Down the Yellow Brick Road Part VI: For the Boys

Previously:
Part I: The Night Before
Part II: Salon, Supermarket & Judy Garland
Part III: Setting Up
Part IV: Prettifying
Part V: All Bridalled Up


Sorry I've been MIA the last few days. Thanks to the spectacular timing of my pc shuffling off this mortal coil just around Christmastime, we had to wait for the suppliers to be open before we could get a new one. And everyone except me seems to have managed to take the longest holiday they could possibly have. Then right around the time Mr Ruby Slippers brought home the new pieces of the new computer, our landlords decided it was a good time to have our cottage repainted and the ceiling fixed. So everything has been sitting in the middle of the bedroom for the last few days. On the up side, it did provide us with a reason to clean behind the bookcases, which - ahem - we never do.

Getting back to the recaps. What I didn't mention in my last post is that while we were getting ready, ominous clouds were gathering overhead. Dun dun dun. I kept my cool; in fact, I was quite pleased to see them because it was a scorcher of a day and we needed some cool relief, and besides, stormclouds make for awesome pictures! That is, if it doesn't rain. Actually, even a light drizzle I could have come to terms with, the sort where you can get cute "kissing under the umbrella" pics. Just no storms that make it impossible to be outside, or, worse, impossible for anyone to hear our vows!

I was thinking all this and more while I was getting my makeup done, because that is when I first heard the unwelcome sound of thunder, and the even more unwelcome sound of rainfall. Not downpour heavy, but heavy enough to hear. Which, to my mind, was too heavy. I immediately picked up my phone and sent an sms (text message) to Mr Ruby Slippers, who was getting ready with his guys in a room far, far away. Now I had not, of course, seen or spoken to Mr RS since he left home the night before, and I wasn't sure if actually phoning him would be breaking the "not seeing each other before the wedding" pact. He, of course, had no such qualms, and immediately called me back to calm me down. (My text had read something innocuous like, "It's raining!! OMG." but I imagine he thought I was freaking out a bit more than I really was.) Actually I think I was surprisingly calm. At any rate, it was very sweet of him to allay my fears. Tanja's second shooter, Natasha, was with the guys at this time, and she got some shots of Mr Slippers talking to me on his phone:

I wasn't here for this (obviously, so I can't give a running commentary, but here are some shots I liked. Yes, we're segueing into the "Men getting ready" segment! So seamless.

Here's Mr RS practising his speech, while in the foreground are a groomsman bout and the wine for our chocolate & wine ceremony (more on that later). I have to wonder, though, if the guys were taking surreptious slugs of it to calm their pre-wedding jitters. :-)

And the good old standard "what time is it?" shot:
He cleans up good!

In fact, he cleans up so good that there should be MORE of him:

Well, if you're going to place the mirrors like that, what else can we do but take advantage?

For every hanging dress shot, there is a hanging suit jacket shot:


Next, Best Man Ruby Slippers helps the groom on with his boutoniere:
Whoa, this is tougher than it looks:

And the final product. I think the pocket handkerchief looks totally wrong inside out, but someone put it in that way and told him it was right. Hmmm.

And....they're off! I'm glad these shots really show off the green gardens of our venue. And notice how the sun has emerged, bright and cheerful:
Stand on a ledge...

And kiss your freedom goodbye....


Posing...


So pensive...
And so zen....
Heee hee, I love this one.

Ok, guys, it's time to head off to the chapel!
Here it is...ready for you to marry the girl of your dreams (that's just you, Mr RS, not you other two).

And unfortunately the next bit is where I have a gap in my pictures! I'll try to follow on with something not too out of order...