Down the Yellow Brick Road Part III: Setting up

Previously:
Part I : The night before.
Part II : Salon, Supermarket & Judy Garland

So after we arrived at The Moon & Sixpence and dumped our stuff in the honeymoon suite, it was time to go and see what my parents were up to in the reception hall. You may remember that I'd given them all the reception details to set up - the Oscar favours, the damask table runners, the guest book, table names, etc. My friend Henni's sister had her florist partner, Daisy (not his real name, but I've never found out what it actually is!) set up the table flowers and make the bouquets and boutonieres in the morning, so when we arrived we saw this in progress:


Mom and Dad Ruby Slippers hadn't been there long, but they were doing a great job so far with the setup. Look at my mom with her to-do list (which I made for her). And isn't it sickening how skinny my sister is, with her bareback little top?

This was the point when I spotted the only thing that I really wasn't happy with on my wedding day. If you look on the far right of the photo above, you can see it. The Cake.

If you remember, this is what I wanted, with only two layers, and sans flowers on top:


THIS is what the bakery thought passed for that:


I think my face says it all. Ugh, I mean, seriously. I was so miffed. Thank goodness, however, for awesome cake toppers:


Which sister and BFF Ruby Slippers placed on the cake for me:
And, you know what? I got over it, really quickly. It was my wedding day, for pete's sake. So the cake was hideous. Who ever even remembers what cakes look like at weddings? There were sooooo many things I cared so much more about, so I just shrugged and went, "Oh well, if that's the worst that happens, I'm lucky."

It's also lucky that the cake was something I didn't care much about to begin with.

I don't have the pro pics of the decor yet, so I don't want to give it all away, but I loved how the main table turned out. That's Daisy walking away:


My Aunt had flown up from Durban the day before, and because she was there she got roped into helping fill the confetti cones:

...along with sister and BFF RS, who did a great job. Henni's sister had provided a ton more petals than I expected, which was fantastic.
And here's my family, looking absolutely awful. I post this so you can see the contrast later when we're all beautified:
Ugh. Thank goodness for makeup, is all I can say.

While the cone-filling was happening, I went outside the hall to hang the table listings. This was the one job I really wanted to do myself, and I proved it by cutting my finger on the damn thatch not once, but twice.

I really want to leave the final look of the hall until I get the pro pics (I promise I'll do a whole detail blog!) so at this point we slipped on down to the chapel:
Where Sister RS did a great job lining the aisle with the ton of petals we had:


And I hung up the parent signs:
(this one's a pro pic, as is the next)

And laid out tissues on their chairs (I know how much my mom and sister cry!):
At this point I had to rush off to get my makeup done (I know that this was the moment when I started realising that we were running a bit late) but everyone kept asking me how I wanted everything. I know they just wanted things to be perfect, the way I wanted them, but in the end I just had to say, "Guys, it's going to look beautiful. Now I don't mind if the ribbons go under or over the chairs when they tie, or if the flower pot is centred on the table, or even if the candles stand up in their holders or not.* Just do it, and it will be wonderful."

And I took a deep breathe, and ran. And I have photographic evidence that my mom and aunt did, at least, get to relax with a cup of coffee (albeit from a flask and on the lawn):

Breathe, just breathe.

*They wouldn't. One of the venue guys had to stuff the holders with paper to keep the candles upright.