the morning of

The second my fabulous mother and maid-of-honor/sister decided to throw a morning-of, getting-ready brunch for female family and close friends at Kunde's lovely Hill House, I called up the perfect girl for the catering job: Claudine Dagit.  This gorgeous friend of mine has her own rocking catering business, which is currently catapulting her into San Francisco stardom.

The second I asked her for a quote, however, she offered her services free of charge as a gift
the best wedding present ever.  And boy does this girl NOT disappoint.

But let me take you back one step -

First: the invitation.
You may or may not know at this point in our online relationship, but I was a child that despised clothes.  Thus, many almost all of my childhood photos were taken in my birthday suit. 

It seemed rather fitting that the brunch invite feature such a view given that all guests would get to see me sans clothes come party-time.
(And that they did given that I took my brunch dress off before we had readied my wedding dress to step into - a feat that took four minutes of me standing in only underwear in front of our thirty guests as we tried to unzip the gown.  What can I say?  I was excited!)

Finally!

But back to the brunch:

Claudine's mouth-watering menu was perfection,

the food was unreal,

Domaine Carneros mimosas in mason jars - does it get any better?

(Beautiful montage stolen from Sarah Jenk's inspiring blog:
The Breathtaking Bride - hop on over to read her take on the brunch

and what to eat the morning you walk down the aisle)

our hair and make-up pair was a totally rocking duo,

some very special relatives

our gorgeous flower girl

 

our guests were A+,

the lovely Williams crew and then our amazing chef

mom with best friend claire and sister-in-law tracy

and our host (my beautiful mom) was gorgeous in white, per usual.

But the most lovely part of the morning was when my mom orchestrated a special ceremony to ensure I was prepared to walk down the aisle with all the essentials:

something old,
which symbolizes continuity with the bride's family and the past,

a gold ring from my middle namesake

and my mom's best friend Claire,

the same ring my mom wore as her something old

when she walked down the aisle almost 28 years ago

something new,
which means optimism and hope for the bride's new life ahead,

my dress of course!

something borrowed,
which needs to be an item from a happily married friend or family member, whose good fortune in marriage is supposed to carry over to the new bride - the borrowed item also reminds the bride that she can depend on her friends and family always,

a $10 bill from my Nana sitting proudly here
(happily married for years and years and years),

which I was required to return the next morning

something blue,
(Blue has been connected to weddings for centuries. In ancient Rome, brides wore blue to symbolize love, modesty, and fidelity. Christianity has long dressed the Virgin Mary in blue, so purity was associated with the color. Before the late 19th century, blue was a popular color for wedding gowns, as evidenced in proverbs like, "Marry in blue, lover be true.")

A beautifully embroidered handkerchief from my lovely grandma Kaka

and finally, a silver sixpence in my shoe,

which represents wealth and financial security.

(A sixpence is a coin that was minted in Britain from 1551 to 1967. It was made of silver and worth six pennies. So this wedding tradition is probably English, and many sources say that it began in the Victorian era. It may also date back to a Scottish custom of a groom putting a silver coin under his foot for good luck. For optimum fortune, the sixpence should be in the left shoe. These days, a dime or a copper penny is sometimes substituted, and many companies sell keepsake sixpences for weddings.)

A REAL sixpence from my Aunt Judy,

which I wore in my shoe down the aisle

and all night long!

It was the most perfect way to start the day.

xoxo

KK