Colorado Sketchcation: Day 8-9
Wedding festivities time! Did I mention my real motive for a Colorado vacation was that I had two friends getting hitched in Boulder? I was a bridesmaid so had a couple of days of wedding activities baked into my sketchcation. On Day 8 of my vacation, it was Day 1 of wedding festivities! After waking up, I finished writing my rehearsal dinner speech. I may have been a bridesmaid, but I actually have known the groom a year longer, and was there when the bride and groom started dating. I've known I would be telling this particular story at their rehearsal dinner since before they were engaged, so you would think I'd already have it written. In an attempt to find a good "wedding edition" of the story I went through about eight versions, some in my head and some written down. In the initial bridesmaid email the bride gave us each different titles (Keeper of Embarassing College Stories, Chief Liason to Relatives, Keeper of Comforting Jane Austen Quotes were just a few). One of mine? "Bringer of Snark." Ask and ye shall receive. My final draft was indeed, quite snarky, but I must say, there were versions that were snarkier so I think I did OK.
For our first Friday activity, the bridesmaids had high tea at the Dushanbe Tea House in Boulder. It's a beautiful building that was a part of a trade between Boulder and Tajikistan. Apparently Boulder sent them a cyber cafe. Safe to say, the US got the better end of the deal. I didn't have time to sketch the tea house on that day, but I returned on the last day of my trip to sketch it before I flew home!
After our tea, we met up with the boys at the chapel; they had gone to a brewery instead. This was perhaps not the best idea, as altitude changes how you metabolize alcohol and many of the groomsmen had flown in the night before, and were still adjusting to the altitude. Team Bride was very pleased it ignored the option of mimosas and stuck with tea.
The rehearsal made it very obvious that nearly the entire wedding party either works in theatre or has done theatre at some point. It went very smoothly, and everyone was talking cues and spike tape before it was over. Onto the rehearsal dinner!
I felt really good about rewriting my speech eight times: NAILED it!
Day 8 was officially the only day I didn't sketch on my trip!
Day 9 was the wedding! The morning was spent getting ready with the rest of Team Bride. We then went to take photos; the wedding reception was taking place at Chautauqua, so we did a mini hike up the hill for photos. It was immediately clear that the bride wore flats and none of the rest of us ladies did. After the photos we headed to the chapel! The wedding went off without a hitch (or only the intended one, anyway), and we headed back to Chautauqua for the reception! I was very happy to not be making another toast.
Dad made me a custom extra tiny Woodward and Father sketchboard that fit into my clutch for the wedding, so I sketched the dances. I usually sketch the wedding itself, but that may have been obtrusive as I was a bridesmaid, and you know....standing at the front...during the ceremony. I did a warm up of the happy couple before dinner, too! Congrats to Dan and Anna! Thanks for including me in your big day! (And also for throwing an amazing party)
