The Weeks Before My Own Wedding

It’s hard for me to believe that four months ago today, I went from Miss to Mrs.  I was a bride.  And you know what, it was amazing.  Our wedding was everything that I had dreamed it would be.  And going through the planning process, I could not WAIT to blog all about everything that went in to making our wedding day so incredible.  And I am still planning on blogging about all of it, in time.

But the weeks leading up to our wedding day…let’s just say that they were NOT what I expected or could ever have planned for.  And I do think that it is important that I share those details.  

Being a wedding planner, everyone just assumed that my wedding would go off without a hitch (well, other than me and my husband ACTUALLY getting hitched!).  I have been planning weddings for almost seven years…I have close to a hundred under my belt.  I have been planning events for close to 15 years.  Just a walk in the park to get all of the details together for my own wedding, right?

But planning my own was different.  It was my and my fiance’s vision, not a clients that I was bringing to life.  It was about the two of us and our love story.  It was the start of our future together.   Gosh, it was a LOT of pressure, I tell ya!  

For the most part, it was smooth sailing.  Our wedding planner, Tiffany Learned of Detailed Engagements was keeping us on track in the months leading up to our wedding.  Our venue was exactly what we wanted.  Our vendors were wonderful to work with.  My mother and bridal party were so supportive and listened to my freak outs (yes, I had a few).   I was a normal bride getting things in order for the big day.

That was until the name Irma came in to the mix.  She threw some major curve balls at us.  MAJOR ones.   

The day before the “storm”, I could not sleep.  I was trying to be calm but the fear of the unknown was very overwhelming.  I was up at 3 am emailing so many people.

My planner, my vendors, my bridesmaids.  I outlined to everyone the last minute details that were still up in the air and what I needed help with in the event that I was not able to communicate with anyone post-storm.  I also sent emails to clients (some of you are reading this now) outlining that Tiffany would be the point person for them should communication be tough for me.  

Irma arrived to St. John on September 6.  That day is one that I will not soon forget.  When you are in a 10′ x 5′ closet for close to 6 hours just listening to what sounds like a freight train going by the window, it kinda sticks with you.  

Hurricane Bunker Buddies

Hours after the storm ended, we were able to see the damage she caused in the villa we were in.

Great Room at Casa Mare

Bedroom we slept in the night before Irma hours after Irma

The days and weeks after Irma are honestly a blur.  We were lucky to stay at a villa with a generator.  My time was spent in Cruz Bay with many incredible friends unloading boats with supplies and loading them with residents and visitors that needed to evacuate.    

I have been planning events for close to 15 years of my life and I am used to working with crowds in high stress situations.  But you know what I learned in the days after Irma?

I am NOT good in a Natural Disaster.  Nope, not at all.  

My emotions were in overdrive.  In a matter of days, I said bye to people that I had known for years with sincere sadness, knowing that their time on St. John was most likely over.  So many lives changed in the matter of hours.  It was very overwhelming.

I turned my focus to getting our apartment cleaned as much as I could, knowing that we most likely were going to be leaving it for quite some time.

My office two days after Hurricane Irma

Our Porch Door day after Irma

We left St. John on September 17.  It was me, my now husband, Jason, our two dogs and our cat. 

After a 3 hour boat ride with many other people and pets, we made it to Puerto Rico.  As you can see, the dogs were thrilled to be on a boat for that long…the cat, not so much!  She spent the trip inside the cabin.

Maximus looking out at San Juan

Our flights were booked to fly to MA for September 21 out of San Juan.  On the morning of September 18, we woke up and had a plan to go to breakfast.  I said to Jason and a good friend, “Can we just have 2 hours of not talking about what we just went through?  Can we just go get breakfast and pretend that everything is NORMAL?!” 

As we wrapped up breakfast, all of our phones started ringing.  The news of Maria making Puerto Rico a stop on her tour of the Caribbean was not what we wanted to hear.

There were no seats available on any flights out of San Juan.  I had come to accept that we were going to go through another Category 5 Storm.  I was also questioning if we were even going to make it to our own wedding!

I had posted on Facebook that we were in San Juan trying to find a way out.  Several friends sent me messages “just get to the airport…there is a flight taking off at 2 pm..just get there!”

My Mercy Flight Buddies…Jen and Loki

We got there–it’s a crazy story but let’s just say my husband and I are forever grateful to Delta Airlines and Blue Chair Bay Rum for the flight that they chartered out of San Juan on that day.   We boarded the plane.  My seat was in the front of the plane, next to a good friend and her dog.  Jason made his way to the back of the plane with our two dogs.  Come to find out, there were over 30 dogs on that flight.  I sat down, totally frazzled.  My friend looked at me and said “it’s ok…you are ok” and I said “where is this plane going?”  She hugged me and said “Atlanta”.

Relaxing in the hotel room in Atlanta

We ended up in Atlanta for two nights before making our way to MA.  Surprisingly, I ended up in MA a day earlier than my original flight on September 20, 11 days before our wedding.

I tell my clients that the time before your wedding is supposed to be a time for celebrating. 

It is supposed to be an exciting time, getting ready to take the next steps in your love story.  

When it comes to that time for my husband and I, let’s be honest, we were jipped.  The time for us to bask in the glow of our love (cheesy, yes) really didn’t happen.  Our bridal party sadly was made smaller due to a bridesmaid and a groomsmen being stuck on St. John with no way off.  Unfortunately, several of our guests were not able to leave St. John to join us–but they did have a dog wedding in our honor (details to follow in a future blog post!).  

BUT we will never forget those trying few weeks.  They brought us closer together.  We learned so much about each other during that time.   

It may be strange to say this, but Irma did deliver some good in our lives.

Irma made our wedding a celebration not only of our love but of the love between us and our friends and family that literally “rode out the storm” with us. 

When planning your wedding, remember…the goal is to celebrate your love story.  If any bumps in the road happen along the way, trust me…they are there to make you appreciate the little things in life.  And sometimes tough times teach you more about yourself.

Our wedding was one of the best days of my life.  It was crazy and stressful to get there, BUT I would not change a thing.  Well, maybe I would like to do it all over again, preferably without 2 Category 5 Hurricanes as an introduction.  🙂