HERE COMES THE BRIDE!!!

My wedding day is and forever will be June 14, 2008.

It may sound cheesy, but it's a date I will never forget, mostly because it was perfect. That's right, I said it: IT. WAS. P-E-R-F-E-C-T!

Now if I'm being brutally honest, of course not everything went perfectly:

-There were some guests who were invited, and who I desperately wanted to be there, but for whatever reason (out of town, out of town and about to give birth, etc.) couldn't make it.

-The cone filter for the sand we poured at the ceremony to signify that our lives were now blended together wasn't on the table, so much of the sand was spilled into the ground apparently signifying that we are now one with the earth. Or something like that.

-The harpist, who I now refer to as the in-serious-need-of-therapy-for-her-need-to-control-everything harpist, got on my last nerve with not only telling me how to pose for pictures, but telling my professional photographer how to take the pictures. Seriously, lady. Just play the harp!

- Brent didn't much care for the special dish of salmon he ordered at our reception, and wanted to eat my delicious honey dijon chicken. Being the great wife that I vowed to be just hours earlier, I told him that if he went near my chicken, his hand would be impaled by my fork. (It was THAT GOOD.)

But honestly, thinking back to that day two weeks ago as I write this posting after our honeymoon, I am struggling to think of anything else that didn't go, well, perfect.

I mean, I married my best friend and the love of my life.

And more importantly, IT DIDN'T RAIN, which was a permanent worry I had in the back of my head a month before the ceremony right up to our rehearsal dinner at Stella's Restaurant in Perrysburg the night before the wedding.

But I woke up on Saturday to an absolutely perfect day with not a single threatening thundercloud. Whew!

So after spending fun times with my bridal party at the salon, where I got my hair and makeup done, I was finally able to put on my almost-too-pretty-to-wear wedding dress at my parents' house. Then my sister, and maid of honor, helped me put on my jewelry and I was nervously ready to go!

When it was (finally) time to get married, my uncle was able to drive me up to my outdoor wedding site at the Toledo Botanical Gardens in my dad's corvette convertible. My dad met me on the edge of the site to walk me down the grass aisle scattered with rose petals near wooden arches and huge evergreen trees that towered over a pond complete with swans. As he put my hand in Brent's, he said "Take care of her Brent," a phrase that still makes me tear up to this day.

And for the ceremony, we wrote our own vows. After hearing Brent's vows about how he was looking forward to spending the best years of our lives together with me, I couldn't wait to kiss him, so I asked the minister if it would be OK to kiss him right then. She allowed it!

Right after the ceremony, we asked the guests to remain in their seats so we could spend a moment or two with every single one before anyone left. I loved it!

Since we had two hours between the wedding and reception, Brent and I enjoyed some quiet moments together - with the photographer - at the park.

This is important because now I will FINALLY have some photos with the two of us! Brent is one of those people with a gorgeous smile that completely disappears when in front of a camera. Therefore, he H-A-T-E-S getting his picture taken, so I have very few of us together. Now, according to the photographer, I have about 1,300 photos - many that have the two of us in them!

When it was time to go to the reception, we asked the best man, Doug, drive us there in my parents' car, which was tricked out with "just married" signs all over the windows. Cute!

We arrived at the reception a bit early, which led to one of my favorite moments of the day. It was when Brent and I got to spend about 10 minutes alone in the bridal suite at Central Park West, which is where our reception was held. We held hands, kissed, laughed, looked at our wedding rings, and just enjoyed the fact that we were finally married. Then the flower girl crashed our romantic moment, but since it was Katelyn - Brent's niece - we had fun playing Sesame Street with her and her Abby doll.

One of my other favorite moments of the evening came just moments later when it was time for the wedding party to be announced. Right after the DJ introduced us, the new Mr. and Mrs. Brent and Erika Meller, we walked through the doorway of our reception to live sparklers flying out from the plants near the doorway. It was awesome.

After an amazing meal of dijon chicken, roast beef, salad, veggies, and champagne - which was interrupted several times by people clanging their utensils on their glasses to make us kiss - Brent and I made our way from table to table to talk to our guests.

Unfortunately, we only made it to about half of the tables at our reception, so we didn't get to personally talk to everyone who came. This was something I was upset about afterward, but the day just flew by in a blur!

There was our first dance to Kelly Clarkson's "A Moment Like This," followed by my dance with my dad to "Wind Beneath My Wings," which is my song for him. (I had the DJ announce that I chose the song especially for my dad because I wanted him to know that fact.) Then I got a break while Brent danced to "You are so Beautiful" with his mom.

Soon thereafter, we unfortunately had to cut our cake, which was simply stunning and surrounded by a bunch of red and pink flowers and candles. We had it made to look like the Eiffel Tower in France because Brent proposed to me at the faux Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas and was taking me to the real one in France on our honeymoon. And no, we didn't smash the cake in each other's faces, though we got it one each other's noses a bit!

After a fun dollar dance, the rest of the evening was spent dancing, laughing, and visiting with my family and friends - some of whom I hadn't seen in a long time.

And even though I've heard you shouldn't be the last one to leave your own reception, I didn't care because I wasn't going to leave the fun behind!

But as the clock was striking midnight, Brent and I headed for a wonderful wedding night at the Belamar Suites in Perrysburg. Along with having our own garage, we also had a shower with two shower heads big enough for about seven people, a hot tub with jets, his and hers bathrobes, and a fireplace right next to the bed.

And it was FREE because we had our reception at Central Park West. It was heaven on earth, and a wonderful way to spend my first night with my new husband. I can't remember a moment when I was happier.

(More pictures to come when I have the professional ones back!)