The following was written on July 15th at 7:30 am, approximately eight hours after the end of the wedding:

"38 bobby pins came out of my hair. Yes, 38 bobby pins. That's not counting the ones lost to over zealous, and probably pretty terrible dancing. I've washed my hair 3 times in the past 8 hours, and I still feel hairspray in there. I swear, I'm beginning a detox from make up and hair products starting today. My pretty, clover green bridesmaid dress now looks a little sad and lifeless on it's hanger.  I'm tired from the flurry of activity and lack of sleep…and possibly slightly hungover. But wow, what a wedding. "

And back to present day:

Don't judge, it was my day off. Seriously, you'd dance terrible too.

Even now, 10 days later, I still believe that all of it, every last bobby pin, was worth it. And why?

Because my oldest and best friend Sarah, and her love, Mike are married. Wow, I can't believe I can finally say it-Married! Standing up next to Sarah, seeing the look on Mike's face as he watched her walk down the aisle, I'll never forget it. I saw everything Sarah had ever wanted, right there in his eyes. And at that moment, I was glad to not be photographing the wedding. I realized that I needed to be up on the altar to see that.

But let's be real here. I can't say I didn't have a camera in hand or try to make suggestions, because that would go against my nature. But I tried hard, really I did! I guess now I finally know what it's like to be in the wedding and not photographing the wedding. Thankfully, Lori from Light and Ink, was patient, and didn't assault me for occasionally getting in her way. I'm sure she'll make up for it somewhere in the near future. 

I even decided to take the Matron of Honor duties to a whole new level, by incorporating a slideshow of our friendship through the years, into the toast. Yes, I just had to be difficult. I'd like to thank Mike of Stage Productions DJ for his assistance in pulling that off, as well as my husband, Matt for putting that together on the wedding day.

Two years of planning, over in the blink of an eye. And just as I always try to explain to my couples, the only thing left are the pictures and the stories we'll tell our children about that day. Sarah, Mike, and Christopher, I cannot wait to see and be a part of what your future together holds. I say this because I know, that 20 years from now we'll still be a part of each other's lives. Congratulations. I love you all so much.

Here's a few photographs that mysteriously ended up on my camera at the end of the day:

Thanks to my husband for some of these, and for assisting Lori all day long!

I just love the way he looked at her.

(Taken by Matt Perrotta)

Two formals I didn't get in trouble for. Yet.  :)

Carefully practiced dancing, and wish lantern send offs!

"We did it!"

Lori, Mike, Sarah & I

(Taken by Matt Perrotta)

For more photographs and Lori's professional perspective on the day visit her blog post!

Light & Ink: Sarah & Mike