Winter Wedding Nonsense

Long-time friends could tell you that I've always dreamed of a winter wedding, though as the years went on I decided that having a fur trimmed dress and muff were too much, and that driving off in a sleigh would not only be cold, but also tedious, unless the reception or honeymoon destination was mere blocks from the ceremony site. While I took a brief hiatus from my winter wedding dream during the 'barefoot hippie days' I never lost hope that it'd become a reality.

So when Kyle and I had a conversation around weddings, and the groom's role in a wedding (which I adamantly stated that he should get as much say in the wedding proceedings as me), I almost peed my pants when he said that he had always dreamed of a winter wedding.

A) what guy actually thinks of their future wedding and
B) what guy actually has the very same wedding dream as me?

Though the winter wedding dream did not actually include a blizzard. There must be power in marrying a pastor, as my prayer for "snow" on my wedding day was taken literally...and the week of Snowmaggedon created many hilarious and lasting memories...

December 18, 2008 was the day set aside for each of us to celebrate the last night of singleness, which for me meant a quiet night at Burien's finest Brewery, chilling with my favorite girls. What actually happened was a family dinner including my mother and father-in-law, my parents, my sister, my sisters-in-law, kyle, his cousin, a friend he plays bridge with, a highschool friend of kyle's and her mom, and my two second-ish-cousins who were stranded in the airport on their way to spokane. A Bachelor/ette party like nobody's had before. Because who can say both their groom, father, and father-in-law were present at their bachelorette party? :)


December 19, 2008...less than 24 hours until I become a Mrs. and after spending the whole evening telling Kyle he cannot be hung over for our wedding I proceed to buy champagne at QFC and have a few glasses with my bridesmaids before we head to bed, purely to make up for the lack of bachelorette party, of course. What ensued was many random pictures and waking up at 3 am to eat Eggo waffles with Carlita. Hey, nothing sounds better than freezer waffles at 3 am. Tasty!


December 20, 2008: yes I was hungover, but after eight glasses of water and some french bread & cheese I managed to have a clear head. The excitement of the day overshadowed anything else, well, except for the burned strips of forehead from sitting under the dryer. Yep, the hairdryer at the salon burned my head. Similar to a curling iron burn, there were two welts that went from the top of my forehead and on into my hairline. What to do when this happens? Laugh. And then use just a little more makeup. Because it was my wedding day and nothing was going to ruin it!

Nothing could ruin my day, not even the fact that my dress broke. Oh yes, you know they should use whale-bone corsets, but PETA is all over the dressmakers for this, so the cheap plastic boning in the bodice of my dress snapped. Fortunately it stayed on throughout the ceremony and most of the reception, with the exception of the time my dad spun me on the dance floor and ended up seeing my right boob. Good thing he bathed me as a child, but still, in a room full of people it could have been my worst nightmare. Fortunately with the help of a few resourceful bridesmaids and one fantastic sister-in-law, we made a shawl turn into a great halter and then tube top to cover my indecency.

But wait, I forgot some key parts to the story, like the fact that Kyle and I kissed three times before the pronouncement, or that when the pastor announced Mr. & Mrs. Kyle Fox I turned to my hot maid of honor and frister Allison and gave her a high five. Also, did I mention that after my dad gave me away he secretly videotaped the ceremony from the front of the church? Priceless dad action right there!

The reception wasn't much better in terms off going smoothly, though it wasn't boring in the slightest. Apparently the heater was broken in the room, though I didn't notice as I was doing my best to scramble around and greet all of our guests (who not only showed up to our wedding, but did so in a freaking blizzard). The DJ was great, however we had forgotten to tell him that we were Mr. & Mrs. Kyle Fox and not Mr & Mrs. Kyle Fox and Jenna Powers. Did anybody notice? I think they were too cold to, and at that moment we had actually arrived 10 minutes early and the kitchen staff wasn't prepared for dinner to be served yet.

It couldn't be my wedding or honeymoon without a few adventures, eh?

Most couples turn off their cell phones on their honeymoon, but in true Kyle & Jenna style we were actually hanging out at the Fox family residence the day after the wedding, eating breakfast before we headed up to Whidbey Island. That night was spend timing phone calls to our family and loved ones who had made it home to their destinations or were still stranded in the SeaTac airport. Not to worry, they all made it safe and sound, eventually, and I was pleased with how everyone stepped up to the plate to make things happen while Kyle and I relaxed at the Inn at Langley.

Speaking of the Inn, there's only one funny memory from there, and that was during our first breakfast, where we were sitting in the room, next to our warm fire, and Kyle reached down and popped a yellow triangle of food into his mouth. I stared at him in shocked disbelief and said, 'isn't that butter you just ate?" Looking sheepish he chewed a few bites and then spit it out, claiming he thought it had been a wedge of cheese. Mhmm, sure...a wedge of cheese, eh?

Because family is important, and we married a mere 5 days before Christmas, we made the trek across the mountains to spend time in Yakima and Spokane for Christmas. The first night sleeping in my parents' cabana we had to laugh, as there was no heat, and my mom had done her best to pile blankets on the bed and put the space heater where it would make us warm, but I imagined it was similar to life as Laura Ingalls Wilder. It was a bit like sleeping outside, though the bed was warm and cozy once we got inside.

Spokane provided another set of adventures, including a car that at one point smelled like molasses. Turns out our whole inside bumper was filled with snow and the radiator was overheating. Good times. Did I mention we had almost run out of gas trying to get out of the narrow driveway that was almost whiteout conditions? My makeshift snow removing device consisted of a CWU ballpoint pen and sister-in-law Lisa used the end of the squeegee. We all managed to make it into Spokane safely.


The final leg of our journey left us in Cannon Beach for our real honeymoon, and I'm drawing a blank in the funny-story department, though Kyle was impressed that our biggest purchases included Tillamook Cheese, saltwater taffy, and candy for our respective families.

The honeymoon is over and real life has just begun, though there's been no lack of adventures, like the time we turned the lights off to go to bed and cracked skulls getting into bed (well, his skull, my cheekbone). Fortunately I woke up without a black eye, but it may take awhile to get used to sleeping in the same bed!