The Wedding and the events leading up to it!

This is going to be all about the wedding and the events leading up to the wedding. I am sure I am going to forget things because so much happened, but this is my attempt to document it all.

Crystal was the first of my family to arrive from out of town. She flew in on Tuesday July 21^st and we had a pretty low key day. They were pretty exhausted from the flight and we kind of just needed to get things set up and organized for their long stay. On Wednesday we stopped by the wedding boat before the Padres vs Giants game. I think Crystal was happy to see the boat before everyone else and it was great to kind of show her around and figure out where we were going to put things like the guest book and cake. Levi LOVED jumping on the bed in one of the states rooms, which was pretty funny because Presidents used to sleep on that bed and he was just laughing and jumping like it was no big deal. After the boat visit, we went to Petco Park. It was by far the hottest day at the stadium I have ever experienced. Our seats are in the sun and we were melting. My dad and Denice were at the game too, but their seats were a few sections over so they came to join us. Levi fell asleep immediately, which was too bad because it was his first Padres baseball game. Despite the heat, we enjoyed the time together and even got Way Back Sunglasses as a giveaway.

On Thursday July 23^rd my mom, Ellen, and Elizabeth arrived, so the party could officially start. I went to Legoland with Crystal, Morgan, Levi, Parker, my dad, and Denice. It had been quite awhile since I had been to Legoland and it was very fun to go with Levi and Parker. They could only ride a few rides, but we had so much fun “racing” the very slow kiddie boats (I won because I was the first one on and the last one off meaning I got the most ride time, but if you ask Morgan he won because he passed us all). Levi especially loved the zebra made out of Legos. We also went to the aquarium, which was new for me. It is not Lego fish, in case you were wondering. I am very grateful to Jen, Roy, and Amy who provided us with enough free tickets for the whole family to enjoy the day. After Legoland, Elizabeth came over and stayed with us the rest of the trip. It was so fun to get to spend so much time with her because I have not seen her in person in 4 years! I cannot believe she is 15 and she is like a mini Ellen, which was so weird because I kept thinking Ellen was in the house but it was Elizabeth talking, not Ellen.

Anyways, I had to work Friday morning because there were a few meetings I had to attend, but I was able to leave a little early. Ariel, Thomas, Amelia, and Brielle arrived and we had a beach picnic with almost my entire family. It has been a very long time since all those people were together. We played in the water and watched Parker eat sand. It was good to have a nice relaxing visit.

Saturday was the beginning of the pre wedding festivities. Mike had left Friday night to start his bachelor party (he went to a bar, a beer tour, Padres game, and fancy downtown hotel, and sailing, ask him if you want more details). For my bachelorette party, I decided to keep it simple so more people could come celebrate with me. Janelle arranged a limo to take me and a few of my girl friends wine tasting in Temecula. Elizabeth was able to come even though she is under age and Crystal and Ariel were able to join us as well even though they do not drink, so it was a good way to make sure my entire bridal party was included. I was so happy that so many people could come and share my last weekend before the wedding with me.

Sunday was my bridal shower. It was mostly family that came and it was wonderful to have all the important ladies in my life in the same room. We had a tea party theme and it was perfect. Gina made amazing desserts (as usual) and Janelle and her mom found beautiful dishes, tea pots, cups, and décor to fit the theme. I am extremely lucky to have so many wonderful people in my life that love me enough to have a fancy hat tea party with me. Oh and I forgot to mention the super fun hat that Ellen and Elizabeth made for me! It was a perfect addition to my outfit. Janelle really went above and beyond to make the weekend perfect.

On Monday I left for a 3 day work conference in Simi Valley. It is one of my favorite work conferences so even with the wedding right around the corner I did not want to miss it. Everyone there was kind of shocked that I was getting married in less than a week and I was at the conference, but there really wasn’t anything for me to do wedding wise and I did not want to spend vacation days doing nothing. Crystal and family, Ariel and family, and my dad and Denice went camping and my mom took Ellen and Elizabeth on an adventure in LA while I was away. I returned Wednesday to an empty house (Mike was at school) and it was weirdly quiet. I was happy when everyone returned.

On Thursday, Janelle and I had a nice day together. I finally got to see her parents’ new house in Valley Center and eat at the Yellow Deli. The Yellow Deli was delicious! I was overwhelmed by how amazing the chicken sandwich was. After lunch, we went to see Trainwreck, which I highly recommend. It was funny but I also shed a few tears. After that, Janelle’s cousin Kelly gave us a spray tan. My tan lines were REALLY bad from the day I wore a tank top at Legoland, so she evened it out a lot, which made me less self conscious about my tan lines the day of the wedding. It is not something I see myself doing regularly, but I am happy I did it because I was glowing (in a good way).

On Friday I went to Sea World with Crystal, Morgan, Levi, Parker, Ariel, Thomas, Amelia, Brielle, and Elizabeth. Aaron was nice enough to give us free tickets and we made the most of the most of it! We started at my favorite exhibit, the Wild Arctic then went over to the penguins. We got to see the Dolphin show and somehow Crystal talked me into sitting in the splash zone with her and Elizabeth. I hate the splash zone and being soaked with salt water, so I am really not sure how she convinced me. Poor Levi got a surprise soaking and could not stop crying. I was done after about 4 splashes and went towards the exit to avoid further splashing. We went to the Shamu show next, which has gotten pretty lame since Blashfish. I do not really remember the order of the rest of the day, but we ended up seeing most of the animals and my favorite show, Cirque de la Mer. I waited with Levi and Parker while Crystal, Morgan, and Elizabeth rode Manta. I had been on the ride many times and the kids were sleeping so I just walked around a bit until Parker woke up and I found a bench to let him crawl on. The last thing I did with them was help the kids take a picture with Shamu. It turned out great! I left early so I could go home and start getting my things ready for the weekend and everyone else stayed for a few more hours.

On Saturday we had a beautiful day at the zoo, hosted by Mike’s parents. It was the first time we had both sides of the family and the entire wedding party together. I am very grateful to Mike’s parents for hosting such a wonderful day. We had a bus tour, a wonderful lunch together, and the rest of the day to explore the zoo. Everyone kind of broke off after lunch and I ended up with Mike, Janelle, my dad, and Denice. We saw all kinds of fun animals; it was a really good day to be at the zoo! We skipped the pandas though because the line was so long. It was one of the panda’s birthdays so there was a big promo for the exhibit. After the zoo, Mike and I went to check in to our hotel. We had an awful lot of random wedding things that needed to be brought upstairs. We found a free parking space less than a block from the hotel so we were able to save $40 on valet parking, which is the only option the hotel has for parking. We met up with Devin and Audrey for dinner at Karl Strauss. Devin treated us that night, which was very nice of him. After dinner, Devin and Mike went to spend some time together and I went to paint my nails. I had been trying to find the time for 2 days to paint my nails, but it got done before the wedding so that is all that mattered.

Sunday was the big day! I woke up earlier than I meant to, but it was ok. I had my leftover burger for breakfast (why order food when I had perfectly good leftovers right?) and Aaron and Gina were the first to arrive to our room. Aaron ironed his shirt and while he was waiting for the other guys to arrive. Once Devin and Steven got there, Ashley chauffeured them around so the girls could have the hotel room. I am grateful Ashley was there to help! Gina arranged for a friend of hers from work to do my makeup and I am grateful she did that. We all finished our hair and makeup pretty early, but did not want to get in our dresses yet. All the bridesmaids ended up doing their hair in some sort of braid, which was not planned, but I really liked it. Well, we should have gotten dressed sooner because it took us all a lot longer than expected to each use the bathroom then change. We ended up leaving about 10 minutes later than planned, so it was not terrible. Crystal drove us all over to Harbor Island where we met for pictures. I am really glad Mike was there early and remembered the picture list so he was able to get a big chunk of the pictures done before I even arrived. The first look photo was really fun and I am very glad we did that instead of the first time seeing each other being when I was walking down the aisle. I think it was a lot more personal and more fun. Anyways, we finished up pictures and I got on the boat with the bridesmaids to set out a few things. Janelle asked for a snack, which was a really good idea, so we had fruit and crackers. Levi ate almost all the crackers. It is a good thing he is so cute, otherwise he would need to share more! Our coordinator at Hornblower, Jennifer, asked me what song I had prepped to walk out to. Well that was one detail I had not thought of so I told her to find Steven since he made the playlist. I figured Steven was capable of picking a good song. Well he picked a great song…but Amelia had a melt down when a few flowers flew out of her basket into the ocean and the song ended. Amelia was screaming, nothing was helping and we needed her to move away from the stairs so I could get by. Amelia was so excited to be flower girl and to walk with her cousin Levi, so it was pretty sad it did not all go as practiced, but now we have a good story to tell at her wedding. Well in all this commotion, the song ended and Steven was not prepared with a second song. And that is how my walk down the aisle song became “kryptonite” by 3 doors down. I honestly think the whole thing is super comical and it made me laugh which meant I wasn’t crying. So good job Steven! The ceremony was great, the appetizers were great, lunch was great, the speeches were great. Everything was perfect. The Hornblower staff did a wonderful job and we could not have asked for more. After we got off the boat, everyone lined up with the ribbon wands Ellen made. It was such a fun send off and such a good idea Crystal came up with and Ellen executed! Mike’s mom arranged a horse drawn carriage ride for us from the boat to the hotel. I felt like a celebrity from all the attention we were getting! People were honking and waving and taking photos. It was all quite fun. When we arrived at the hotel, the after party was already in full swing! I am really glad Janelle suggested that we have an after party because I did not get enough time to talk to everyone on the boat! Around 7:30 things were winding down and I was pretty tired, so we went back to our room to decide what we wanted for dinner. With all the rich food, I just wanted a sandwich so we walked to nearest grocery store and got a sandwich, chips, and beer. It was a nice quiet evening to ourselves. The next morning, we had breakfast at Snooze in Del Mar. It was excellent! I for sure want to go back there sometime soon! It was by far the best breakfast place I have been to in awhile. After that, we went home. Sammy and Levi were very excited to see us. Mike had to go to school that evening so it was back to normal after a very eventful few weeks. By Tuesday night, everyone was gone and it was very weird to be in such a quiet house again.

The 2 questions I have been getting the most after the wedding is “does it feel different?” and “when are you changing your name?” First, it does not really feel that different. We are still getting used to saying “husband” and “wife” but Mike has taken upon himself to practice by calling me “wife” constantly. Example, “what do you want for dinner wife?” Second, I am planning to change my name. My new name will be Wendy Wave Bryer McCreary (Wave Bryer will be my middle name). I am not huge on hyphenated names, so that was not really a thought for me at all. As some of you know, and many of you do not, name changes are not instant! I keep forgetting to bring the paper with me to work to get our marriage certificate (the county recorder is less than half a mile from my office in San Marcos). Once I have the marriage certificate, I have to go to the social security office (on the other side of San Marcos) and the DMV (which is never fun). I have actually not been to the DMV since I got my driver’s license. They keep letting me renew by mail with my picture from when I was 15. I am also annoyed because I just renewed my passport in February and I am going to have to pay $55 for a new one with my new name! I have a work trip to Chicago in a week and a half, so I am for sure going to wait until after that since the plane tickets are booked under “Bryer”, but I am on the fence about if I should do it before our trip to Israel or after. Part of me says wait until after because I do not want to mess up the registration or passport info that I already turned it, but the other part of me is like, people get married and change their names all the time so it shouldn’t be that hard.

Anywho, this is the longest blog I have ever written, so thanks for reading all the way to the end! I hope to write another blog this week or next about everything we have been up to since the wedding!