After the whole getting ready process, the Ladies in Green waited for the bride to come back downstairs to take the pictures. She was outside for a while taking photos with the groom, and she needed a hair touch-up. While waiting in the lobby, the flower girls were the key entertainment (we waited for a while).
After pictures, which included WALKING ACROSS Michigan Avenue in our gowns (I'm telling you, the photographer is a genius), we had very little time to kill before the ceremony. The wedding planner insisted that Jessie eat something, so she ordered her a turkey sandwich. She's usually a messy eater (I call her Messy Jessie), so we put napkins on her lap so that she wouldn't get food on her dress.
Before the big ceremony began, we witnessed another intimate ceremony in a separate room with the rabbi, the bride and groom and two witnesses (Jessie's brother Jeremy and David's grandfather). They signed the Ketubah, which is a Jewish marriage contract. It felt very special to be able to witness this, because it was the first time that David and Jess became husband and wife.
The Grand Ballroom was beautiful.
In Jewish weddings, there is always a chuppah. The bride and groom stand under it during the ceremony. It's a symbol for the home in the couple's future.
Since it was Shabbat (sundown Friday to sundown Saturday), the ceremony had to be scheduled for after sundown. This meant that it couldn't start until 7 (and we only started 20 minutes late).
During the ceremony, the maid of honor Danielle, the best man Daniel (David's brother) and both sets of parents stood under the chuppah with them. The Ladies in Green (and the Men in Black) stood by the side.
After the ceremony, I met my parents for the cocktail hour in the room that we watched the Ketubah signing. By now, there was food everywhere. It was after 8 pm, and I was starving!
Around 9 pm, we went back into the Grand Ballroom. The room had transformed into a party room with tables galore and a huge dance floor in the middle.
The menu
The palate cleanser.
I picked the chicken dish.
Jessie and David met on a Birthright trip in Israel, so Jessie surprised him with a camel on the cake.
First dance as a married couple. They took dancing lessons, and they were great!
We had so much fun on the dance floor.
The drinking and dancing continued until 1 am (my parents went home way before that), and then we headed up to the bridal suite for the after party. Unfortunately, many of us were so tired that we were not able to stay very long. I had been awake for almost 24 hours by that point. I think I went back to my friend (and fellow bridesmaid) Alex's apartment around 2/2:30. I also think that Jessie and David kicked everybody out around that time. I slept very soundly that night.
I woke up the next morning feeling tired but not completely defeated. I was so happy that I didn't consume nearly enough alcohol to get a hangover. I was also excited for brunch.
Alex and I took a cab back to the hotel and went up to the Tower Room. It had unbelievable views of the city, much like Jessie's bridal suite.
I woke up the next morning feeling tired but not completely defeated. I was so happy that I didn't consume nearly enough alcohol to get a hangover. I was also excited for brunch.
Alex and I took a cab back to the hotel and went up to the Tower Room. It had unbelievable views of the city, much like Jessie's bridal suite.
The Shamrock Shuffle went past the hotel.
Brunch was fantastic. I filled my plate with fresh fruit, chicken sausage, scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes with peppers (capsicum in Australia) and a really good muffin. It's too bad I can't remember what it was. It had oats and raisins in it. I also had two glasses of fresh squeezed orange juice.
On the way out, I took my last photo with Jessie. She looked amazing; I looked like I had just rolled out of bed and thrown on a dress (which is exactly what I did). The lucky gal is now honeymooning in the South Pacific.
I got a ride back to the suburbs, and I proceeded to nap for about two hours. What a weekend!
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