the other guests take part as well. The ones with the gazebo were taken there. We had intended to get everyone outside after the ceremony as well for some pictures in the dark, but changed our minds as we didn’t want everyone to leave! As it was, Gordon took a glass of Southern Comfort on the rocks outside with him and 20 minutes later it was literally frozen solid!
The ceremony was recorded, so you can watch that by clicking here. There are three versions of the video, two different sizes depending on your internet connection, and a bit of a funny one too. Lastly a friend of ours put together a compilation of some pictures and songs from the wedding, which you can also watch on that site. Gordon has a lot more pictures on his site, including some of the rings.
We then had mulled wine in the bar before the meal. Mulled wine is not known here, so luckily Mum had managed to get some sachets from Waitrose to bring over, and we just supplied the red wine and instructions to the bar staff. They did a good job and everyone seemed to enjoy it. The meal was great, although I did not eat much, there was too much going on. Gordon made a lovely speech. I was thinking about doing one as well, but decided I was not drunk enough or brave enough in the end!
We had a quiet lazy day on Sunday, with the family and Billy here for much eating, drinking and playing games. Claire and Simon were already on their way home by then. Madeleine and Ian flew on to Miami for the second part of their holiday Monday morning, and Mum flew home Monday evening. Billy was not leaving til Tuesday evening, so we took him into Chicago for the day Tuesday as it was the only chance we had to show him the city. And it was a beautiful sunny day so he did get to see it properly.
And then it was all over. It does not feel any different really. Once all the guests had left and Gordon was back to work, it felt like nothing had changed. Except we still had our honeymoon to come –more of that later.
Billy arrived safely on the Sunday beforehand, and spent a couple of days running errands with me – walking the dog, picking up the rings, etc.
On the Wednesday I went to Chicago to meet my Mum, sister and brother-in-law. We were booked into a hotel there for 2 nights, leaving Gordon and Billy at home to dog-sit. Ian had never been to Chicago, so wanted to see the sights. Unfortunately, the weather was terrible on Thursday, pouring with rain, and visibility was so poor for a while you could hardly see the end of the street. We went on a guided trolley bus tour, then did some shopping, anything to keep under cover. For that evening, they had brought over some hen night supplies, which was a complete surprise to me. So we all had sashes, tiaras, wands, and I had a badge. And everything flashed. Ian even joined in by wearing a pink shirt and a sash, but drew the line at the tiara and wand! We went to a couple of bars then to Hard Rock Café for a meal and some cocktails. Friday dawned very bright and sunny, so we went to the bar at the top of the Hancock Tower so Ian could at least get one view of how the city should look. Mum and Madeleine had been here last summer so had seen it before. Then we got the train home as there were a few last minute things to do before the big Day!Claire and Simon arrived Friday afternoon with their daughter Scarlet. We were only able to see them briefly on Friday as by the time they arrived at their hotel nearby, it was already evening. But we made arrangements for Saturday as Claire was the official photographer. We had to decorate the venue Friday night. We were using candles only for light in the ceremony room, no electric lighting, so had around a hundred candles to lay out. We placed them on mirrors on tables around the room. We were not able to decorate the reception room as it was being used Saturday morning by someone else, so left instructions for the staff of what to put where. Then we all went for a meal and tried to get an early night.
We had an early start Saturday, with my hairdresser’s appointment at 9am, followed by make-up at 10.30. Since all that was being done in the local shopping mall, everyone decided they wanted to come with me so they could shop. So I took Mum, Madeleine, Ian and Billy with me. Gordon stayed home waiting for his clothes from Scotland, which still hadn’t arrived. And they actually didn’t turn up until about 3 days after the wedding. Luckily Billy had brought 2 shirts with him, and they are around the same size, so he was able to borrow one of those. But of course he didn’t have the waistcoat and tartan sash that was also on order.
After lunch, we packed Gordon and Billy off to Billy’s hotel round the corner, so I could get into my dress without being seen. Claire came over and took a few photos of us getting ready, then we went to meet the guys at Independence Grove Forest Preserve for some outdoor photos. We had considered having the ceremony at this place, as it is beautiful, and the only reason we decided against it was that we had no idea what to expect from the weather seeing as this was our first winter here. An outdoor wedding in snow sounds magical, but it could have been a disaster. And as it happened, the 18th February turned out to be the coldest day here for years, at a high of 5f, which is -15c, and that is without the wind chill factor! Needless to say we were not very popular for making people go outside for photos.
We just had the family in the ones at Independence Grove, and then we went on to the Country Squire, where the wedding was to take place. We were early so could oversee the setting up of the reception room, and had time for more photos outside, and this time we made all the other guests take part as well. The ones with the gazebo were taken there. We had intended to get everyone outside after the ceremony as well for some pictures in the dark, but changed our minds as we didn’t want everyone to leave! As it was, Gordon took a glass of Southern Comfort on the rocks outside with him and 20 minutes later it was literally frozen solid!
The ceremony was recorded, so you can watch that by clicking here. There are three versions of the video, two different sizes depending on your internet connection, and a bit of a funny one too. Lastly a friend of ours put together a compilation of some pictures and songs from the wedding, which you can also watch on that site. Gordon has a lot more pictures on his site, including some of the rings.
We then had mulled wine in the bar before the meal. Mulled wine is not known here, so luckily Mum had managed to get some sachets from Waitrose to bring over, and we just supplied the red wine and instructions to the bar staff. They did a good job and everyone seemed to enjoy it. The meal was great, although I did not eat much, there was too much going on. Gordon made a lovely speech. I was thinking about doing one as well, but decided I was not drunk enough or brave enough in the end!
We had a quiet lazy day on Sunday, with the family and Billy here for much eating, drinking and playing games. Claire and Simon were already on their way home by then. Madeleine and Ian flew on to Miami for the second part of their holiday Monday morning, and Mum flew home Monday evening. Billy was not leaving til Tuesday evening, so we took him into Chicago for the day Tuesday as it was the only chance we had to show him the city. And it was a beautiful sunny day so he did get to see it properly.
And then it was all over. It does not feel any different really. Once all the guests had left and Gordon was back to work, it felt like nothing had changed. Except we still had our honeymoon to come –more of that later.
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