Look at us go

(The new (yet not improved) Moxie Manglers official team photo. Starting top left: Greg (former groom), Kyle (my husband), Deidre (future client- I hope), Ryan (w/Deidre), Pat (ski buddy), Nicole (also a future client, I hope), and me (with my sweet new whistle). Starting bottom left: Ashley (Greg's wife and a former bride), Amy (our recruit from Baltimore, future client and as of Thursday, a new home owner!), Anastasia (Shane's sister and basically the most badass mom ever), and Shane (grad school friend).

I wish I could report that since I last filled you in on the shenanigans of my dodgeball team, the Moxie Manglers, we'd somehow defied our sad reality, and risen up the league ladder as our athleticism and spirit suggests we should.

Alas, it was not meant to be, and last night, with a great Mexican fiesta finale following our short stint in the playoffs (we won one game, and lost four, falling to the sixth ranked team- Ball Snatchers), the Manglers gladly ended this second season. Despite our momentum (we finished third to last, instead of just flat-out last like last season), many Manglers agreed a season ceasefire was in order, so we could focus on summer sports, like fishing, grilling and yachting (which Kyle explains is a state of mind, rather than a reference to a specific style of boat, which in our case, is a red canoe).

In addition to Taco Tuesday, our final soirée of the season also included a moving awards presentation. I listed our names in alphabetical order and had each player make up and then give an award to the person whose name was below them. It couldn't have worked out more wonderfully! Ky did a great job picking out his gift for Nicole- a box of Sugar in the Raw packets, with an order to take two a day for 50 days to sweeten up, as she was quite scary on the dodgeball court. But I think the gift I received from Ryan was the best- an official coaches whistle, with an orange lanyard to boot! It was used several times last night to get the gang focused during picture time!

Thanks Manglers for a "winning" season, and to Pat at Casco Bay Sports for organizing this league. If you live in southern Maine, I definitely urge you to check our their offerings, which in addition to dodgeball (new season starts May 16), includes flag football, soccer, volleyball, basketball and softball, as well as several special events and regular runs and mtn. bike rides. We'll be back next winter (if they'll have us)!

Bride Side Vol: 13: 'A great day by any definition...The best day by mine'

Guest Groom: Liam (of Emily & Liam) of Annapolis, Maryland*
Connection to Maine: Bride's homestate
Wedding Date: July 19, 2008
Wedding Location: Church ceremony in York, Maine and tented reception at the Greystone Manor in Cape Neddick, Maine
Guests invited: 252
Guests attending: 184 (120+ of them from out-of-state)
*Click here for coverage of Emily and Liam's wedding on the blog, here for their slideshow and here for Emily's fantastic entry to the Bride's Side

You always hear people say, "It was the best day of my life" when describing their wedding day, but I guess I never truly believed them. Sure, weddings are fun, but the best day, out of all the days in your life? Surely unlikely. When people get married they're old enough to have lived many thousands of days (I hope), and continue to enjoy many thousands of days after the wedding. The time that makes up that one day is a drop in the bucket of life. Right? I mean, it sounds like something husband says fishing for brownie points from wife. Picking that one day you joined her out of the thousands- how can you lose with that one? Smart play guys.

But... now I'm a believer. I wish someone had drilled through my thick skull that it was going to be the best day of my life, and you should prepare yourself as such. As an ADD groom with a big family and an out of state wedding to help plan, I was overwhelmed and disillusioned by the whole wedding planning bonanza. I let some of that malaise carry over into my wedding day expectations. Don't do that. You will be gravely mistaken.

There is only one day in your whole life when all of your best friends and closest family gather in one place to celebrate that you and the love of your life have found each other. One day. The only day that college buddies, uncles, neighbors, your grandmother, your wife's grandmother, and people you have never met will raise a glass, and cut a rug together in name of your eternal happiness. That, is a great day by any definition. The best day by mine.

Seeing you've already seen many of Emily and Liam's wedding images on the blog, I thought I'd compliment this post with some of my favorite spreads from their signature album:



















Biggest planning surprise: How much goes into a wedding! I knew it was going to be quite an undertaking, but I never could have imagined... good thing my fiancée was organized.

Favorite wedding planning resource: My fiancée, she is an amazing planner and our wedding was her "tour de force". (Editor's note: Liam's fiancée turned wife Emily became a nationally known blogger on WeddingBee.com during her planning and was an inspiration to thousands of other couples as well.)

I wish I'd spent more time: Thinking about all the great things that were to happen on my wedding day instead of dwelling on potential pitfalls.

I wish I'd spent less time: Driving all over New England looking at venues- but it was totally worth it.

I wish I had: Gotten a haircut before I left for Maine, I stupidly assumed that I'd have time to go to a barber in the two days I had before the wedding. Duh! Thankfully, I was able to get a quick trim from the woman doing the girls' hair on the morning of our wedding.

I wish I hadn't: Let the cake disappear before I could have more of it. It was damn good and I only got the bite Emily fed to me.

I am glad I/we did: Walk into a Chinese Karaoke Bar at midnight the night of the wedding. We were absolutely starved and was so memorable to be serenaded by complete strangers after spending the day among friends and family.

I am glad we didn't: Have a total breakdown when a (very severe) storm knocked out the power and nearly blew our guests into the Atlantic surf.

Favorite wedding moment: When the power went out, the cake almost fell over, the lawn furniture blew away, hail dotted the grounds, and I saw the band pour water out of their speakers, I looked around and saw that people were smiling, laughing, enjoying themselves, and that my wife was still glowing just as brightly as ever. I'll never forget that moment of relief and peacefulness.

Detail that was worth it: Signature Drinks- those Dark n' Stormies were a hit! Which explains a lot about our guests' post-reception antics.

Detail that was a waste: We rented extra lights because we were paranoid about the lighting being too weak in the tent- they were totally unnecessary and kept tripping the circuit breaker.

Best wedding splurge: The Band. They rocked the house/tent/swampy grass patch.

Best wedding steal: The lanterns with LED lights that we put together ourselves- we spent $250 on them and the rental company wanted over $5k!

My best advice is: Listen closely to what your partner wants, that can go a long way towards a smoothly planned wedding. Do your best to make your wedding great, but if you can't pull off what you've dreamed of: don't worry. Your family and friends are what make the wedding- everything else is a bonus.

And, for a bit of shameless self-promotion, what was your favorite part about working with Samantha Warren Weddings: What a hard worker! In spite of less than ideal conditions, Sam was all over the place. She was everywhere! Crawling on the slick rocks, navigating the perilously packed dancefloor, braving the rowdy, bar-plundering crowd... all for the perfect shot (of which there were more than plenty). BRAVO.

Read Past Bride's Side Posts:
-Vol.1: 10 tips for making the "Best Day of Your Life" just that
-Vol. 2: 'Remember you are starting a life together'
-Vol. 3: Go green, but stay real
Vol.4: If I knew then, what I know now
-Vol.5: 'Try not to over think things- hard as it may be'
-Vol. 6: What to expect when you are unexpecting
-Vol. 7: 'It's all about being your collective selves'
-Vol. 8: 'A celebration of the people who shaped us'
-Vol. 9: 'Experience is the best wedding planner'
-Vol. 10: 'I would do it all again tomorrow, if I could...'
-Vol. 11: Make it a family affair
-Vol. 12: 'Our ultimate goal was to throw a great party'