After our marriage ceremony, we met each of our guests, most of whom offered us hugs along with their congratulations. That's where I ran into some problems. By the time I was in the Bride's room prepping for pictures, I felt almost too weak to stand up. I have such a hard time doing anything that requires me to lift my arms...it wears me out fast. Luckily, my wonderful friends wrangled up a wheelchair for me to use for the two hours we were taking formal photographs. While I didn't want any pictures of it, we did have it behind the scenes for me to sit down and rest, and also allowed me to save my energy for the rest of the day ahead. I've had a hard time with using wheelchairs and scooters, but I am a practical person, and I know that for right now, there are moments where they are a necessity.
To save my strength and energy further, instead of changing out of my gown for our luncheon, (at an ITALIAN restaurant, no less...) I opted to remain in the white ball gown and take my chances. Some very kind servers helped me to creatively cover myself with an off-white tablecloth so that I could enjoy the lasagna I had ordered for lunch. Don't worry, no major catastrophes, and the lasagna was great!
After the luncheon and before the photos prior to our reception, we grabbed a quick nap on the couch at the church. I have learned to trust my body and to listen to it. When I have trouble listening, luckily I am surrounded by people who will help me out by telling me what to do. Bryan is one of those people, and there were a couple others this day that "forced" me to take a nap. It was good for me. I've found that frequent naps allow me to be more productive.
Another thing that helps me is to avoid standing for long periods of time. We decided that during our reception I would sit while we were greeting guests, and instead of mingling, we would invite people to come and mingle with us where we were. We found a taller chair that was the appropriate height, and Bryan stood beside me all night. It worked beautifully. Other than cutting the cake, our first dance, and dancing with my dad, I was able to sit the whole time.
As a result of all the little things we did throughout the day to conserve my strength, I even felt good enough to dance with Bryan and our friends for a bit (who could resist dancing when "Dancing Queen" is playing??) towards the end of the evening.
At the hotel, I was obviously so exhausted that Bryan had to carry me into the room....wait. I guess that's really more a rite of passage, huh? All joking aside, to us it had been a perfect day. For a few short moments on a beautiful, early-fall day in September, we got to forget all about Lyme disease and have the perfect life! Now begins the real journey, and I am so happy to have Bryan by my side.
