Katrina & Joe's Perfect Christmas Wedding

[katrina7875]

I'm ready to start sharing about my perfect day. I can't believe that I spent over a year planning and making everything and now it is all over! I want to thank everyone for their advice along the way and all the well wishes! It was very much appreciated.

I will start with all the preparations I had to do on Friday before the wedding. It was a crazy day! It started with decorating the reception hall. I was very stressed upon arriving at the hall because they didn't have sufficient staff to answer my questions. The room was set up with too many tables. And then we needed to figure out where everything needed to go. The room had no heat and my sister needed to wear her gloves the entire 3 hours that we were decorating. And because things were not set up correctly I started to stress and the bridezilla in me came out. I needed to make an emergency run to Walmart to buy extra extension cords. And my junior bridesmaid (12 yrs old) sorta pissed me off because all she wanted to do was stand around and listen to her ipod and tell everyone how bored she was! It took us 3 hours but everything turned out beautiful. I don't have pictures yet, but believe me, I will. We decorated the gift table, the cake table and set up a small Christmas tree on a table to hang jingle bells that told everyone which table they would be seated at. We set up another large white Christmas tree in the corner and decorated it with red ornaments and beads. There was already a beautiful Christmas tree in the room courtesy of the reception hall. The hall had also decorated all the sconces on the walls for Christmas too. We put out all the favors and set up the table numbers I had made. Unfortunately one of the placecard holders I was using for the table numbers broke. But it all worked out. We also set up the candy bar, which looked fantastic! I forgot to bring along my seating arrangment so we had to rely on checking each jingle bell to see how many were at each table. When we were finished the hall looked awesome and just how I envisioned it! I apologized to everyone for yelling so much. And my bridemaids told me it was totally understandable and that I really didn't yell at them.

[katrina7875]

After the reception hall was decorated, my sister, my mom and myself went back to my parent's house to grab a bite to eat, relax a little and pack up the decorations for the church. My other bridemsaids couldn't help out at the church. Which was OK because I didn't have much for the church.

At the church, we had to hang the pew bows and fluff them up a bit. We also decorated the railing at the altar. We used red and clear Christmas lights and red roses. The windows in the church and the piano and organ were already decorated for Christmas. The tree in the church was beautiful and totally matched my red theme. We set up a table in the vestibule for the picture mat that all the guests would sign. We also had a poinsettia from Joe's pappy's funeral the week before. I made a card to put in the poinsettia saying that it was in loving memory of his pappy. I had to leave the church at 6:00 to go pick up Joe and one of the groomsmen. I was a little bummed because I wanted to shower before the rehearsal but I ran out of time.

I got to my apartment at 6:30 only to find out that Joe wa intoxicated. He decided to drink 12 beers before the rehearsal. Because he was drunk, he was in slow motion. I wanted to pick him up and leave right away. Well he didn't have his shoes on and he wanted to hug & kiss me and I tried so hard not tell yell at him. But here's the kicker. He had a case of beer that he wanted to take along for his dad's house after the rehearsal. He carried it out to the car and fell on the ice. Beer cans everywhere! Some broke open, some rolled under the car. I was so pissed off. Well we go on our way & pick up the groomsman. When the groomsman gets in the car he informs me that one of the beers leaked all over the seat - of my friend's car that I had to borrow because my car was in the shop. So now I'm upset that her car smells like beer, my soon-to-be-hubby is drunk off his a$$, and the groomsman sat in the wet spot and has a wet beer butt.

We got to the church by 7:30 which is what time the rehearsal was scheduled for. I was all flustered and still needed to comb my hair and put on my makeup. But not everyone was at the church yet so it was OK. I finished getting ready and we got the rehearsal started. The pastor didn't exactly do things the way I would have done them. I thought we would practice the wedding from beginning to end. Instead he jumped around and we started by practicing the receiving line. He wanted us to line up in a weird order: my mom, Joe's dad, Joe's mom, my dad and then me & Joe and the bridal party. I was in a complete state of blur and didn't realize this was weird. Luckily my sister spoke up and put Joe's parents together and my parent's beside me. So we practiced and everything was good. Except that Joe was drunk and stumbled over his lines. Then we went downstairs to have dinner. I didn't find out until much later that Joe fell down the steps in his drunken state. The dinner went well and everybody loved their gifts. The bridesmaids especially like their tote bags, their survival kits and the scrapbooks I made for them.

After the dinner, while I was cleaning up, apparently Joe decided that he needed to drink more beer in the parking lot. And the groomsman pissed me off because he spent the whole night on his cell phone making plans for afterwards. It was like my wedding was an inconvenience to him. He didn't want to stay for the dinner, but he had to because I was his ride.

I took Joe to his dad's house for the night. I put Joe's dad's gf in charge. Joe never got a bachelor party so he still wanted to drink more and party. But she assured me that she would take care of him.

[katrina7875]

I went home alone to our apartment the night before the wedding. I was able to relax and get a good night's sleep. Joe called once from the bar to let me know he was having fun. And I talked to Joe's dad's gf and she assured me again that everything was OK.

Now this is the good part! At 4:30 in the morning I get a call from Joe's dad. I didn't answer the phone but listened as he left a message. This is what he said, "I have a problem. It's a couple hours from your wedding and I can't find Joe anywhere. I looked for him but i just don't know where he could be." At this point panic started to rise inside me and just as I started to get out of bed to pick up the phone he says, "Just kidding. Joe is right here sleeping on the couch." So I rolled over and went back to sleep. Joe's dad does dumb stuff like that so I didn't let it bother me. It is kinda funny looking back at it now.

[katrina7875]

Mom woke me up the morning of the wedding because she couldn't didn't remember taking the toasting glasses to the reception. I didn't answer the phone because I still had 45 minutes til my alarm would go off. She must have called again while I was in the shower because then she called one of my bridesmaids. She had good reason to be panicked as I still had the toasting glasses at our apartment. I hadn't forgotten about them though and I did have them sitting with my stuff to take along that day.

My bridesmaid Jamie & I were getting our hair done by her sister-in-law. It was a rainy morning (although it was never actually raining everytime I needed to be outside!). Because of the rain my hair wasn't holding any curls. So I let her put all my hair up. That was probably the best decision I ever made. My hair looked perfect! She used so many bobby pins that my tiara and veil weren't going to budge.

I got my makeup done at a local salon. The girl did a perfect job. I told her I wanted to look natural with just a little sparkle and that is exactly what she did! I loved my makeup!

[katrina7875]

Jamie & I drove to the church together. I was very nervous because I half-expected Joe to call me sometime that morning and I hadn't heard from him. Looking back I am thankful that we didn't talk before the wedding. The thing that I was most worried about was him not being at the church (not because he got cold feet but because of unreliable people getting him there).

When we got to the church, Jamie made sure the coast was clear before I went in. Mom was the first person to see me and of course she started crying. I didn't even have my dress on yet. I told her not to cry because then I would start crying. I did a good job of holding it together.

I also saw my dad in his tux when we arrived at the church and I got so excited because he looked so dang handsome. Joe picked out awesome tuxes! And dad answered my first question right away - is Joe here yet? - and he was!!!! At last I felt at ease.

[katrina7875]

I was probably at the church 20 minutes before I realized that I hadn't seen the flowers yet. Mom brought them in and they were perfect! Except each bouquet had a piece of lace that went around the holder. I hated it! No problem - we got a scissors and cut all the lace off! Then I was upset because the ribbon on the girls' bouquets was a burgundy color and their dresses were red. Not a problem either - they could easily hide the ribbon with their hands. And it turned out that the ribbon was sheer and when they held it up next to their dress you couldn't really tell that it didn't match.

We got ready at the church without a hitch. It took my sister a good 15 minutes to lace up my corset and tie the sash. We took pictures with all the girls and everything was perfect. And my bridemsmaids told me that Joe seemed nervous which made me laugh because he kept insisting he wouldn't be nervous.

And my 2 bridemsmaids who wore short dresses got matching shoes without knowing it! My only stipulation was that they all wore silver shoes. How perfect was that!

[katrina7875]

Finally it was time to line up at the back of the church. Now remember how I said it was a rainy morning? Well to get to the back of the church from the basement we needed to walk outside. It was sunny and warm (probably in the 60's) and there was no indication that it had rained! That was when I decided we would do our receiving line outside. Originally we were going to do it inside the church but it was just too beautiful not to take advantage of it.

I held it together pretty well. I didn't cry as I walked down the aisle with my dad (although I did tear up a little). But we walked down the aisle pretty fast. In fact when we got 3/4 up the aisle I told my dad we needed to walk slower. Joe heard me say this and he started laughing.

Oh yeah, and Joe looked absolutely hot in his tux! And as soon as my dad gave me away and put my hand in Joe's he told me I looked beautiful. Then I did start crying a bit.

[amisteratwisterandme]

Oh my!

Killing the groom before the wedding probably would have been on my agenda.

You my dear have alot of patience. I know I wouldn't have been able to slep a wink. I am so glad the weather held up for you. It seems that most of the country was hit on Christmas day, so lucky you!

Can't wait to hear more. I love that you did a winter wedding theme. Sounds beautiful!

[bichonlvr]

Yeah..His dad...sounds like a crack up:)

Can't wait to see pics :)

[PGDesigns]

Glad to hear that the weather cooperated and that Joe was not really missing! :bbeek: I can't wait to see the pictures. Congrats again!

[Brian's Bride]

I'm happy you didn't kill your DH during his drunkenness... LOL! Everything sounds fabulous, especially all the Christmas decorations that were already done for you!

[gwenshack]

That's a lot of beer the night before! :) I'm surprised they didn't have to roll him down the aisle!
I fear we're going to start our lives together in a very similar fashion...:)

I can't wait to hear and see more - the one pic of you was just gorgeous! :)

[katrina7875]

I didn't forget that I still need to finish sharing the details of the wedding. Please be patient with me! But I do have a few more pictures.

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[gwenshack]

Your cake is beautiful! :)

[bichonlvr]

I love how the ribbon and the cake match! The tables look perfect!

[katrina7875]

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Joe looks grumpy here - I think he was sick of having his picture taken

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One of my good friends from high school who lives in CT - I don't get to see her much at all

[PGDesigns]

BEAUTIFUL! Can't wait to see more!

[katrina7875]

During the ceremony, Joe & I shared traditional vows that we repated after the pastor but we also wrote a little something to each other as well. I am so glad we did because this was my favorite part of the ceremony. My bridesmaids thought we were very brave to do this. Of course we kept what we wrote secret from one another until we shared them during the ceremony. I was certain I would cry and wouldn't be able to share mine. I did get choked up but I held it together.

Here is what we shared:

what Joe said to me:
Who knew there was someone out there for me. Who knew Father’s Day three years ago I would find the woman of my dreams. I sure didn’t. Now here we are 3 years later and you still take my breath away. I love you!! I know sometimes I make you wanna pull your hair out cause I'm a guy and I do stupid things sometimes. I do all those things with good intentions in my mind but it always don’t turn out how I want it. I cant wait for us to spend the rest of our lives together. 3 and a half down, 100 more years to go hopefully. If we don’t drive each other crazy first.

I loved what he said because it totally reflected his personality. I started to cry when he said I take his breath away but then he made me laugh as well. I thought this was perfect!

what I said to Joe:
Joe, I love you with all my heart.
You are my one and only, my rock, and my inspiration.
It seems like only yesterday that we started our lives together and allowed our love to bloom.
I knew in my heart that we were meant to be together.
My love for you is infinite and I cherish every second we are together.
I will continue to treasure our love forever and never take it for granted.
Nothing will ever change these feelings deep inside of me.
You are my best friend.

My only gripe about all of this was that the pastor didn't explain it very well. In our program we had it labelled as our declaration of love. So that's all the pastor said. I wish he would have said that Katrina & Joe wrote very personal messages for each other. Oh well! I heard my bridesmaids crying behind me when Joe read his.

[PGDesigns]

Oh my gosh, how sweet!

[dleggs15]

WOW I loved the story and you looked so pretty! I'm glad you had such a wonderful day and you and Joe are now on your next chapter! Oh and I LOVE your cake!

[katrina7875]

A picture from our honeymoon.

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We didn't have a spectacular honeymoon. We just went an hour down the road to Hershey. But we had fun. The hotel we stayed at upgraded us to a room with a jacuzzi and fireplace for free. Maybe after we get our tax returns we will have a more extravagant honeymoon. Either way I don't mind. I'm just happy to be married to my wonderful husband!

[NOTKT]

You are so pretty! I loved your dress! Sorry, I promise I will comment more, I need to read all your info first! It's too late tonight, but you did ann amazing job! We want more pictures!

[katrina7875]

More pictures! Sorry the quality isn't the best!

The groomsmen
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Joe
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Joe's mom & her bf
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My mom & dad
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[katrina7875]

My dad walking me down the aisle
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The kiss
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Joe, his mom & his brothers
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Joe, his brothers & his grandma
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[gwenshack]

What a nice looking bunch!

[Nekochanpurr]

Aww!! You looked so happy!!

[katrina7875]

OK I'll continue with my story.

The ceremony was perfect. It went very smoothly. Except after the ceremony I found out that the photographer caught his pants on fire! Apparently it was while Joe & I were saying our vows. I didn't see it happen but apparently a few of my bridesmaids did.

We took pictures after the ceremony. Unfortunately Joe's grandma left right away and we didn't get any formal pictures with her.

The reception was almost perfect with a few minor glitches. When we got to the reception hall we found out that one of the groomsmen wasn't there yet. We called him & found out that he went home to get changed! What the ****! He said he would be awhile so we were introduced into the reception without him. I moved groomsmen around and had my sister (MOH) walk in alone. I was so excited for the song Joe & I chose to walk into the reception - What Was I Thinking. Except the DJ played the song from the beginning and by the time it got to the What Was I Thinking part no one was paying attention. That sorta bummed me out.

Joe & I had a sweetheart table. I'm so glad we did. It gave us time to wind down and talk. The best man started giving his toast as soon as we got to our table. Except our champagne hadn't been poured! I spent the whole toast pouring champagne for Joe & I and I didn't hear a word he said. Then the DJ forgot that we had another best man giving a toast. I mentioned something and the DJ tried to play it off as if we never told him! That sorta pissed me off!

[katrina7875]

The DJ was my biggest problem during the reception. He came over and asked me if I was ready to cut the cake and I said, "Sure". But then he noticed that a few ppl were still eating so he said we would wait about 15 min. I relayed the msg to Joe and he suggested that we do our 1st dance in the meantime. When I told the DJ he sorta flaked out on me telling me that he was all ready to do the cake and that he'd have to get the songs ready for the dance. I told him that he could take all the time he needed but he was obviously annoyed with me. It took him all of 30 secs to get the song ready so I'm not sure what his problem was. So we did all of our significant dances and my mom said we should cut the cake. I told her to tell the DJ. So of course the DJ comes up to me and tells me that some lady in a black dress told him we should cut the cake. I looked at the DJ and said, "She is my mother. You must listen to her!" LOL

Joe was good during the whole cake thing. He insisted he was going to smash it in my face. So I gave him the piece with the least icing. But he was good to me. I was a little bad but only got a little icing on his nose!

The groomsman who went home to get changed never did come to the reception. He is on my hit list! It seemed like my whole wedding was a huge inconvenience for him. Oh well!

I took everyone's advice and didn't let anything bother me on my wedding day. Looking back some things bother me now, but I stayed calm and enjoyed every minute.

Our candy bar was a huge hit! The guests LOVED it! I got so many compliments on it. I'm so glad we did it! The candy table looked awesome too. Don't worry, I'll have pics eventually.

My only other problem is that I was in the mood to dance and it was like pulling teeth to get people to dance with me. I literally had to drag ppl out on the dance floor.

That's it - my perfect-in my mind- wedding! And I'm loving every minute of being Mrs. Joe Strohecker. Of course my marriage license is still at my mom's house so I haven't changed my name on anything yet so legally I'm not Katrina Strohecker yet - but soon!

[NOTKT]

:happy: :happy: :happy: :happy: :happy:

[Brian's Bride]

Wow! Great pics. You were gorgeous, and I'm totally digging the red! I would be super-PO'd at the GM who never came to the reception... WTH?!? And your DJ sounds... hrmm... irritating, too. I'm happy you didn't let those things get you down, though!

[GrayC25]

I got married on 12/27/08, too! Wasn't it a crazy day weather-wise?? Rain and 60 degrees!!! Everything looked beautiful - congrats!!!

[katrina7875]

More pics - hope you're not sick of them!

Dad & I danced crazy during the dollar dance.
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Joe & I with my grandma
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Me & my aunt
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[katrina7875]

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[NOTKT]

So pretty! You looked great!

[Mrs.Goff]

Awww, you looked so pretty! I love your gown. Congrats.