part three: during (the reception)

i know this will sound completely obnoxious and maybe it is, but—our reception totally rocked.

i can’t take any credit for it. the band ran the show and they were phenomenal. beyond. people are still talking about them. the dance floor was packed the entire night. Kate (my amazingly attentive and level-headed maid of honor) told me that at one point she looked around the room and no one was sitting—all the tables were empty. i'd say that's a sign of a good party.

but let me back up.

Michael and i were introduced—first time as a legal unit!—to "We Are the Champions." we had gone back and forth about what song to use for our entrance, but we chose right. it was awesome. our guests were gathered around the perimeter of the dance floor and as the music played we made our way around, high-fiving everyone. come on!

then the band cued up "It Had to Be You," our first dance. the same first dance for which we had taken six dance lessons. for which we had complete choreography, from the first note to the last. we'd practiced our hearts out so we should have been more confident than we actually were. a few things weighed on our minds:

1. we'd never performed in front of a crowd

2. we'd never practiced with live music—only the Harry Connick, Jr. recording via an iPod

3. i'd never danced in my dress

but, hell, not much we could do about any of that now, so as the first notes blared from the band's speakers, we jumped in headfirst.

i admit this is the only part of the day that really feels like a blur. i remember nailing the lift during the song intro—and feeling so triumphant about it that i improvised a little and flung my arm in the air as Michael spun me around—and i remember nailing the part where we had to do a grapevine and i had to twirl twice (it was a move that had tripped us up a bunch of times) and ohh that was a great feeling. but the rest feels like i dreamt it.

well, except for the end. that i remember vividly. i did about four spins and Michael dipped me and we ended with a kiss and i was so damn excited and proud that i pumped my fist in the air in celebration... next thing i know, Michael is pulling me to his chest hissing that i, um, had a Janet Jackson moment. (thankfully no one i spoke to said they saw anything other than Michael desperately trying to cover me up. the wedding video footage may show otherwise—i'll know in about six weeks. oops!)

anyway, by all accounts we killed our first dance. other highlights from the reception:

• my father—my inimitable, class act, totally awesome father—gave a speech that knocked everyone's socks off. he accepted my dare and began with, "Mawwage, mawwage is what bwings us togebah tobay." (if you've never seen Princess Bride, you're totally lost right now. serves you right. see that movie!) and the speech only got better from there. Michael's Uncle Joey said he wanted to copy it down and re-use it at his daughter's wedding someday. other people wanted to rent my dad for their events. my friends at work wanted to know what he did for a living that made him such a good public speaker. (actor? no, try accountant.) he was that good. and i was that proud.

• i had e-mailed the bandleader weeks before the wedding to see if they knew "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)" by the Talking Heads. Michael and i love that song, it sort of became really special to us in the last year, and i wanted to surprise him with it at the reception. i'd forgotten about it completely until about three-quarters into the reception, when Nick (the bandleader) got on the mic and introduced a song they'd learned just for us. the female vocalist sang the Shawn Colvin version (so beautifully) and Michael and i got to have a second first dance—this one much slower and much more romantic. for three minutes it felt like just the two of us in the room, and it's one of our favorite parts of the reception.

• the band played perfect, must-dance songs the entire night, but when they started "I Gotta Feeling" everyone basically lost their shit. it's not even that great a song, but it's so damn infectious. i just remember bouncing up and down like i was on a pogo stick, screaming the lyrics with my lovely bridesmaid Dolch. Michael hated that song before the wedding; now i catch him singing it all the time.

• even though the band is based in Philadelphia, Nick is a die-hard Yankees fan (that's one of the ways i knew we picked the right band). i put in a special request not long after we booked them—i wanted to end the night with "New York, New York," just like the Yankees do. Nick—who does a kick-ass Frank Sinatra—obliged and the last several minutes of our reception will forever be one of my most cherished memories ever. Michael and i were in the middle of a huge circle, created by all of our guests—many of whom were awesomely imitating the Rockettes—and everyone was singing along at the top of their lungs. i was completely caught up in the moment, flinging my arms about, getting into the lyrics, geeking out like i was still president of my high school drama club. i remember, as the song was ending, just turning around slowly a few times, seeing all the faces, blowing kisses at everyone, feeling as loved and humbled and excited and happy as i've ever felt. (and i think i consumed perhaps one glass of champagne all night—a few sips each from many glasses—so i can't even blame the booze. i was high on life, baby.)

it was the best reception ever. i'm biased, i know. i'm sure every bride says the same thing. but i really think it was. i did not leave the ballroom once. i broke my bustle early on and despite several attempts at safety-pinning the train back where it belonged, it wouldn't stay because i wouldn't stop dancing. (at the end of the night, after the after-party, when we finally got up to the room, i realized i had about eight open and warped safety pins sticking out of the back of my dress—i couldn't stop laughing.)

Michael and i really had the time of our lives that night, the most fun two people can possibly have. we pretty much talked about it non-stop during our honeymoon. which, by the way, was unbelievable....

mbm