Our first day as husband and wife was a great day. We celebrated Easter, ate a good meal, and opened gifts with family. We are truly blessed to have each other and great people in our lives. Thanks to all who made our weekend so special. Oh, and yes, that is my niece playing with a box while Lucas opens a gift in the background. You can tell where my mother's attention is...
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I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Lucas and Jessica Wardenburg! The day couldn't have been better! The rain stopped by early morning, we were on time for everything, my 14-month-old niece killed it as the flower girl, Lucas was drop dead handsome, I didn't look too bad myself, our wedding party people were amazing, the food was tasty, the lodge was beautiful, we had awesome photographers and a videographer, and everyone made it to Des Moines safely. The only thing I would change is that Lucas wouldn't have ripped my dress! That's right folks, the best way to put a groom in the dog house is to step on your lovely bride's dress. Luckily, the hole was only about an inch wide on the hem of the dress. I'm pretty sure (at least I hope that) no one heard me scold him when it happened. Everyone says the day will fly by and you won't remember anything. Well, I remembered it all and it went by at a decent pace, which I'm so thankful for!
What better way to spend your last day as a single lady than to prepare for your wedding? I think that's the assumption of how to spend your day. My bachelorette party was a month ago so this was about as exciting as it was going to get. My mom, sister and I went to Signature Nails & Spa in Urbandale. I never get my nails done professionally so I took a recommendation from my friend Melissa. The salon did a nice job doing our fingers and toes. They were short-staffed because of a family emergency, so luckily we had the time to be there for 2 hours.
Later that night was the rehearsal dinner. My family and friends got to meet Lucas' which was a lot of fun. Then we actually ran through the ceremony. When you have 7 bridesmaids, 7 groomsmen, two readers, a flower girl, two ushers, two mom's, and a singer, you definitely need to practice! Practice m With just two days until my wedding, I dropped off some items at the reception hall, Jester Park Lodge in Granger. That way the staff could put out the name cards and guest book quilt and I could already have my slippers and detachable halter strap already there. My family had just gotten to town and went up with me. That's my sister, niece, and brother in the picture with me. Couldn't have gotten married without them!
I've never really considered myself famous, and that's OK. I didn't become a journalist to be famous. I became a journalist to entertain, inform and inspire people. I chose television journalism because I love the use of video and sound to tell a story. Tonight was my last night as a journalist. I don't feel like I've fully processed it since the wedding is just days away. I'm sure in a week or two it'll hit me and I might get a little sad. Then I'll remember why I left and the exciting new career I have, and I'll feel a lot better.
To celebrate my departure, treats descended upon the newsroom, which actually happens about once a week anyways. Rachel brought in My Favorite Muffin muffins. I've never had these before... wow! Raspberry cheesecake muffins are amazing! I had never even heard of this West Des Moines bakery. I'm excited to check it out and explore all its other delights. With just days until the wedding, I dropped off a signed contract to Christiani’s VIP Catering. It has all the details about the food and beverage order, how many people, decorations, and of course the money. Gotta love realizing just how much you’re spending on one day. Actually, to be fair, our wedding is coming in about one grand under budget. I’d say that’s a success.
Today was a productive wedding day. Months ago it felt great to have all the big things done, like booking the dj, buying the dress, but all the little things are a whole other story. One main thing I got done today was itineraries. I want the bridal party, parents, ushers, and other important players to know where they need to be and when. I got those finalized and emailed to everyone. This way no one should get lost or be running late or say they didn’t know. Oh, you know! I’m even going to print them out so they can have a hard copy.
I picked up my wedding gown today! Bringing it home feels amazing. It means the wedding is just around the corner. Now I just have to get through the week looking at it every day and night. Lucas and I met with our photographers today too. I’m so confident Stan and Erica will do an amazing job. Working with video every day, I really have an eye for detail and expect more than the average bride. I’ll try not to go bridezilla on them.
I hate moving. Technically, I hate packing and unpacking all my crap. I love the idea of getting a new place. Right now, I’m looking to make my third move within the metro. When I first came here three years ago I moved to Urbandale. A year later I moved to the Ingersoll area. I really like my current place, except for the itty-bitty kitchen, but it’s just too small for Lucas and I both. Today we checked out an apartment further down Ingersoll. It had everything on MY list, but not on Lucas’ list. Anyone who’s ever looked for a place with a significant other, you can relate. This should be interesting to see what kind of place we find. We have two months to figure it out so I’m hoping the perfect place will plop into our laps.
Like I was just writing, I’ve lived in the Ingersoll area for two years. It’s really sad to admit that until today I hadn’t been to Zimm’s. It’s a little sports bar just west of 31st Street on Ingersoll. A friend and I wanted to grab a drink and instead of picking the usual Star Bar or Wellman’s I decided to branch out. I didn’t order any food or get to take advantage of any specials, but my Blue Moon was just fine. Over lunch, I went to the opera. It's just another piece of evidence that Des Moines has so much going on. The opera show was part of the Lunch Unplugged concert series. This is the series' third year of helping people take back their lunch hour. Every week they offer fresh and different musical artists to give you an exhilarating break from your maybe less-than-exhilarating job. I've never seen anything close to opera, but after winning a free ticket by commenting on a YNPN blog post, I decided now was the time. It wasn't a whole show, but rather individual songs from notable operas or operettas. The Temple of Performing Arts theater was pretty full. Somewhat surprisingly I would say half the room was older than 40. I think it's great there are events like this that attract all types of people who are looking for affordable, fun stuff to do around DSM.
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