Wedding Recap: The Reception Part I

I always enjoy watching the bridal party’s entrance into the reception. Their entrance sets the tone for the evening and I love seeing the bride, groom, bridesmaids and groomsmen let loose!

Our reception kicked off with the entrance of our bridesmaids and groomsmen who were introduced by our DJ to the Jock Jams Mega Mix.

Ryan and I gave them flashlights and lasers to add to the upbeat ambiance. Once they all danced their way into the ballroom, the lights were lowered and the starting lineup for the Chicago Bulls (circa 1998) began to play.

The DJ then introduced me and Ryan… the new Mr. and Mrs. Fagan! We high-fived our wedding party, meeting in the middle for a kiss.Right from the start, I knew our reception was going to be a blast!

Once the lights were brought back up, the bridal party and their dates took a seat at a big feast table, where Ryan and I sat at the head. I love that the above picture was snapped candidly by our photographer. She was so wonderful about taking pictures of every special moment without being the least bit invasive.

After we were seated, the DJ began playing some dinner music while waiters passed out salads and warm rolls. Once everyone had a plate of food, my dad stood up to welcome our guests and give a speech.

His speech was filled with memories, laughs, emotion, pride and good wishes for the future. My sister, my maid of honor, spoke next. Leslie did such a great job. She was poised and funny and shared some wonderful stories and hopes for our future. Ryan had two best men and both gave fantastic speeches.

Dru’s speech was warm and kind. Daniel had everybody laughing hysterically with stories about our college years. Once the speeches were over, dinner was served as Ryan and I got up to visit every table and thank our guests for celebrating our special day with us. This meant that we didn’t get a chance to eat even one bite of our meal, but fortunately our dinners were delivered to our room for us to enjoy once the reception was over.

I will never forget the catering manager tapping me on the shoulder to tell me it was already time to cut the cake. The night was flying by!

We approached the table with our wedding cake and I couldn’t wait to cut into it to reveal the beautiful red velvet cake with white chocolate mousse filling hidden beneath the buttercream frosting, topped with white chocolate shavings. We cut into the cake using the knife my parents used to cut into their wedding cake, engraved with their names and wedding date. I also surprised Ryan with a grooms cake, created to resemble the Chicago Bulls basketball team’s logo. Ryan is a huge fan of the Bulls and since I grew up in a suburb of Chicago, I have a soft spot for them as well.The groom’s cake was a marble cake with an Oreo cream filling because Ryan is quite the Oreo lover.