[Friends Only] Nine hours and counting...
I'm getting married tonight.

Tonight, I'm getting married.

Married.

This is insane. In a good way.

I spent Friday afternoon with my sisters overseeing the arrangements at Gotham Hall. Yeah, totally like in Batman. In fact, I'm pretty much marrying Batman. There. I said it. The secret's out.

This is where I'm getting married.



The staff on hand was quite capable and we didn't really need to be there. I just wanted to make sure everything looked the way I wanted it to look. And it did.

Before...







After...







We're doing things a little different, I know. It's not the traditional wedding set-up, but I thought that being surrounded by all of our friends and family and business associates and everyone-we've-ever-met in this sort of setting would make things feel more...intimate. It's kind of a "round stage" mentality where everyone has a pretty good angle to see what's going on. Let's be honest, I'd bet $100 that whoever gets stuck staring at my bridesmaids' rear ends for the duration of the wedding isn't going to complain!



After the wedding, while we're taking care of wedding pictures and everything, the curtain will be taken down, the rest of the greenery will be moved in and dinner will be served. The band is going to set up on the mezzanine balcony overlooking the ballroom. And we'll be set to party ALL. NIGHT. LONG.

Well, maybe not all night. I do have a few other plans. Actually, Alexei and I might leave early. I just decided that.</center>

After setting up, Eva and I went to stow our dresses away in the area the staff set aside for the bridal party to get ready for the festivities. She decided she didn't want to play model, so she took pictures of me in her bridesmaid dress and also me in my gorgeous, one-of-a-kind Nanna-made wedding dress.

[Bridesmaids and Sisters Only]

(OOC: Yeah, just pretend that's Angelina's PB and deal with it. Those are the dresses.)




Nanna is amazing. I will love her forever. All of the beading on the bodice and the straps of my gown was hand-sewn. That's incredible. She's incredible. And Lydia, you are so very lucky to have her. I will try not to cry on the dress.

[/Private]

After my final final pre-wedding wedding dress try-on, everyone met up at the Hall and we went through the rehearsal. I almost cried. Instead, I laughed. I laughed because Eva decided that instead of walking in like normal people, we should form a Soul Train line. Sometimes, I swear someone dropped her on her head a couple hundred times when she was a baby.

Okay. It was me.

Anyway.

In a way, it was so real...standing there in the center of this huge ballroom, facing Alexei and holding his hand in mine and running through the basics of our vows. It sort of kicked me into the realization that, yes, this is happening. It's for real. It's not four months away anymore. It's not four weeks away. It's not four days away. I'm marrying Alexei. I'm going to be his wife. For better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, so help me God.

After we finished up there – and listened to a spontaneous rendition of "Chapel of Love" courtesy of my sisters – we had a big rehearsal dinner party at Tango. It was great having all of our family and friends in one spot. The drinks were flowing, the food was great...I don't think I've felt so relaxed in a very, very long time.

It was hard leaving Alexei at the end of the night. It sounds funny, but I've just become so used to feeling him in bed next to me. I wasn't sure how spending a night apart would feel. That's stupid. I travel all the time. But usually we at least...I mean...well...but we couldn't. It was a little surreal to kiss him goodnight and look at him and know that the next time I saw him, I'd be marrying him.

But we managed to part ways. And then...then came my baby sister's idea of a bachelorette party which included body shots at Sugar, a round of club-hopping, lap dances in SoHo, and half-a-dozen male strippers...whom I'm pretty certain doubled as male prostitutes. I don't even want to know how Eva found them, but she was on a first name basis with them all.

I also don't know why, but I woke up with a guy's g-string wrapped around my ankle. I'm sure there's a story to that. I'm just not sure what it is.

Instead of waking Mama, we all crashed in my hotel suite after a long night of partying. By crashed, I mean we stumbled in at 5 AM, drunk off our asses, and raided the hotel minibar. I love my sisters. I love my friends.

I feel like hell. Well, I felt like hell. A few aspirin and a McDonald's run and I'm feeling better now. What bride eats McDonald's for breakfast on her wedding day?

Me.

We have our appointments at the Red Door Spa in about an hour. Massages, hair, makeup, nails. I need a massage.

I'm getting married.

TODAY!

Therefore, don't expect to see this thing updated again until after we get back from our honeymoon.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥