Merry Christmas Eve!
Wedding part 2 was quite different but also exactly the same in some ways. There were some elements we missed in NC that I was happy we included this go round (Dad walking me down the aisle, our friend Bryan officiating in his own hilarious and unique way, the Filipino elements, and the Christmas incorporation!). Nothing compared to NC though.
Prior to the festivities, we celebrated Halloween with friends and finally cashed in on Lexi's birthday gift. Originally we were going to take her to Universal Studios, but at the last minute we decided to go to California Adventure. It was a great day!
Leaving NC (and family) and coming back to CA honestly put me in a very negative slump. The weeks following were not the best for me. Zach attempted to cheer me up with a hike which did have a beautiful vantage point (but the rest was pretty meh TBH...hikes in southern California are so boring to me!).
At California Adventure, Lexi climbed this artificial rock climbing wall and was a real natural! That inspired us to take her to a rock climbing gym. At first I was freaked out about it, but once the nerves settled I realized I am a fan, too. I hope we go back soon. I was even considering a membership, haha.
Finally my family was in California! There were a lot of hiccups to their trip and we didn't get to spend as much time together as I wished we could have, but it's so comforting to have them within driving distance. And we got to celebrate Thanksgiving as one big family!
Mom and Leah helped kickoff the Christmas season. We tried to attend as many Christmas events as we could.
Then the focus was on the wedding. I had some last minute items to complete especially because the motivation to plan another event was lacking. I probably could have done a better job on a few things, but overall it came together.
The wedding morning contrasted significantly from October's wedding morning. I didn't have to worry about setting up the event space since I had done a lot the previous day. Erin did our hair and makeup at the venue and I was surprised at how relaxed everything was. We even had time to enjoy!
All photos from Chasing Light TV.
There was so much downtime compared to NC since we got ready the venue. Really made a difference! We mostly stayed in the Chapel suite of Domaine Chardonnay to avoid being seen by Zach since the groomsmen also got ready at the venue. I didn't see a lot of the set up so it felt weird not knowing what was going on but my coordinator handled everything.
The day was SO calm. In a way though, it kind of took away from the emotions. But that also could have been due to the fact that we'd already had a ceremony before.
Remembering this day and looking back at the photos makes me realize how perfect everything was. Especially considering the effort I put into planning leading up to it, haha. NC's wedding felt chaotic in comparison (at least pre-ceremony). I know this is going to sound totally bizarre but it was too perfect. I think I would appreciate it more if I felt like it was a more emotional day. Or maybe that's just because we already officially got married a couple months ago.
Despite that, I'm happy we had a second wedding to redo some of the chaos of the first wedding and to celebrate with those who could not be in NC.
Now that the wedding is over and the holidays are upon us, we are enjoying a bit more downtime. We've been spending a lot of time at home and had a zachloe Christmas with Lexi about a week ago!
Going to mass tonight and then celebrating Christmas with friends/family tomorrow. I hope everyone has as wonderful of a holiday season as we have been blessed with this year!
Until next time :)