BEFORE "THE PROBLEM": The morning started out great. I spent the night in the hotel room with Bev, her sister Maddie, and their mother Willa. We all (Bev, Willa, and all 8 of her bridal party) woke up, grabbed breakfast downstairs, ate on the deck outside on the water, and then went to get our hair done. We then came back to the hotel to get dressed and do our make up. It took 3 of us to get Bev's dress on and button all of the tiny buttons that went up the back of the dress. I can only image the frustration Ricky felt at the start of his wedding night with all those buttons... 
"THE PROBLEM": We went out to the docks to take pictures, and then got into our limo. Let me map this out for you first. The hotel was in Scituate, Massachusetts. That is where we all got ready (it's the town over from where they live). The church they got married at was in Providence, Rhode Island (the chapel at Providence College... where they met and went to school). That's an hour and 15 minute drive, depending on traffic. So we leave in the limo from Scituate, on our way to Providence. In the limo was the bride, the mother of the bride, and the 8 members of the bridal party. About 5 minutes into the car ride, we realize the air conditioning isn't working. We shout up to the driver to turn it on (our make up was melting down our faces), and he shortly realizes it's not working. He pulls over in a parking lot and comes back to fiddle around with the controls. When he's done, he goes back up and tries to start the limo. AND IT DOESN'T START! He calls his boss, keeps turning the key, and eventually it starts. Bev finally exhales and we are on our way.We get to the town over, about another 7 minutes down the road, and we realize the limo is slowing down. The driver pulls over on the side of the road (a very small, busy road) and immediately everyone starts screaming at the driver that, in Maddie's words, "It's a fucking boiler in here!" Bev kicks the door open and piles out of the limo. After her goes Maddie, and then Willa. I am behind Willa, but as she got out of the limo, something fell on the ground. She turned around to pick it up just as I was getting out of the limo, head down, and her nose smashes into the top of my head. There was a large cracking sound, followed by Willa grabbing her nose and screaming! At that moment I swore I broke her nose. That triggered her anger, and she turned to the limo driver and began yelling. We soon found out that one of the limo's two batteries had died.
Picture this on the side of the road: A bride in a giant dress holding her bouquet with a terrified look on her face, holding back the tears to save her Chanel makeup, 8 bridesmaids in navy dresses holding bouquets and calming one another, the mother of the bride screaming at the limo driver, all next to a broken down limo at noon on a hot summer day. It was like something out of a movie.
LUCKILY, the photographer had been following our limo "just in case anything were to happen" (thank GOODNESS!). Bev, Willa and Maddie got in the back of her little station wagon and began the drive to Providence. As they pulled away, Bev screamed through the closed window "Katie, you're in charge of Octavia!" I was left with Bev's two cousins, her three college roommates, and Ricky's little cousin Octavia. People were driving by honking at us.. we didn't know if they were congratulating the bride or telling us to get off of the road and stop holding up traffic. The photographer's son and friend were about 30 minutes out and turned around to pick up 3 of us. Those 3 were me, Octavia, and one of Bev's cousins. I still had the three roommates and the other cousin that had to get to Providence. Oh, and Bev had to walk down the isle at 2:00 exactly because there was another wedding at 4:00 and they were doing a whole mass, not just a ceremony.
It was about 1:00 and the limo driver was still working on transportation for us. He arranged for a van to pick up the remaining bridesmaids from the hotel and drive them to Providence. A nice stranger drove the 4 bridesmaids to the hotel to wait for the van, while the 3 of us got into the photographer's son's car and headed to Providence.
Around 1:30, I called one of Bev's roommates to see if they were picked up yet. Still no van, and Bev still wasn't at the chapel yet. Finally, around 1:45, a van arrives to pick up the rest of the bridesmaids. We were all officially on our way to the chapel! Bev got to the chapel around 2:00, and we got there around 2:15. We couldn't wait for the rest of the bridal party, so the service began without them. Once Bev saw Ricky waiting for her at the front of the church, she forgot all about everything that had happened and knew she was about to marry the love of her life.
AFTER "THE PROBLEM": We lined up behind the giant glass doors of the chapel. Out went the ring barer, followed by the flower girls, then Octavia, then Maddie, then me, and then Bev. I cried the entire time I walked down the isle. It was the combination of adrenaline from what had just happened, rushing around, and how beautiful Bev looked.
It was a lovely service. Unfortunately, the roommates and other cousin missed the majority of the service, but got to the chapel and came in the side door just after the vows. After the service, even though we ran way over time, everyone hung out outside for pictures. Then, we all got into limos and headed down to the lighthouse for pictures!
Then it was time to celebrate! They announced us as we entered into the reception room. My "date" for the whole day was Ricky's little brother Danny. Here's us, doing some dance Danny wanted to do together, as they announced us.
It was a fabulous day, and I am so happy for Bev and Ricky!
