Our Pawfect Wedding: The Day Before

Ok so I was trying to wait for some pictures from friends, but I have about half and can't wait any longer to start recapping- holy ONE WEEK SINCE I'VE WRITTEN!? Yea it's recap time.

Anywho the day before the wedding was INSANITY. I brought the out of town bags to the hotel first thing in the morning. I regret not getting pictures- they were cute! I bought a pack of assorted black and white bags from Michael's and some lime green tissue paper. I put in the bags some water bottles, mini wine, gum, snack packs, and a note with nearby restaurants and a greeting. I think there may have been one more thing in the bag but either way, they were pretty basic. It was really just a hello and thanks for coming bag.

I then got my nails done! I had a spa gift card to use and will never regret the nearly two hours my mani-pedi took. They used top-notch clear coat (on top of my nail polish) and it really held- well into my honeymoon. Plus the scents and soothing music calmed me down. When I was done, my mom, aunt, and sisters were in town! MOH M had to do some work though, so they stayed at the hotel downtown and got some food. I went home and cleaned and finished last minute projects.

When it was almost time for the rehearsal, my mom drove everyone over- my family, my aunt, my mom's best friend, and my friends. They all got to see my house and meet the pugs! Bridesmaid L checked out my fabulous honeymoon hat:

(Yes, we have a random picture of Honest Abe in our guest room. That came with Mr P when we moved in together... and I've grown to love it.)

Then we loaded into our cars and headed to the church, which is only minutes from our house. We all hung out outside waiting for some "fashionably late" people. (Learn from my mistake and tell those people to be there early!) My minions helped carry in my wedding goodies... here are my sisters, MOH M and MOH R carrying our guestbook!

And here are my aunt, my mom, and mom's best friend! My Aunt is holding our birdcage card box! I ended up just getting the generic one at Jo-Ann's and spray painting it black, remember?

We had lots of fun practicing to do. Here are my girls... Bridesmaids A, L, and MOHs R and M. Bridesmaid H had a delayed flight so she had to wing it the next day! And in case you missed it, BM S wasn't able to make the wedding- but was totally missed :(

Here are the dudes with our church's wedding coordinator arranging them.

And here I am with my boo! Tensions were running high all day so it was nice to have that moment to reflect and prepare for our marriage the next day.

After the rehearsal, we went to Cancun, the Mexican restaurant we go to, oh, weekly. (Remember?) They didn't take reservations, just call ahead. It worked out fine, except one server forgot a whole table. One half of us were eating before the other half ordered! They took a little off the price, but it was just a fluke type thing, to be expected with a place that's as casual as Mexican.

Our guests enjoyed drinks and each others' company!

We had a great time eating and introducing everyone.

Above left is one of my step-MIL's... I felt bad catching her at a bad second but she's normally super smiley! However the rest of the pic is too funny not to post.

After we went to one of Mr P's friend's houses to have some drinks and hang out. Bridesmaid J was not so into the dudes' decor...

We kept it an early night and head home (well, me home, them to hotels) while the guys stayed out a bit later. I stayed up until about midnight to wash my hair and blow dry it then, so it would be a little dirty for my hair-do the next day. And then- bed! Lots of excitement the next day...

*All pictures taken by my pugtastic friends.

Rehearsal Dinner Drama

We have probably played around with a zillion rehearsal dinner spots. (Rehearsal dinner hereby to be known as "RD" because I am lazy.)

We aren't formal people by any means, so our RD is not going to be a formal affair. Some RD's end up as fancy as the wedding, and that is NOT what Mr Pug and I want. Before I give you our "options," here's some background. One of our hotel choices is downtown, since many guests have not been to Indy and will be tourists while not doing wedding things. Our church and home are in the "Broad Ripple" area, which is northeast of downtown. There are fun bars in both areas, but we always go out in Broad Ripple. Our church is in Broad Ripple. Ok, debrief done, moving on.

Our first and favorite option was the Slippery Noodle Inn, a historic Indy landmark.

Source

Located a block or two from the downtown hotel we have reserved, it's a fun Blues bar with great music. However, it's icky and smoky. But our non-RD guests could meet us here after and we could all enjoy some music and drinks. So... I called them.

Source

Big N-O from them. They do private parties, but no one under 21 is permitted. MOH R and groomsman J (our siblings) will be 19. So that won't work! He said though that they'd drop the 21 part if the smoking ban passes in Indianapolis. Which he assured me it would, and soon, since we are preparing for the 2012 superbowl here in Indy. Mr Pug, however, heard the mayor on the radio this very morning saying he would veto it if it made it to his desk. So... let's not bank on this one, I guess.

Mr Pug actually was pushing for a Broad Ripple area restaurant. While it would be less convenient for our out of town guests (not walking distance whatsoever) it is a very short cab ride. It is also very close to our church and where we normally hang out. One of our favorite restaurants, Bazbeaux, is located right where all the bars are. Parking sucks, but it's a fun area.

Source

Bazbeaux serves wonderful original pizzas. We could just pick a few, order a bunch, and everyone is happy! Right? Wrong. No private parties, no reservations. Thanks a lot, Bazbeaux. I will miss sharing my BOT with everyone...

Source

Yes, that is my favorite pizza above. The BOT... Bacon, Onion & Tomato. Le sigh.

Mr Pug and I pondered what to do while at Cancun, a Mexican restaurant on a main street right next to Broad Ripple. That we visit so often they know us. And then a lightbulb went off... we could have it here! So I pulled aside my waiter and asked. He said they've done parties of 100 before... you just need to call the day before. So that makes me a little uneasy, but you know that they'll shove as many people in those restaurants as they can when necessary! (Have you ever been to a Mexican place on Cinco de Mayo? Then you know what I mean.) There also are not private rooms, but we're not doing it formal, so really, why do we care? We are just out to thank our wedding party members.

Since they don't have a website, I pulled a photo of what the food would look like... you know what you're seeing, delicious cheesy, meaty, corny foods... tacky tile tables and weirdly upholstered booths... a large strong drink...

Source

Although we'd stick with pitchers of these, we wouldn't want anyone to be too toasted!

Source

I can't decide if we should keep looking or stick with Cancun. It's amazing delicious food... but feels like a risk! I want to include information about the RD in invitations (for those who are invited to the RD) so I need to decide in the next month. I asked for suggestions on the Indiana board of The Knot as well. What would you do?