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Once we arrived back at the hotel after sneaking out of our reception, we had to rush, since we only had a half hour head start on our guests! Mr. Cola helped unlace my dress, we changed, emptied both of the ice machines on our floor, and scrambled to clean up the bridal suite for our after party.Luckily one of my bridesmaids was texting me with updates as to how close the charter bus with everyone was, so by the time they arrived, Mr. Cola and I were ready to continue the party!
Our after party outfits were so typical of us--I was all dressed up in a nice dress and he was wearing a tuxedo t-shirt (which I bought for him, and he was very excited about) and shorts. I was even wearing 4 inch heels, while he went barefoot for most of the evening!
(I'd meant to shorten this dress to above my knees, but ran out of time. Oh well, after enjoying our open bar all night, I doubt anyone noticed it was too long!)
One of my friends, who owns his own bar and restaurant, started mixing drinks for everyone, and we got down to partying.
(We had a counter full of liquor and mixers, plus several buckets on the floor full of beer and ice. I still can't believe how many half gallons of booze we emptied that night!)
(I took this last photo from the second story of our suite, oh, 10 minutes after the pizza was delivered. It sure didn't last long!)
(Showing off our new bling.)
(My sister swiped some of the mustaches from our fauxtobooth). And yes, it was so hot with all the drinking people in our suite that we turned the temperature down to 63 degrees so the AC would blast!)
(One of my favorite photos from our after party, since my sis and I never got a chance to pose together in our fauxtobooth.)
At around 2:30 in the morning it was time to call it a night, which I'm sure our neighbors in the hotel appreciated. Everyone trickled back to their own rooms (some, I suspect, continued partying for a while), and Mr. Cola and I could finally retire upstairs in our suite and rest our feet. And spend a good 45 minutes trying to untangle my hair and get all the bobby pins out (over 50 of them!).This picture was taken towards the end of our after party, you can see that my curls were still going strong. What you can't see is that the under-layer of my hair was a giant tangled mat. I was SO tired, but couldn't go to bed that night until all the tangles were out!
Are you planning to continue your wedding night with an after party? I highly recommend it--it was the only time all evening that we got to spend with some of our closest friends!
Next up, my final wedding event recap (so sad!), our Sunday luncheon.
Miss any wedding week details? Catch up here:
- I packed an emergency bag that saved my dress- We had a crazy 4 days prepping for house guests and stuffing favors- Shopping for a ton of wedding flowers to arrange ourselves- Mr. Cola drinks a 40 and I have a night out on the town for our low-key bach parties- A day of DIY'ing flower arrangements- I kicked off our official recaps with my #1 wedding tip
- We began the weekend festivities with a sunset cruise for our wedding party
- We rehearsed our quick and easy ceremony
- I panicked, but we got our rehearsal dinner decorations set up just in time
- Our families met for the first time at our rehearsal dinner under the trees- What went wrong on our wedding day, and my tips for future brides
- My bridesmaids and I got our hair and makeup done in the hotel suite
- I put on my wedding dress and became a bride
- The guys watched the World Cup, then got ready in 10 minutes
- Traffic delayed our decorations getting to the venue, and I almost ruined our first look
- We got to see each other for the first time on our wedding day at our first look
- We took some time for bride and groom pictures in the park
- I gave you a behind the scenes look at our family, friends and DOC setting up our venue
- Arriving at our venue and getting ready for the ceremony to start
- Everyone walked down the aisle
- Excerpts from our ceremony, and reading the vows we wrote for each other
- I interrupted our officiant, we exchanged rings, and with a kiss we were officially married!
- Wedding party and family portraits, and my thoughts on missing pictures
- Our guests enjoyed cocktail hour while we took a few more photos
- Everyone ate a delicious dinner, and our siblings gave beautiful toasts
- We didn't practice, but we had a very special and wonderful first dance as husband and wife
- I showed you some disposable camera pictures, which were totally worth it to include on our tables!
- I found a target and tossed my bouquet at her
- Mr. Cola finally managed to find my garter under my dress and tossed it
- We fed each other cupcakes, and our guests swarmed our 6ft tall cupcake tower
- We stole some private moments together that our photographers documented- All our guests had some fun taking pictures in our DIY fauxtobooth- We enjoyed the rest of the evening with our guests- I showcased all the pretty details from our wedding, part 1 and part 2- We snuck out of our reception and away into the night(All photos in this post are personal, taken on either my camera or Bridesmaid H's camera)
After the scheduled bouquet and garter tosses were over, and the cupcakes had been served, we were free the rest of the evening to just enjoy our reception.Our reception resembled more of a cocktail party than a crazy dance party, and was just what we wanted—time to kick back with our friends and family and enjoy everyone's company over some yummy alcoholic beverages.
(Haha, don't worry, that last photo is just my friend joking around! Above 3 photos are guest photos)
That's because during our planning time, I sort of felt like there was a lot of pressure to make our reception "conform" and fit the more typical format of having lots and lots of dancing. But that just wasn't us. So we didn't do it! Sure, a dance or two more mixed in would have been fun, but overall, I'm happy that we ended up having a "let's hang out, drink and catch up" type of reception. It’s definitely true that you can have a wedding reception without a lot of dancing that is still a blast, it’s up to you to set the tone of the reception that you want.
Of course we did more than just stand around, talking and drinking. Our fauxtobooth was still going strong:
(Above 3 photos are guest photos)
(This above photo might just be my favorite of my FIL ever!)
(Above 5 photos are guest photos)
That about sums up the later part of our reception. Again, it's up to the bride and groom to set the tone of your reception, and if what you want to do resembles a cocktail party or nice dinner party, just go for it! You guys enjoying yourself, and making your reception be a reflection of who you two are is what is important. Your guests will grab a drink, put on a silly hat from the fauxtobooth, and follow suit!What type of tone are you hoping to set at your wedding reception?
Miss any wedding week details? Catch up here:
- I packed an emergency bag that saved my dress- We had a crazy 4 days prepping for house guests and stuffing favors- Shopping for a ton of wedding flowers to arrange ourselves- Mr. Cola drinks a 40 and I have a night out on the town for our low-key bach parties- A day of DIY'ing flower arrangements- I kicked off our official recaps with my #1 wedding tip
- We began the weekend festivities with a sunset cruise for our wedding party
- We rehearsed our quick and easy ceremony
- I panicked, but we got our rehearsal dinner decorations set up just in time
- Our families met for the first time at our rehearsal dinner under the trees- What went wrong on our wedding day, and my tips for future brides
- My bridesmaids and I got our hair and makeup done in the hotel suite
- I put on my wedding dress and became a bride
- The guys watched the World Cup, then got ready in 10 minutes
- Traffic delayed our decorations getting to the venue, and I almost ruined our first look
- We got to see each other for the first time on our wedding day at our first look
- We took some time for bride and groom pictures in the park
- I gave you a behind the scenes look at our family, friends and DOC setting up our venue
- Arriving at our venue and getting ready for the ceremony to start
- Everyone walked down the aisle
- Excerpts from our ceremony, and reading the vows we wrote for each other
- I interrupted our officiant, we exchanged rings, and with a kiss we were officially married!
- Wedding party and family portraits, and my thoughts on missing pictures
- Our guests enjoyed cocktail hour while we took a few more photos
- Everyone ate a delicious dinner, and our siblings gave beautiful toasts
- We didn't practice, but we had a very special and wonderful first dance as husband and wife
- I showed you some disposable camera pictures, which were totally worth it to include on our tables!
- I found a target and tossed my bouquet at her
- Mr. Cola finally managed to find my garter under my dress and tossed it
- We fed each other cupcakes, and our guests swarmed our 6ft tall cupcake tower
- We stole some private moments together that our photographers documented- All our guests had some fun taking pictures in our DIY fauxtobooth(Unless otherwise noted, all photos in this post were taken by the very talented photographers of Shoot Me Now Photography)
Several times throughout our wedding reception, our photographers asked us if they could steal us away for a few minutes, to get in some additional photos of the two of us. This was a fantastic idea, and I really recommend it to everyone. Not only did it give us a chance for a few minutes alone-ish with each other periodically through the night, it also got us some great shots in different locations. Plus, it was a wonderful way to regroup, because the rest of our reception time was spent being pulled from person to person in non-stop conversation. Taking a few minutes out for just ourselves was just what we needed, and seemed to slow down the evening for those few stolen moments together.The first stolen moment that was captured was one I didn’t even realize was being photographed! Our photogs suggested we meet them by the flower petal covered aisle, and as we were walking over to the aisle, they captured these lovely hand in hand photos. Something about these really tugs at my heartstrings, so simple, yet so lovely.
When we reached the petal aisle, we still had no idea anyone was taking pictures. We were just lost in the moment, enjoying our quiet time.
This resulted in these kissing photos, which are some of my favorite of the day, and I’d like to frame one of them, but can’t decide which. We’re probably only going to frame 4 or 5 of our wedding photos, and I really want one to be a full length kissing photo, but not from our ceremony.
Which of these do you like best? Photo 1:
Photo 2:
Photo 3:
Photo 4:
After our photographers slyly took the kissing photos of us, we realized that they’d arrived next to the petal aisle, and it was time for some playing with the petals. We had almost all of our 260 cups of rose petals sprinkled on the aisle, we’d might as well do something with them other than just walk on them! First we laid on top of them.
Another gratuitous shoe shot! :)
Then we sat up, with our reception in the background.
But our photogs decided that the trees would be a better background, so we turned around.
Next, the kids at our wedding were nominated to throw petals on us, which they did with abandon. 
I thought it was hilarious, and the petals in my hair and going down my cleavage were really tickling me!
Seriously, I was having way too much fun getting pelted by the kids with petals!
That was the end of our first stolen moment photo shoot, but the kids stuck around and made us a heart out of petals, which they showed us later in the evening. So sweet of them!
(above two photos taken by Bridesmaid H--and just look at that hint of sunset above the bay view through the trees, great shot!)
These stolen moments pictures are so special to me, as were the minutes with my new husband during our reception. I love the fact that the majority of them aren’t posed, they’re just a natural representation of the love we were (and still are!) feeling for each other on our wedding night. I highly recommend taking time on your own wedding night for some stolen moments, they are very centering experiences at the time, and wonderful memories to look back on. Now, back to the kissing photos from above, which one do you think should we pick to frame in our house, photo #1, #2, #3 or #4?
Or there's also this one other full length kissing photo to consider, photo #5:
Miss any wedding week details? Catch up here:
- I packed an emergency bag that saved my dress- We had a crazy 4 days prepping for house guests and stuffing favors- Shopping for a ton of wedding flowers to arrange ourselves- Mr. Cola drinks a 40 and I have a night out on the town for our low-key bach parties- A day of DIY'ing flower arrangements- I kicked off our official recaps with my #1 wedding tip
- We began the weekend festivities with a sunset cruise for our wedding party
- We rehearsed our quick and easy ceremony
- I panicked, but we got our rehearsal dinner decorations set up just in time
- Our families met for the first time at our rehearsal dinner under the trees- What went wrong on our wedding day, and my tips for future brides
- My bridesmaids and I got our hair and makeup done in the hotel suite
- I put on my wedding dress and became a bride
- The guys watched the World Cup, then got ready in 10 minutes
- Traffic delayed our decorations getting to the venue, and I almost ruined our first look
- We got to see each other for the first time on our wedding day at our first look
- We took some time for bride and groom pictures in the park
- I gave you a behind the scenes look at our family, friends and DOC setting up our venue
- Arriving at our venue and getting ready for the ceremony to start
- Everyone walked down the aisle
- Excerpts from our ceremony, and reading the vows we wrote for each other
- I interrupted our officiant, we exchanged rings, and with a kiss we were officially married!
- Wedding party and family portraits, and my thoughts on missing pictures
- Our guests enjoyed cocktail hour while we took a few more photos
- Everyone ate a delicious dinner, and our siblings gave beautiful toasts
- We didn't practice, but we had a very special and wonderful first dance as husband and wife
- I showed you some disposable camera pictures, which were totally worth it to include on our tables!
- I found a target and tossed my bouquet at her
- Mr. Cola finally managed to find my garter under my dress and tossed it
- We fed each other cupcakes, and our guests swarmed our 6ft tall cupcake tower
(Unless otherwise noted, all photos in this post were taken by the very talented photographers of Shoot Me Now Photography)
(I'd meant to shorten this dress to above my knees, but ran out of time. Oh well, after enjoying our open bar all night, I doubt anyone noticed it was too long!)
(We had a counter full of liquor and mixers, plus several buckets on the floor full of beer and ice. I still can't believe how many half gallons of booze we emptied that night!)
(I took this last photo from the second story of our suite, oh, 10 minutes after the pizza was delivered. It sure didn't last long!)
(I totally love that my bridesmaids put back on their "getting ready" purple hoodies I'd decorated for them!)
(Showing off our new bling.)
(My sister swiped some of the mustaches from our fauxtobooth). And yes, it was so hot with all the drinking people in our suite that we turned the temperature down to 63 degrees so the AC would blast!)
(One of my favorite photos from our after party, since my sis and I never got a chance to pose together in our fauxtobooth.)
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