Otterly in Love: We Pose

Hive, I love taking photos. Put me on either side of the camera and I'm happy as a clam. So after the first look, which was almost entirely candid shots of us just talking and rejoicing in the fact that the wedding day had finally arrived, we started posing for our portraits. About halfway through, the wedding party members started showing up, so they got to watch as we posed.

I, being the shameless photo lover that I am, was not at all concerned. Watch away folks! Mr. O, on the other hand was freezing and doesn't like having his photo taken, so it was a bit less fun for him. (But on that note: he loved wearing that tux, so I'm pretty sure he wasn't complaining too much. ;))

(All photos by Stacy Able Photography.) 

My something blue: from MOH Cubs, a dragonfly to represent my deceased best friend, Kir.

Contrary to popular belief amongst friends, family, and coworkers - nobody is holding my veil! It was chilly out, and very windy, so as I stood facing the wind, it picked up my veil giving us this beauty of a photo. :) 

And on that note: let's talk weather for a moment, folks. Indiana is unpredictable. I mean, just take our rehearsal day - it was sleeting and most of the main roads were closed. Given that it was the end of April, we anticipated some rain, but we didn't anticipate how cold it would be. Throughout the day I kept telling everyone to think warm thoughts, because otherwise they were going to look uncomfortable in the photos. And since Stacy is such a pro, she would remind everyone to unclench fists and etc. before taking shots. 

Thankfully - the rain held off throughout the day, and once we were indoors, all was well. But (some foreshadowing) my veil did not quite make it as planned...

Another one of my favorites from the day!

A tip, for all of you who are still planning: vary your tanning routine. I prefer a certain type of tanning bed when I do go tanning, and this led to that lovely tan line you (sort of) see above.

Anybody remember my post on why I purchased a long veil? These ended up being some of our favorite shots from the entire wedding; a whole series of them already hangs on our bedroom wall!

Up next: The Otter Wedding Party

Missed a recap? Catch up here!

• Otterly in Love: The Girls Get Pampered
• Otterly in Love: We Rehearse
• Otterly in Love: A Reverse Shower
• Otterly in Love: I’m Awake, Now What?
• Otterly in Love: The Girls Get Pretty
• Otterly in Love: The Guys Get Ready
• Otterly in Love: I Become a Bride
• Otterly in Love: We Exchange Gifts
• Otterly in Love: The First Look

Otterly in Love: The First Look

After opening gifts, Mr. O processed and I in separate cars to the venue.

While I was waiting in the car, I saw them walking him down to where we would later say our vows and I was once again overwhelmed with emotion. There he was, my soon-to-be husband. And he was about to finally see my dress, which I had managed to keep secret for SO. LONG. (An impressive feat for me, because I do not do a good job of keeping things from Mr. O!)

And now I'll let the photos speak for themselves!

(All photos by Stacy Able Photography)

One of my favorite photos from the entire day!

Mr. O assists me in moving locations for portraits. :)

Up next: We Pose

Missed a recap? Catch up here!

• Otterly in Love: The Girls Get Pampered
• Otterly in Love: We Rehearse
• Otterly in Love: A Reverse Shower
• Otterly in Love: I’m Awake, Now What?
• Otterly in Love: The Girls Get Pretty
• Otterly in Love: The Guys Get Ready
• Otterly in Love: I Become a Bride
• Otterly in Love: We Exchange Gifts

Otterly In Love: I Become A Bride

Hive, I have to tell you. As much as the emotions hit when I was wide awake at 4AM, they hit hard when I had my veil put in. I'm not sure what it was about the veil rather than the hair or makeup or people going back and forth from room to room, but for some reason when I put that veil on, I just felt like a bride. In that moment, I felt another rush of emotion - this is it. This is me, getting in to my dress. Right now. I couldn't believe the time had finally come!

(All photos by Stacy Able Photography.)

And for honesty's sake: I have to say that in this photo, I just wanted to open my damn present (hence the veil in but no dress look that I have going on). See, I knew that in the other room, Mr. O had already opened his gift, and I was anxious to open mine. But nooo, I couldn't open mine until I was in my dress, and I couldn't be in my dress until everyone ELSE got dressed. I believe it was at that point that I started saying "get dressed, get dressed, you guys, come on, get dressed." I knew the moms would change in the bathroom, and I knew K (mom of the little ones and also one of my favorite people in the whole world) would also change in the bathroom. The ladies though? STRIP! We're all ladies, and quite frankly, I wasn't interested in seeing lady parts or who was changing where, I just wanted everyone to get dressed. 

(My thoughts: is this real life?)

(MOH Cubs and Momma Otter get me in the dress - finally!)

Another memorable moment from the day: I don't remember who said it, but when I got dressed for the sake of everyone in the room who was watching, I left my bra on until I had my dress on. Someone exclaimed "I love the black!" ...*crickets*... that's when Stacy explained that I still had my bra on and that was going away, haha.

(The details: my pretty dress, gorgeous ring, and a peek of my bird tattoo.)

(Ow ow! BM Blondesquared assisted with putting on the garter. ;))

(And BM Jen assisted with the shoes.)

And just like that - we were all dressed and ready to leave for the first look! (Okay so technically after I got ready, we exchanged gifts, but I got excited and things got out of order. Oops!)

Up Next: The First Look

Missed a recap? Catch up here!

• Otterly in Love: The Girls Get Pampered
• Otterly in Love: We Rehearse
• Otterly in Love: A Reverse Shower
• Otterly in Love: I’m Awake, Now What?
• Otterly in Love: The Girls Get Pretty
• Otterly in Love: The Guys Get Ready
• Otterly in Love: We Exchange Gifts

Otterly In Love: The Guys Get Ready

Well, hive, you may have noticed in my last post about gifts that everybody was already dressed... Oops! I might have skipped a post or two about getting dressed in there somewhere, so here's the first!

While the girls were getting pretty allllll morning, the guys were hanging out at the Otter apartment, watching TV and playing video games. They had pizza delivered for lunch, and then came to the hotel. From there, it took them a good ten minutes to get themselves ready for the day. TEN MINUTES! Compared to the ladies, they had it so easy! No hair, no makeup, and they could totally destroy their room because the purpose of keeping it nice was for them.

(As a funny note though: notice the Aldo box in the shoe closet? Yeah, BM Blondesquared really wanted that and it got left behind. Oops!)

All photos by Stacy Able Photography.

Another memorable moment: when BM Billygoat when to get his tux (suit? tux? We were never sure.) he text Mr. O to tell him how "classic" it was. "Classic" quickly became a buzzword, and this picture reminds me of that every time I see it! 

(Q: How many Otter dads does it take to get the groom ready?)

(A: Two.)

(Daddy Otter left to his own devices steals a bouquet instead of being pinned. Oh, Daddy O.)

Up Next: Things are all out of order, so you'll just be surprised. ;)

Missed a recap? Catch up here!

• Otterly in Love: The Girls Get Pampered
• Otterly in Love: We Rehearse
• Otterly in Love: A Reverse Shower
• Otterly in Love: I’m Awake, Now What?
• Otterly in Love: The Girls Get Pretty
• Otterly in Love: We Exchange Gifts

Otterly In Love: We Exchange Gifts

PREZZIE TIME! Hive, I love prezzies. I also participate in Chrismukkah, because, as Seth Cohen explains, it is "eight days of presents, followed by one day of many presents". But that's a story for another time.

After the guys got ready and I officially became a bride, the guys were kicked out of the room so Mr. O could open his gift in private.

(All photos by Stacy Able Photography.)

While I did get Mr. O a card (letterpressed and everything, so fancy!), I thought that it would be more meaningful to write my note to him in our notebook. Our notebook is something we've been doing for a while now... maybe a year or so? It started as a fun way to leave each other a little note and became a catch all - somewhere to jot down a quick memory or story, a place to say sorry for leaving all the lights on (as I so often do), or just to say I love you if we missed each other one morning or evening. It was really a last moment thought, as we were leaving the house for our nail appointments, it was sitting out and I grabbed it, ready to write down a few words for my soon to be husband.

And then on to the real gift...

See that blush, hive? I love it! And I can say with 100% certainty that he enjoyed his gift. Stacy, a talented photographer in every way imaginable, also takes boudoir images. After much debate and many pep talks, I decided if not now, then when? If anyone can make me feel comfortable, it's Stacy. And if anyone can make what problem areas I think I have disappear, it's Stacy. So a boudoir shoot it was! 

Way back (okay, not that long ago), on Valentine's Day, I told Mr. O we were checking in to a hotel for a nice little stay-cation. We're not Valentine's Day people. We do dinner, and that's usually it. Even more surprising to Mr. O, it was a Thursday, meaning I would miss my beloved TV show. But little did he know that the next morning would actually be spent visiting Jillian and Kristin at Eyemax for a blowout and airbrushing, then meeting Stacy at the hotel (the very same hotel that he opened his gift in!) for a photoshoot.

(Blushing! One of my favorite qualities about Mr. O.)

As a quick aside: I have to tell you, I thought long and hard about revealing a photo from Mr. O's book. They are, by far, the most beautiful photographs that I've ever seen of myself. I don't just like these photos, I absolutely LOVE them. I think they capture so perfectly exactly what I was going for - something elegant but still something that Mr. O would look at in 10 years and say wow. 

But, with that being said, I also was repeating my constant mantra in my head - once it's on the internet, there's no going back. Well, this photo resides on Mr. O's beside table, and since I recently took photos of our bedside tables, I realized it's already out there. So hive, here it is, on the bedside table:

(Personal photo)

If you are thinking about doing a boudoir shoot - DO IT. I talked myself in and out of it so many times leading up to that day, and then finally, I just did it. About five seconds with Stacy was all it took to get me out of my shell. And the outcome? So worth it. Whenever I'm feeling down about my body, I just look at a few of these. Confidence booster, right here.

Now moving on! Since everyone in my room was finally dressed, it was my turn to open my gift! Mr. O had told me in advance that my gift was sentimental, and that he wouldn't give me any hints because it would ruin it. This drove me absolutely CRAZY! I hate surprises, and I hate them even more when they're dangled in front of me. Finally it was time to see what all the fuss was about!

As soon as I removed the tissue paper I knew, and I completely lost it. The very small card said "back to where it all began" and wow, did he bring back the memories with his gift. I thought mine had hit it out of the park but Mr. O shocked me to the core. 

In my gift, I had our first date movie (Fool's Gold), mints (that I eat by the bag to this day, I'm obsessed with them!), and puppy chow. The puppy chow goes even further back to a thunderstorm-y night where a few girlfriends stayed at my house and the power went out. I asked Mr. O to go get us some puppy chow and come over. For years after, we would debate as to if you could purchase pre-made puppy chow (YOU CAN! HA!), but that night, he was unable to find any, and instead he actually made it for us. At some odd hour in the morning. And then hand delivered it. He's a keeper. ;)

(Since my gift was much less sensitive, the ladies got to watch while I ugly cried.)

....Oh, but not until after I put deodorant on in the elevator because, you know, I forgot. (Scroll up, scroll down. Yep, same girl, I swear!)

With the gifts unwrapped and the ugly tears cleaned up, it was time to head to the venue for the first look!

Up Next: The First Look!

Missed a recap? Catch up here!

• Otterly in Love: The Girls Get Pampered
• Otterly in Love: We Rehearse
• Otterly in Love: A Reverse Shower
• Otterly in Love: I’m Awake, Now What?
• Otterly in Love: The Girls Get Pretty

Otterly in Love: The Girls Get Pretty

After my (mostly) restful evening, the alarm started going off, signaling that finally, the day was here! We all got up and dressed in our best worst (some of us didn't even have shoes to wear that weren't heels... oops!), we went downstairs to enjoy the complimentary breakfast. MOH Cubs and I ate the lightest, only going to eat bacon. This was the calm before the storm, y'all. We had that hour or so to just chat, talk about strange things (as per usual with us), and prepare for everyone to arrive. And once they did, things got crazy!

(All photos by Stacy Able Photography unless otherwise noted.)

The first on the scene were our hairstylists - my aunt and her coworker, as well as my cousin to lend a helping hand. Originally, it was going to be just my aunt doing all of our hair. Thankfully, she is much smarter than me and brought extra help!

Just a few minutes after, Jillian (who will forever be my makeup artist!) and her assistant arrived to do our makeup. I can't say enough great things about Eyemax Cosmetics, so if you're an Indy bride, make sure to check them out!

(Personal photo / Momma Otter was SO excited to get airbrush makeup done!)

(Personal photo / Another great photo by BM Blondesquared. I love that you can see my new initials, too!)

So remember when I said that flower girl TK was exactly like my brother, and flower girl Minnie was my mini (hence her nickname)? While she was watching everyone get their hair and makeup done, TK was running around and just enjoying herself. Getting her to hold still for makeup required bribing her with sushi, of all things. :)

(Personal photo / TK was not loving the makeup experience.)

(Personal photo.)

(Personal photo / TK is smiling because sushi is the reward for sitting still...)

(MOH Cubs just loves it. ;))

Earlier, I mentioned that we ended up with two rooms. While we would have needed two rooms anyway (one for the ladies and one for the guys), my original plan was for the ladies to have a suite so we would have a fridge and extra table space for hair and makeup. Unfortunately, things don't always work out as planned so we ended up in two rooms next door to each other. But that being said - it worked out great!

We designated one room the "neat" room for the guys to take photos in, so we had to keep it looking nice. We tried not to sit on the beds and not to disturb anything that didn't belong to us (so no rearranging the furniture or anything like that!). To make it easier on all, we had hair in one room and makeup in the other. This worked out awesome because not only did we have plenty of table space, but it also gave us all something to do when it wasn't our turn in one of the chairs - going back and forth to see what was going on. 

It ended up working out perfectly... at one point, though, I found myself laying across a bed to take a photo and exclaimed "you guys! I'm breaking my own rule about the neat room!" It was pretty funny. And okay, especially funny to me because whenever I make myself laugh, I laugh even more. I'm weird. :)

(It takes a lot to make us look pretty!)

(Minnie sits and gets her makeup done without complaint; I'm telling you, this little girl is exactly like me!)

Up next: The Guys Get Ready.

Missed a recap? Catch up here!

• Otterly in Love: The Girls Get Pampered
• Otterly in Love: We Rehearse
• Otterly in Love: A Reverse Shower
• Otterly in Love: I'm Awake, Now What?