I met E in my second year of college. She came to live with me and another friend from the dorms in our first apartment together. In the next four years of being roommates together, a strong bond formed between us - and I know a lifetime of friendship continues to grow, even though she lives in Oxnard and I live in SF. We will always be there for each other - there's no need to ask.
My hubby and I flew down to Burbank on Friday - and then drove up to Ventura County. The smoke clouds that my husband casually pointed out from the plane ended up being a huge fire that burned up over 4000 acres. As we turned off the freeway into Ventura, we could see the charred remains of the hills on one side, and the red flames (RED!) peeking through the black smoke. I don't know if the houses on that hill survived, but the fire right there next to them. It was a very unnerving sight.
We checked into the hotel - and I called E. Turns out there was still some running around to do before the big day - so we spend the afternoon running some errands for her. By 4:45p we got to the church for the wedding rehearsal. Yes, I had the huge lump in my throat when I saw E walking down the aisle. After the rehearsal, we had one more quick errand to run and then we joined up with everyone at the Hong Kong Inn for dinner.
After the dinner, we headed back to the hotel. E came back with us, while R and his buddies would be staying at her house. They wouldn't be seeing each other again until that wonderful moment at the church the next afternoon. At the hotel, the matron of honor, my hubby, and I went over the entire itinerary with E. Still a lot of details to settle - so many phone calls and lists later, we finally called it a night. Turns out E and T would stay up a little longer to iron out more details. No surprise. That my roomie.
The next morning, I got up at 7:30a to meet up with the other bridesmaids and headed out to the salon to get our hair and makeup done. Would you believe that took over 2 hours? And we each had our own stylist working with us too. Wow! Anyway, we headed back to the hotel, got dressed and then headed out to E's parent's house. The photographer was there, helping to capture all those important moments. We helped E get dressed - and was that an adventure. Let's just say, the back of her gown had to be laced up by hand. After maybe 20 minutes of tying up her dress, we stepped back and there she was - the radiant bride. E was just simply breathtaking. Perfection.
After more photos, we all climbed into the stretch limo and headed to the church. As we turned the corner and came to a stop in front of the massive church doors, that's when the laughter in the limo slowly quieted down, and reality of what was about to begin in a few minutes sank in. This was it, E and R were finally going to get married. As the music began, I thought back to the times my roomie and I shared throughout our 14 year friendship - and I was just ecstatic to be able to be a part of what will be one of the happiest days of her life.
E was absolutely radiant as she walked down the aisle, arm in arm with both of her parents. The look on R's face can't be described - it was as if he was seeing her for the first time and falling in love with her all over again. It was a beautiful ceremony - and Father John did a fantastic job. His sermon was very upbeat and lively. He wasn't preaching to the congregation, but more of sharing a story that you wanted to hear. A very special moment was when he presented E and R with a framed blessing of the marriage from Pope Benedict himself! Father John said that in 22 years, he has never seen anyone receive a blessing from the Pope.
After the ceremony, there were the pictures (many, many pictures), then the celebration of the bridal party with the new Mr and Mrs in the limo, and then finally the reception. They're first dance was to "Come What May" from the Moulin Rouge Soundtrack. I've always loved that song, but now it has a much different meaning to me. I will always think of them whenever I hear it. E and R had actually practiced a very simple waltz routine to it. It was so beautiful.
To briefly go through the long evening, there was dinner, the heartfelt speeches, a fabulous slideshow of the bride and groom, and then lots of dancing. Oh how my feet hurt - but I kept going! Then there was the garter and bouquet tosses, and the cake. Yummy cake. E and R said some wonderful 'thank yous' to everyone, especially to their parents. There was a lot of love in the room.
After the required conga line, the celebration came to a quiet end. Those who were left trickled out of the ballroom, and the four of us, me and my hubby, E and R, made our way to the elevators. We rode up with them, and as we got off on our floor, we said our farewells and wished them a wonderful honeymoon. I always hate saying goodbye to E. I always miss her so much. She's just very special to me and I miss the days of seeing her every day. Sharing everything. I was lucky enough to have had a roommate I bonded with. There's no question we love each other very much.
Congratulations E and R! I love you both.
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