The dance floors of Annapolis were torn to smithereens this weekend.
*Bonus! Thursday:
Arrived in sunny Annapolis to celebrate the impending nuptials of Sydney and Alexander! I see my college friends once a year if I’m lucky, so I stepped off the plane with a little extra pep in my step. My first of many joyous reunions was with MJ and Juliana in the arrivals terminal of the BWI airport, followed soon after by lunch and a much needed catch up. Updated each other on what’s gone down in our lives in the year and a half since we last saw each other. Got existential almost immediately. Everyone’s Saturn is returning, help.
Headed to our lodgings for bachelorette night! Gleeful squeals could be heard far and wide for hours as more and more of the bridal party poured in and long-awaited reunions took place. After a few hours of pure girlish elation, we donned our customary matching sweat suits and headed out for dinner (Thai) before ending the night with Sydney Jeopardy.
Friday morning:
Started the day with the sweetest bridal brunch for our girl! There is no better brunch company than a bunch of girls and gays united in celebration. The sun was shining, the coffee was flowing, and all was right with the world.
After brunch we visited the bridal suite where all of us bridesmaids got to build our own bouquets under the expert direction of our florists du jour, Todd and Skyler. With an array of autumnal flowers and foliage at our fingertips, we spent the next hour gathering and mixing and matching and trimming until each of us was content with our bunch. Don’t be surprised if you start seeing a new flower arrangement on my IG stories every week – need to hone my new skills.
Had a few hours of down time in the afternoon, so I set out to explore the very quaint and very charming streets of Annapolis’ downtown historic district with MJ and Juliana. I physically could not stop the words “oh my god it’s so cute” from falling out of my mouth every 5 minutes. Visions of life in a small east coast town with my hot and preppy husband flashed before my eyes. Block after block of charming storefronts kept us entertained for a good while, and each turn we took led us down a street more enchanting than the last.
Returned to the hotel and gave my hair a blowout, all the while thinking of life with my hot and preppy east coast husband.
Rehearsed the wedding! Felt like I was getting ready for a dance performance with how diligently I was counting my steps and my timing and making sure to hit my marks.
Ended the night with a welcome party at what has now become one of my favorite bookstores I’ve ever been to: Old Fox Books. A wide wooden door under a striped awning gave way to winding bookshelves stacked high, Harry Potter references galore, and best of all, a little coffee shop tucked in the back. The backyard was scattered with cast iron chairs and tables, and fairy lights were strung amongst the trees. I think I might like to be buried there.
True to the groom’s heritage, we were treated to piles of Greek food and, later in the evening, some very festive Greek dancing that I obviously participated in with great enthusiasm. I’ll never pass up a good dance circle.
Saturday:
Wedding day!!! Started my day with a run to Old Fox for coffee (the first of the day, but not the last), and then a steady stream of us rotated in and out of hair and makeup chairs all morning. Went in looking bedraggled, came out looking glam.
The afternoon was filled with a frenzy of getting ready and tears and first looks and tears and group pictures and tears. When it came time for the ceremony, there was nary a dry eye between us bridesmaids, let me tell you.
A jazz band kicked off the dance floor after dinner and revelry ensued, the room quickly filling with a blur of wedding guests young and old cutting many a rug, each in their own unique style. I, for one, swing danced and salsa danced and stanky legged until I was breathless. When “Forever” came on and the crowd fell into a dance train a-la The Office, Juliana and I made our way down the aisle with a hastily-choreographed mazurka, much to the crowd’s delight. When the opening notes of “Piano Man” tinkled out, every guest in the room formed a circle and swayed to the beat. For the entire song. All 5 minutes and 37 seconds of it. The bouquet was tossed. There were multiple vocal performances. The mascot of the Baltimore Ravens showed up and slow-danced with the bride, and then the groom, and then a flower girl. It was a movie.
Eventually the dance floor came to an end, but the party sure didn’t. Far from it, in fact — we tossed aside our heels and pulled on our matching sweat suits and marched over to a neighboring bar, where the merriment continued until 11:30pm, at which point they kicked us out. Not one to waste a tequila buzz, I wasted no time in finding the nearest 2 am-er, and off we trotted.
With the end of our time together drawing woefully near, the mood turned somber around midnight as MJ, Todd, Cam, Mitchell, and I perched on stools around a sticky high top and had a good old fashioned heart-to-heart. There is no trauma bond like one born from a performing arts degree. Being together after too many months apart impressed on us the importance of holding close to friends who you can really, truly empathize with. Naturally, more tears were shed before the night was over, and we parted ways with long, sorrowful hugs and plans to reinstate our defunct college group chat.
Sunday:
Slept for a whopping two hours before heading to the airport for an early flight. Was home and unpacked by 10am, and spent the rest of the day in an exhausted stupor. Against all odds, I managed to grocery shop and do my laundry before my two remaining brain cells short circuited.
Hug your friends close and tell them you love them!
xo, Ellie
Keep those bonds. Write a book. I see a compilation of stories in your future.