06/07/08!

It's true! We're actually married now :) (despite catastrophic flooding)...

While waiting for one of our flights to St. Lucia (BEAUTIFUL), Kevin and I made a list of things that didn't go as planned over the wedding weekend... It got pretty long, sadly...

Here's a quick recap:
Friday 6/6/08: Nail appointments were scheduled incorrectly, so only Donna and Melanie had anything done
-Confusion over the rehearsal dinner bill
-Tornado sirens immediately following the rehearsal dinner
-Eagle's Nest wasn't available for decorating until later than planned
-Storms with hail overnight; Strong winds, lightning and thunder kept the bride (and bridal party members) awake most of the night
-Holiday Inn Express (where bridal party members and guests were staying) had
a fire alarm go off at 2:30a.m., and it began raining while they were outside
-Norris parents' hotel room had mold in the coffee pot, among other icky things

Saturday 6/7/08: Videographer stranded, but retrieved after taking a boat across the lake and
begin picked up by Flo and Lou
-String Quartet canceled
-Humbard parents' basement flooded
-86 out of the 166 who RSVP'ed "YES" could NOT make it to the wedding
-Josh Hoke, our groomsman and officiant, and his wife could not make it
-Ceremony delayed by almost 2 hours, to give the Humbards time to make it
(they spent at least 5 hours driving around, trying to find an open path)
-Our DJ drove around the state trying to make it (approximately 5 hours),
making him miss the ceremony, but arrive in time for the reception
-Someone threw away the chair cover return labels causing confusion for mailing
-Melanie only tasted the cake during the cake cutting; Eagle Pointe threw away
her 4 pieces (one of each flavor) she had been planning on saving.
-Kevin left his clothes for Saturday night and Sunday in Mitch's car

Sunday 6/8/08: Owed $1.34 for Condo at Eagle Pointe, due to tax increase
-Flight to San Juan originally delayed, then confirmed, then canceled in Miami
-Hotel room in San Juan was already paid for, but not used due to flight
-Could not retrieve luggage after flight canceled; luggage manifested to San Juan
and could not be redirected
-Hour + wait for new flight and hotel information from the Miami Airport and AA
-We were originally told by an American Airlines representative, over the phone,
there were no available flights to St. Lucia until 6/11/08

Monday 6/9/08: Wearing the same clothes as on Sunday, due to lost luggage
-No luggage until 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday 6/10/08
-New flight to the southern St. Lucian airport, meaning an hour drive along the
EXTREMELY narrow, hilly, and winding roads

After that weekend, things started going really well. The island was BEAUTIFUL; the staff and native islanders were extremely friendly and accommodating (except our waitress at the French restaurant); and our room was upgraded to the main level, with a view of the Caribbean Sea


In order to offset the negativity of the "wrongs," here's a list of what we deemed "Damage Control" (things that made the situation better)

-Lucas (a friend of our photographer and original officiant) was called in as a replacement officiant, despite never having met Melanie or Kevin and using Josh's ceremony notes

-Steve (groomsman) played acoustic guitar during the ceremony, in place of the string quartet

-Chad (friend) brought his PA system and Ipod to entertain guests during the delay (and possibly during the reception had the DJ not been able to make it)

-Ceremony delayed, but Eagle Pointe opened the bar and provided appetizers to waiting guests

-Humbard parents, grandparents, and relatives drove approximately 300 miles around the state, finally taking I-74 to Greensburg, and then taking 46 to Bloomington

-Similarly, our DJ (Wes Adkins from Event One) drove from Broad Ripple to the Illinois border, back across the state to the Ohio border, and finally taking a similar path as the Humbards

-Flo and Lou (friends) picked up the stranded videographer and all of her equipment; the videographer and her partner had loaded their equipment onto their neighbor's pontoon boat, making it to the other side of Lake Lemon, since all roads were closed and the videographer's boat and dock were missing

-Eagle Pointe allowed the Norris family to take home the extra food and cake, due to having so much left

-Open bar was open longer than originally contracted

-American Airlines paid for a hotel at the Hyatt in Miami, and provided $30 in food vouchers for canceling the flight to San Juan; Provided Kevin and Melanie a direct flight to St. Lucia on Monday.

-Sandals provided Melanie and Kevin SUPER SWEET matching t-shirts, but it was something other then the same clothes we'd been wearing since Sunday


**Like I said, the only thing that matters is that we're married! The day was beautiful and the guests able to make it seemed to be having a great time. It was definitely a memorable day. Kevin's parents have offered to throw us a "do-over" reception, an informal event in Franklin on July 26th, for the guests who couldn't make it (and those who just want to party).

I'll post some photos soon, but check out Derek and Tonya's website for previews!!