Celtic Engagement Rings

Irish Step Dancing Dresses

Irish Step Dancing Dresses

One Seriously Amazingly Raging Blow-Out Party

When Mr. Octo and I talked about our very top priorities for our wedding, everything paled in comparison to "feels like really lively, fun, ragingly awesome party." The dance party aspect wedding reception was more important to us than anything else.

It was also the only thing that I never once worried might go wrong. Believe me, in the last two weeks leading up to our wedding day, I found a way to worry about everything else. I woke up every morning fresh out of a crazy dream about wedding disasters, and when I was anxious with stress, I considered ways that virtually every other element of our wedding could go wrong. But the thought that our wedding reception might fail to live up to the gigantic celebration of life I was dreaming of never once crossed my mind. I know us, and I know our guests. I come from a long line of party animals, and I kind of sincerely believe that Mr. Octo and I have cornered the market on really, really fun-loving friends. I knew that our reception would be fantastic, and I was right.

classic wedding invitations

That said, I'll be honest:this recap was harder to write than any of my others! I've found it really tough to articulate exactly how it felt to be surrounded by my brand new husband and family and friends, all the people I love most in the world, all of whom were just as excited and joyful and celebratory as I was.

I can tell you that I'm very sure that our wedding reception will always stick in my head as one of the most treasured memories of my life. I can tell you that I very clearly remember pausing at one point, looking around, and thinking, "this is exactly what I was hoping it would be." Other than that, though, if you don't mind…..I'm going to let the pictures tell most of the story on this one.

And…..surprise! I never intended to change out of my wedding dress during our reception, and up until we started going around and greeting guests at the dinner tables, I didn't have any plans to do so. But man, although it was beautiful and I loved it, that dress was a beast. It was bulky, heavy, and tight. Once I started really actively moving around (and eating!), I got so uncomfortable and hot that I was just dying to take it off. My aunt Cathy saved the day, and made a quick stop back over to the hotel to pick up what was supposed to be my after-party dress for me! I changed into it when we had about thirty minutes left in our reception, and man was it a relief to finally peel my beautiful, hot, tight, uncomfortable dress off. I stepped out of the bathroom stall and squealed, "I'M FREE!"

The funny thing was, our guests thought it was totally delightful that I switched dresses near the end. People acted like I had just pulled off a fabulous surprise costume change, when in actuality I was just really really sweaty. Ha!

I was also really happy to have changed into such a light, comfortable dress because it totally maximized my cutting-loose capacities for the last thirty minutes of our reception, when the drinks had been flowing for a while and the dancing started getting particularly raging.

Our last dance was Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'," and it was possibly the best three minutes of my life. I was totally overwhelmed with joy and happiness at how much fun we were all having, and I was surrounded by people who love Mr. Octo and I and who were having a total blast at the party we worked really hard to throw. We all jumped up and down and fist-pumped and sang like our lives depended on it, and at one point, I twirled around in a circle, trying to look at everyone all at once, thinking, "don't forget this!"

And then it was over. We didn't have any kind of formal send-off to wrap up our wedding. We danced 'til they turned the lights on and the staff nudged us out, then Mr. Octo and I sat in the bucket seats in the back of my mom's minivan and rode back to our hotel with my parents. We headed up to our room, I found a stray out-of-town bag and inhaled the bag of white cheddar popcorn inside, and then we met back up with our friends and headed to an Irish pub down the street for some after-partying.

There are not a lot of photos documenting this portion of the night, but this ought to give you a pretty good idea:

If you're on the fence about having an after-party, I recommend without hesitation that you DO IT! I expected to be exhausted, but I was absolutely not, and it was really, really fun to spend a little more time socializing in a more low-key way. Our actual wedding reception was a dream come true, but the after-party was a different, more normal kind of enjoyable. I felt like my regular self again, you know? I loved being THE BRIDE! all day, but I was also really glad to turn the spotlight off, slap a giant sweatshirt on, and just be Octo again, having a beer at the bar with my friends.

I finally turned into a pumpkin around 1 AM and was suddenly hit with a wall of exhaustion, feeling so tired I could barely hold my head up. Mr. Octo and I walked hand-in-hand back to our hotel, where he surprised me by remembering the old tradition, and scooped me up to carry me across the threshold into our hotel room to finally, finally call it a day.

And…..that's it, hive! That's the story of our wedding day! I have so, so loved writing these recaps. Our entire wedding weekend was one of the most beautiful, joyful experiences of my life, so much so that it practically has a sparkly gold aura around it in my memory. Having the opportunity to tell the story and share those amazing few days, and the photos of them, with all of you has been so gratifying. Thank you so much for listening.

Don't worry, though. You can't get rid of me quite that easily. Stick around for a big fat budget breakdown and one last goodbye!

About the Author

There are not a lot of photos documenting this portion of the night, but this ought to give you a pretty good idea

Irish Step Dancing $26.64 No Synopsis Available

Music, Songs And Step-Dancing $12.49 Music, Songs And Step-Dancing

Bright Dancing Irish Reel $10 Bright Dancing Irish Reel - Presented By Versaly Entertainment

Dancing 'Neath the Irish Moon $59.99 Dancing 'Neath the Irish Moon - Wall Decal

Grateful Dead Dancing Bear $34.99 This 100% Cotton hand-dyed tee shirt features The Greatful Dead dancing bear which was part of the back cover for the album History of the Grateful Dead, Volume One.

BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO IRISH DANCING DVD $9.79 BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO IRISH DANCING DVD

Sterling Silver Antiqued Irish Step Dancing Shoe Charm with Hollow Back $41.54 Plum Island Silver Company is a leading supplier of Sterling Silver Jewelry. We have one of the largest selections of Sterling Silver Jewelry in the world. Our customer service is unexcelled. Give us a try and see why we are America s Favorite Sterling Silver Supplier . 1amp;quot; long charm. Great charm for Irish Step dancers

I'd Rather Be Irish Step Dancing License Frame Hobbies License Plate Frame by CafePress $18 Get out on the floor and dance This fun Irish Step dancing license frame is a great gift for dancers. Hobbies License Plate Frame . A real roadside attraction, get your driver's attitude or cause across on this cool License Plate Frame. Constructed of sturdy, durable, shiny chrome that makes your message POP. Images are applied with a permanent adhesive weatherproof decal. UV and w

Step By Step Guide To Ballroom Dancing - Salsa $8.99 Step By Step Guide To Ballroom Dancing - Salsa

Step By Step Guide To Ballroom Dancing - Cha Cha $8.99 Step By Step Guide To Ballroom Dancing - Cha Cha

Step By Step Guide To Ballroom Dancing - Foxtrot $8.99 Step By Step Guide To Ballroom Dancing - Foxtrot

Step By Step Guide To Ballroom Dancing - Waltz $8.99 Step By Step Guide To Ballroom Dancing - Waltz

Step By Step Guide To Ballroom Dancing - Tango $8.99 Step By Step Guide To Ballroom Dancing - Tango

Step By Step Guide To Ballroom Dancing - Swing Jitterbug $8.99 Step By Step Guide To Ballroom Dancing - Swing Jitterbug

Step By Step - The Complete Guide To Ballroom Dancing $25.99 Step By Step - The Complete Guide To Ballroom Dancing

Step-Dancing an Example of One of the Many Forms of Step-Dancing Found in England $49.99 Step-Dancing an Example of One of the Many Forms of Step-Dancing Found in England - Giclee Print

Personalized Step Dancer Ornament $11.99 Our enchanting dancer holds a personalized shamrock. Imported. Resin. Please state name. 5.

Chocolat Dancing in the Irish and American Bar $34.99 Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Chocolat Dancing in the "Irish and American Bar" - Giclee Print

Colin Dunne: Celtic Feet - Irish Dancing Masterclass - $14.99 Colin Dunne: Celtic Feet - Irish Dancing Masterclass features the respected Irish dancer offering a number of lessons that will help anyone learn how to perform some of his best steps. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Celebration of Irish Dancing - $12.99 This program features a showcase of eight World Championship Irish Dancers, some of whom went on to later achieve success in shows such as Riverdance. The dancers are accompanied by the music of such Ceili bands as Gallowglass and Sean McGuire & His Fiddle Orchestra. ~ Cammila Albertson, Rovi

Personalized Pub Glasses (Set of 4) 16 Oz. Mixers $49.99 With a guarantee of singing, dancing, blarney, these pub glasses are custom-printed with your family name. Please state name. Shipped separately; allow approx. 2-4 weeks. (Cannot ship to APO or FPO addresses.)

Personalized Pub Glasses - Set Of Four 20 Oz. Glasses $49.99 With a guarantee of singing, dancing, blarney, these pub glasses are custom-printed with your family name. Please state name. Shipped separately; allow approx. 2-4 weeks. (Cannot ship to APO or FPO addresses.) Set of Four 20 oz.

Personalized Pub Glasses - Set Of Four 13 Oz. Tankards $54.99 With a guarantee of singing, dancing, blarney, these pub glasses are custom-printed with your family name. Please state name. Shipped separately; allow approx. 2-4 weeks. (Cannot ship to APO or FPO addresses.) Set of Four 13 oz. each.

Tap Dancing America $36 Here is the vibrant, colorful, high-stepping story of tap--the first comprehensive, fully documented history of a uniquely American art form, exploring all aspects of the intricate musical and social exchange that evolved from Afro-Irish percussive step dances like the jig, gioube, buck-and-wing, and juba to the work of such contemporary tap luminaries as Gregory Hines, Brenda Bufalino, Dianne Walker, and Savion Glover. In Tap Dancing America, Constance Valis Hill, herself an accomplished jazz tap dancer, choreographer, and performance scholar, begins with a dramatic account of a buck dance challenge between Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and Harry Swinton at Brooklyn's Bijou Theatre, on March 30, 1900, and proceeds decade by decade through the 20th century to the present day. She vividly describes tap's musical styles and steps--from buck-and-wing and ragtime stepping at the turn of the century; jazz tapping to the rhythms of hot jazz, swing, and bebop in the '20s, '30s and '40s; to hip-hop-inflected hitting and hoofing in heels (high and low) from the 1990s right up to today. Tap was long considered "a man's game," and Hill's is the first history to highlight such outstanding female dancers as Ada Overton Walker, Kitty O'Neill, and Alice Whitman, at the turn of the 20th century, as well as the pioneering women composers of the tap renaissance, in the 70s and 80s, and the hard-hitting rhythm-tapping women of the millennium such as Chloe Arnold, Ayodele Casel, Michelle Dorrance, and Dormeshia Sumbry Edwards. Written with all the verve and grace of tap itself, drawing on eye-witness accounts of early performances as well as interviews with today's greatest tappers, and richly illustrated with over ninety images, Tap Dancing America fills a major gap in American dance history and places tap firmly center stage.

Stained Glass Shamrock Fire Screen $339 A work of art for the fireplace. With its vibrant shamrock design, this stunning glass screen dresses up your fireplace when not in use or when decorated with lit candles. Imported. Shipped separately; allow 3-4 weeks. 27 1/2 high X 42 wide.

Personalized Pub Coasters $17.99 Coasters: Heavy-duty, absorbent, cardboard. Printed with alcohol-resistant inks. USA. 4 square, 8 coasters. Please state name. Shipped separately, allow approx. 2-3 weeks.Glasses: With a guarantee of singing, dancing, blarney, these pub glasses are custom-printed with your family name. Set of four glasses; each holds 20 oz. Please state name. Shipped separately; allow approx. 2-4 weeks. (Cannot ship to APO or FPO addresses.)

The Girls in Bright Dresses Dancing $13.65 No Synopsis Available

Dancing $10 Dancing

Irish Blessing $7.99 Irish Blessing

Celebration Of Irish Dancing $12.49 Whitestar:3053

Total Irish Dancing 1 $19.99 Cd Baby:92215481

Clarity Skin Care System $149.95 Tired of the breakouts, but hate the itchy, tight feeling many skin care products leave you with? Our Clarity Skin Care System, designed to pair with the Clarity Acid Peel Kit, is the answer to your prayers. A four-part system, designed with the needs of problematic skin types in mind, begins with the Clarity Cleanser, a deep-cleansing formula that thoroughly removes any dirt, makeup, and oil. Our Clarity Toner, made with natural black willow bark, will not strip your skin and leaving it feeling tight. Instead, it naturally fights the causes of breakouts and refines your pores. Plus, it perfectly prepares you for moisturizing. The Nourishing Formula is the first step in hydration. A light, non-oily gel that increases firmness and moisture without clogging your pores. Finally, the Hydrating Moisturizer is an ultra-light cream designed to leave with nourished, soft skin while still fighting future breakouts.

Four Models in Red Dresses Dancing Charleston For Article Featuring The Little Red Dress $79.99 Gjon Mili Four Models in Red Dresses Dancing Charleston For Article Featuring "The Little Red Dress" - Premium Photographic Print

Suzy Creech, Typical Girl Known as a Pigtailer Dancing the 2 Step $79.99 Frank Scherschel Suzy Creech, Typical Girl Known as a "Pigtailer" Dancing the 2 Step - Premium Photographic Print

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 7th, 2009 at 10:03 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.