Damian and Susan's Wedding Reception

The Reception

After the ceremony, we made our way to Ladakins on the Mill Pond where the reception was being held. We had to scratch our plans of going to a special site to have our pictures taken since the ceremony started and ended late. Our limo drivers had engagements to go to after dropping us off. I was a little peeved by the change in plans but it all worked out great in the end. Ladakins has grounds that made for beautiful photographs. Why didn't we think of having our pictures done there in the first place???

Our photographer, Nick, was absolutely terrific!!! He somehow made the picture

taking process go so smoothly. We quickly did some group photos of the wedding party and us, then it was on to the relatives. After that was done, Nick took his time and concentrated on photographing Damian and I. The pictures came out beautiful! Now the hard part comes...trying to decide which photographs go in our wedding album. Decisions, decisions!!!

When we were finished taking pictures, we moved inside the reception hall and hid upstairs with our wedding party until it was time for our grand entrance.

In the meantime, we all sat around drinking and sampling many of the hors d'ourves that were being passed downstairs to our guests. The staff at Ladakins were great at keeping us and the rest of the guests content with our food and drink. Then it was time for the reception to officially begin. First, the DJ introduced our parents, then the members of the wedding party. My mom then took the mike over and proudly introduced us for the first time as "Mr and Mrs. Damian Lynch!" I started to get teary-eyed at my mom's welcome as we entered the dance floor.

It was now time for our first dance. Damian and I chose to dance to (I Love You)For Sentimental Reasons by Nat King Cole. The rest of the bridal party and our parents were invited onto the dance floor. This was the first time that Damian and I actually "danced" with each other. We were both a bit nervous, but the moment was magical. I think we both got misty-eyed this time. After our first dance, the DJ played a little game with the guests to see who would be taking home the centerpieces at the end of the night. Then some serious dancing started.

At first, I didn't know what I should be doing...Do I walk around and greet guests? Do I continue to stand here and stare deeply within Damian's eyes? What? It was awkward at first, but I soon learned how easy it was to be the center of attention! So I danced...Damian danced. We were having a blast!

A short time afterwards, the music was stopped so that Johnathon, our best man, could give his toast. There was still some more time before dinner, so the dancing continued. I am so glad that our photographer got this classic shot of Damian and Johnathon dancing to "Tequila." They were recreating a moment when they danced to this as kids at their uncle's wedding. I loved it!!! And the guests did too!

Dinner was finally ready. We had a buffet service with an extensive menu. I couldn't believe the amount of food! No one can say that they left our wedding hungry! We were fortunate to be the bride and groom and didn't have to worry about serving ourselves. The food came to us. A little of everything. I liked that. We were able to just sit down, relax, and enjoy our meal.

After dinner, Damian and I walked around and greeted some of our guests. I wish I

could have made it around to all the tables but somehow I ran out of time. Imagine that?!? Just as I sat down to chat with some family, it was time for the bouquet toss. The florist had made a toss bouquet out of shasta daisies. I went upstairs so that I could toss the bouquet from the balcony. The DJ had invited all women, single and married, onto the dance floor for this event. But it was indeed a maiden named Monica that caught the bouquet!!! Look out world, she's on the hunt for a MAN!

The festivities continued. Damian and I danced a little more, then I danced with my father for the traditional Daddy/daughter dance. My dad chose You Needed Me by Anne Murray to dance to.

I was pretty close to bawling my eyes out while dancing. Damian then danced with his Mom to Make Someone Happy by Jimmy Durante. Then as the evening started to wind down, it was time for the cake. I have never been a big fan of bakery style cakes, so we went with cheesecakes. There were three different sized cakes each frosted with whipped cream. They were delicious. Damian and I promised each other that there would be no cake smashing of any kind. So, the "feeding each other cake" part went off without a hitch!

It's amazing. Time does fly when you are having fun! It was 6:00pm when our guests started to leave. Almost everyone stayed until the very end. Our limo driver, Bobby, came back at 6:15ish to take us to Danford's Inn where we were spending our wedding night. It was hard to say goodbye to everyone. I didn't want the night to end. Damian and I were having the time of our lives!!! But by 6:30pm we were on our way. The wedding is over, but our lives have just begun!