Our daughter's wedding

My oldest daughter, Jennifer, got married on Saturday to her boyfriend of five years, Josh. Everything went really well but there were a few glitches here and there.
Here are examples of what went right and wrong:
Right: I'm very glad that my daughter arranged for a professional makeup artist to do her makeup and I took advantage of the opportunity to have mine done while she was waiting to apply Jennifer's makeup. My younger daughter, Julie, jumped into action too and had eyelashes put on. The makeup lasted all day and looked great in photos.
Right: My daughters both had their hair professionally done at the beauty parlor, Bea's, in Glendale just hours before the wedding. Their hair looked gorgeous right until the end.
Wrong: My daughter wanted to save some money by not having flowers on the groomsmen's lapels. My husband thought that all the guys were supposed to get flowers. He didn't know we only had ordered them for him and Josh, the groom. The flowers were all in one box and were not clearly marked. The flowers in that box were for the mothers of the bride and groom and the grandmothers. They should have been marked mother of the bride, mother of the groom etc. but were not. None of us got our flowers because the guys were happily and unknowingly wearing them. I scrambled up to the dressing room right after the ceremony to call the florist to see what happened. Once they explained, it made sense and I asked the groomsmen to give the moms and grandmothers their flowers after their photos were taken. They were happy to comply.
Right: We picked the Sheraton Crescent Hotel for the wedding ceremony and reception. It was just gorgeous and the weather was perfect.
Right: I had my friend, Beque, help me check to make sure that things were set up correctly and that people had their photos shot before the wedding since I was busy helping Jennifer get dressed. She also made a beautiful box for cards.
Right: I hired Ray the DJ to provide the music at both the ceremony and the reception. I was going to have one of Jennifer's friends play music in a CD player but I didn't want to worry about the CDs being loaded correctly. Much of the ceremony is a big blur so I'm glad that I didn't need to worry about the music.
Right: Josh's mother, Dawn, and I got to start the wedding processional by holding handles and placing them on the table for the unity candle ceremony. We were thrilled to be part of the wedding like that.
Right: I jumped up and snapped some photos during the ceremony although there were many other people snapping away. It helped me be able to hear and see the expressions on my daughter's face and my new son-in-law's face. I'm hard of hearing and I need to be able to see lips to hear what is being said. I would have looked odd standing there staring at them from different angles if I didn't have a camera in hand plus I got some great shots.
Wrong: My friends yelled at me for taking photos and one of them actually swiped my camera from me during the reception. The journalist in me wants to take photos and happily I found a disposable camera on our table and I took more. I understand my friends wanted me to relax and enjoy things but I am Type A and need to be busy.
Right: My daughters, who are both artistic, designed the elegant and beautiful centerpieces for the tables and many people complimented us on them.
Right: We had a great turnout at the wedding and our closest friends and many of our relatives were there. We had four generations of family and people came from all over the country including Florida, Maryland, Texas, Washington and California.
Wrong: The bar didn't have a sign that said the keg of beer was hosted. The bar had bottles of beer on display and when we got into the reception I saw that many guests bought beer. I had the DJ announce that the beer was hosted and I asked the wedding coordinator for a sign like she promised.
Wrong: The cake topper on the wedding cake was missing. The wedding coordinator's first response was well maybe they put flowers on top instead. My daughter had special ordered the cake topper off the internet and it belonged to her. It was MIA for much of the night. The hotel though called the bakery and tracked it down and it was on top of the cake in time to cut it.
Wrong: The vegetarian version of the meal was understated. We thought it would have more to it and the handful of people who didn't want the filet mignon got rice with chopped up vegetables which looked more like a side dish than an entree. I asked the wedding coordinator and she said no that's it but it is delicious. Some people did think so.
Wrong: Two people didn't show up. I asked to have their meals boxed up so we could take them home and was told it was not allowed. Of course no refund either.
Right: Having a DJ at the wedding was such a great idea. My mom who loves to dance asked me to book the DJ right away.... more than a year before the wedding. I'm so glad I did. People were dancing throughout the night and Ray the DJ was also master of ceremonies and knew when to announce the various traditional events throughout the night.
Right: I brought a pair of comfortable shoes to dance in. My dressy shoes served their purpose for photos.
Right: I'm glad I wrote a speech and toasted my daughter, Jennifer, and son-in-law, Josh. I do not like making public speeches but my close friends, husband and mom all said I'd regret it if I didn't. I'm so glad I did. My husband's beautiful speech to our daughter inspired me!
Right: I had my younger brother, Glenn; and my younger daughter's friend, Stephanie, take photos at the wedding instead of spending about $3,000 for a professional photographer. Between the two of them they have more than 2,000 photos for us to chose from plus many people at the wedding including me were taking photos.
Right: I gave flowers and centerpieces to various friends and family who live in town. It made them feel extra special.
Right: My daughter, Jennifer, and her new husband, Josh, were glowing all night with happiness.
Right: My youngest daughter, Julie, said she would be waiting at least 6 years before she gets married. That should give me time to save up the money and start planning again.

Lori Baker is mom to two daughters, 21 and 23 years old. She is
editor for the Valley and State section's Education and Environment pages in the Arizona Republic.