How was the big day? Part 1

It's been almost two weeks now, so enough time to reflect and try to remember what happened. And a lot happened, but it seemed to happen at Light Speed.

The morning that was supposed to be longest wait ever (as I'd count down the hours until we finally left home) seemed to fly by. The drive into London went so smoothly I forget London even has traffic - we even had time to detour into Soho to pick up a camera part my sister left behind. The wait at the pub outside Camden Town Hall (a pub that probably does good business in that location) seemed to fly by. Supposedly we were there 30 minutes, but all I recall is greeting cousins and friends, having a flower pinned to my jacket, downing a quick half pint, taking a few photos with the Best Man and then getting the phone call.

Yes, the phone call, the one that said the Bride was about 50m away and I had to get out of there fast. So those 30 minutes were done and I was all of a sudden hiding in a dark room in Camden Town Hall where I thought the registrar would be. Except there was no-one there. I was in the right place of course. I was just early. So when Andrea walked into the same room 3 minutes later, i went to hide in another room so I wouldn't see her, and then she found the registrar - who was wondering where I was. Hiding. Behind him. Anyway, after Andrea had been hidden away in a room upstairs next to where we would get married, I was able to leave the dark room, go find the registrar and get led back into the dark room.

And then it began. The lights went on and I had to double-check the information on the wedding certificate. And then I had to inform the registrar we'd decided not to do 1/2 of the ceremony in both german and english. Instead we'd just do the vows in both languages. Otherwise, without practice, we feared not only would I sound like an idiot, but all of us would get confused about who was saying what, when, in what language. So the thirty minutes I was supposed to be in that room ended up flying by and as we walked upstairs I didn't feel ready at all. I was sure there was supposed to be some real instructions, some counseling... something.... but not, I walked upstairs thoroughly unaware of where I was supposed to stand, who would play the music (if the music would work!), or what the room would even look like (since the previous glimpse we'd had of the room it was set-up for a meeting, not a wedding).

Walking into the room, as 40 people were packed in (seems the final 10 scraped in after me), I didn't really know who to talk to. Surely there was not time to say hi to 30 people? So I ignored everyone, walked to the front, spoke to my parents, panicked over the music and videographer and then asked where to stand. And then, a few nervous minutes later, we played the music and Andrea walked in with her dad. Wow.

Wow.