Back in a New York Groove

It's good to be home.

It feels great to be back--to walk my regular route to work in my ever-unfashionable sneaker/skirt combo, to carry my work shoes in a plastic bag, to stopping to buy blueberries from the fruit guy on the corner, to breathing the stinky New York air.

It's comforting to get back to regular routines. And it's comforting to know that my wedding to-do list has been safely disposed of and I'll never have to look at it again.

So I'm married now. It doesn't really feel any different. Except that I'm very tired and very poor.

Oh, and I've never been more in love with spiceboy than I am right now.

I know--barf, right?

But it's true.

So I guess it's time to show you some pictures, huh? Before I get started, I have to thank our amazing photographer, Man With a Camera, who is not only a dear dear friend, but one of the best damn photographers ever. And he makes me look good, and I love that. So if any of you Pittsburgh readers need a photographer--call him! You won't be sorry. And if any of you New York readers ever need a photographer--call him! That way he'll have to come to Manhattan for a visit.

I also want to thank my most amazing sister, who never left my side through this whole thing, and kept me centered and laughing by making fart noises to entertain me--and who wore the most amazing outfit to my wedding--a green plaid leisure suit! I'll post pics if I can. I miss you already, Drea (pignut).

I also want to thank you, the readers. You've made this whole process incredibly fun for me, and I'm glad that I got to share it with you.

So let's get to it, shall we? I'll do a little chronological narrative for you here:

This is us during the ceremony. Every time I look at this photo, I feel like I'm looking at two of those little people who stand on the top of a wedding cake--well, if they made cake toppers with a white girl and a Chinese guy.

The whole thing still feels totally unreal to me. And could spiceboy be any cuter? I think not.



This is me during the ceremony. I look all sweet and bridey and like I'm totally in the moment, don't I? Well, here's what I was really thinking: Oh my god, I can't breathe, I hope I look normal and that my eyes aren't bugging out of my head. Geez, Rev. Dave sure has a lot of words written down in that tiny little book of his--I wonder how long this is going to take? What if I screw up when I hand off my bouquet? What if I screw up when I say my vows? Gah. Gaaah. Gaaaaaaaaaah!



This is our first kiss. I absolutely could not wipe the smile off of my face. And when we turned to face the crowd and everyone clapped, I thought I would die of happiness.

I know, I know--barf.




Here is a picture of me cracking myself up over something totally inane while spiceboy looks at me like I'm a psycho. This happens whether we are in our wedding finery or in sitting on the futon in our pajamas. It's a totally real moment, and that's why I love this photo.



This is taken on a balcony on the fourth floor of The Mattress Factory, with Pittsburgh in the background.



Same concept as above, only with a kiss instead.



Here we are making our best model faces.



Here is the reception space before everyone went inside. We hung all of the lanterns and the tulle and the spotlights with the help of some wonderful friends--Dear Friend ABS, Man With Camera, Mitch Please, Markie, and my sister.

The flower arrangements were designed by me and put together by my mom and Dear Friend ABS (who, incidentally, is the best MC ever), and the tables were set and decorated by the lovely Spice Crew, who took a night away from Spice World to help us make sure the wedding festivities went off without a hitch.



Here are the Spice Brothers. Aren't they so cute? Notice how Spice Brother is rocking the pinstripe Kenzo suit. Tres chic!



This was taken in the garden just before a HUGE (but short) thunderstorm hit. There were loud claps of thunder and lightning, but the crowd took it well. Every time there was a thunderclap, everyone yelled exaggerated oohs and aahs, then promptly lined up to get themselves another drink. Definitely our kind of guests!



This is a real shot of when it started to pour on us.



The yummy yummy cupcakes my mom made for the wedding. She made 204 cupcakes by hand. They don't look too threatening, right? WRONG! She used nearly 18 POUNDS of butter to make them.



This is our first dance. I didn't even want to do a first dance, but spiceboy talked me into it. We danced to La Vie En Rose by Edith Piaf. It's not our official "song" but we both love it so much, and it seemed very fitting. All in all, I think this was one of my favorite moments of the night. My stomach did that weird swoopy rollercoaster thing through the whole song.

I know. Barf, barf, barf.



So that's it.

Was it a good wedding? It was sooooo a good wedding! It's not going to make it into the next issue of InStyle Weddings or anything, but it was exactly the way we wanted it, and we still can't believe we pulled it off.

So it's Friday morning, almost a week since the wedding, and we are here, just as we've always been, in our 350 sq ft apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, trying to make our relationship work the best way we know how.

What will our first year of marriage bring?

--The hyphenating of our last names? (still under negotiation)
--The purchase of an apartment? (still under discussion)
--Becoming proud parents of a puppy? (under serious consideration)
--Become real proud parents of a bouncing baby? (highly doubtful at this juncture)

Certainly there will be more laughing and more learning--isn't that what marriage is about?

Whatever it is, I can't wait to find out.