Announcing: Andrew & Sabrina
Andrew & Sabrina’s wedding - we had an awesome time. Again used it as a “what we loved” and noted details for our own wedding.
I actually wanted to also include the story of our trip to NJ, because it turned out to be a fun adventure which sort of culminated with Andrew & Sabrina’s wedding. So I’ll start at the beginning, which for us was the middle of Thursday afternoon.
Anyone that asks if Kris has seen my dress, sorry to say yes. Even if he hadn’t already seen it several times (when we first went to pick it up, when he helped me hang it in the closet and take it out), he would have seen it at the airport. I’d decided a while back (with much advice from several sources) that the best way to ensure that my dress would get to NJ in time and in shape would be for me to take it myself, as a carry-on item, onto one of our flights to NJ. Since all my alterations are done already, I figured it would be easier and less stressful to take it now rather than in August. To make sure everyone knew to treat it with care, I took it in the clear plastic dress/travel bag it came in. It was a breeze going through security with it, and it didn’t even count as a carry-on! (I had my purse and a backpack in addition to the dress.) We got to pre-board (the counter attendant told me “I don’t see that as being a problem,” when I asked and held up the dress), and the flight attendants took it into the pilot’s closet with no request on my behalf. They were even cutely worried about having to fold it in half because the closet is only that big!
The flight was awesome - I think we will always fly on Continental from Santa Ana direct to Newark in the future. It’s a tiny bit more expensive, but it’s a direct flight to the closest two airports - oh, so much more convinient! - and they actually still serve meals! We’ll rack up some frequent flier miles quick - we should have been doing this for the past two years! Kris and I conked out for the first hour of the flight, and when we woke up dinner was being served! Then they showed two movies (free if you brought your own headphones!), and all of a sudden we were in Newark. My friend (& bridesman) Ray picked us up - which was awesome because it was midnight and both my parents had to work on Friday. When we got to my parents’ house, we pretty much unpacked since we were still wide awake, and then went to sleep.
The next day we had a quick breakfast with my grandma who’s up visiting to see us and my sister’s graduation, then packed my dad’s Corvette (which he was awesome enough to let us borrow!) and headed out. I had a quick stop with at my local salon, which was conveniently located next to a HUGE liquor store. Since the reception was BYOB, we picked up some of our favorite drinks and then we were ready to hit the highway.
A pre-planned possible lunch stop with my Aunt Paula, Uncle Tony, and cousin Anthony - since they were up in Rhode Island picking Anthony up from college, exactly where we were headed - fizzled out when we realized they were just about to leave RI when we were about to leave NJ. It wasn’t a complete loss as they gave us great advice on which highways to take, and Kris and I had an awesome time driving on the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut, even though it was raining.
We arrived in Coventry in no time, and the hotel we had reservations at was the same one the bride and groom and their families were staying. As we checked in, I met Sabrina’s father when I heard him mention something….”Father of the Bride!” We had a good chuckle later when we realized he hadn’t actually told us his name - and joked that all that mattered today was the “FOB” or other titles (FOG, MOG, MOB - weirdly, I realized all those abbreviations are actual words themselves!). 
We had an awesome time at the actual wedding! I’m so happy for the two of them, and proud that they were able to stay sane with so many crazy things that happened - the rain canceling the “on the beach” and outside parts of the wedding; her bouquet not getting picked up; how to get the caterers, a ceremony, and the tables all in one space and still have room for a dance floor. We stayed until the very end of the dancing, and two other couples staying at the hotel asked to follow us back since they were unsure of exactly how to go. Nick, Libby, Raj, and Claire were so fun!
When we got back to the hotel, Libby and I wanted to have the after party by the pool, but no one else wanted to, and it was “closed” after midnight. Instead Andrew and Sabrina invited us and quite a few other people up to their room. We sat around with them and talked for nearly three more hours! I don’t know how Kris and I managed to get up the next day at 10 to meet everyone for breakfast. As it turned out, unfortunately we just couldn’t stay for the actual breakfast and headed out back to NJ. But it was a very fun start to our trip back east, and I’m so glad we had the opportunity to spend some time with nearly everyone we used to hang out with in New England, especially Andrew and Sabrina!
