disney world part 1

The retelling of the honeymoon at Disney World begins here. Please follow this link to read all about it!

post-marriage reception (part 4)

We had gotten married! It was insane. Everyone cried so much that I couldn't believe anyone could take pictures afterwards. I couldn't believe *I* could, that's for sure. It was freezing outside. Not literally, but it was cold and the wind was whipping off from the lake, which made it even colder. I had to go get my sneakers halfway through the picture process. As much as I love those shoes, after wearing them for the last couple of hours I REALLY needed to take them off. After we finished doing that we went inside where everyone was already eating salads and since we never really figured out where we were going to sit, we sat all over the place. There were empty chairs at almost every table so we floated throughout dinner. The pasta bar was great. I wish I would have been physically able to eat more. The tightest part of my dress was right across my natural waist (you know, the high one) with my stomach being the only part able to give---or take---any room. My stomach was full. I literally could fit no more food in my body. I ate some pasta and chicken and one piece of cake and then I was done. Not because I didn't WANT more, but because I'd have to let my dress out halfway through the night.

For this party my mom made a two-tiered cake and we used the sheet cake from Saturday (which was never even cut in to!). Red velvet on the bottom, carrot on the top. I didn't mind doing the cake cutting as much this time and we have all these great pictures of it!!

I sat with Ben and Ali for a little while which was great. Again, I am so happy they were able to come. Both left early (Ben since he was driving back to Chicago that night, Ali because Ben was leaving and he was the only person besides me she knew) but I am so happy I got to see them and TALK to them. I love them.

While I was talking to Ben and Ali, Chris and friends were setting up the music. They ended up playing a pretty long, very AWESOME set. Two of the four members of his old band are professional musicians and Chris is kind of a professional musician (I mean, he is an actor who is paid to play music so... you know... I guess that's professional, it's just not exclusive) so they were just great. They played some old U2 (The End of the World), Nirvana, Matthew Sweet's Girlfriend, I believe a Lenny Kravitz song... Chris said this was their 1993 set (since that's the last time they were a band). They also played Barracuda and Hit Me With Your Best Shot for ME to sing, and it was great (even though I still messed up Barracuda because I wanted an extra measure before I sang the 2nd verse. We never practiced the song. I chose this without telling anyone. Mistake!) It was cool to sing with a REAL band! :)

After Chris's old band played, his more recent band, "Ruffian," took to the stage. Ruffian is Ben, Greg and Chris (with other optional members) but was basically the "band" that was formed during Chris's first tour with the ASC. They played a lot of original stuff and some stuff I think they haven't played in years (maybe SINCE his first tour in 2003-2004) but it was great. Rick Blunt was going nuts. Tyler and Sybille were dancing (and they were the only ones, which was PERFECT!!!). We got out again right at 11pm and tore down everything as much as we could. I couldn't believe how well everything went. It was CRAZY! It was perfect. I couldn't believe it.

Ben took us back to the hotel and we checked in to our room... first thing when we walked in was a freaking HOT TUB! We were so excited. We went to turn it on... and it didn't work. At all. What a stupid bummer. Don't TEASE someone with a hot tub. That's just mean.

I couldn't sleep again that night. I had to wake up super early again to get to the Akron/Canton airport for our flight but I still couldn't sleep. I just kept thinking about everything. How perfect everything was, how happy I was that every one who could come did come, how much I loved and appreciated everyone who helped with everything... and then how effing EXCITED I was to go to Disney World. I think I slept less than 3 hours because I just couldn't stop thinking.

The next morning we found out that the Lakers and the Celtics both lost, LeBron won the MVP and that the Indians won. It was solidified that it was a perfect day in Ohio.

the ceremony(part 3)

I jut posted the ceremony (part 3) up on the other blog and you don't want to miss it!! Click on this link to read the ceremony (part 3)!

part 2

(For part 1, please read part 1)

So, on Sunday (the day before the wedding), Chris and I met Ben and Rene at the hotel and took them on a tour of Sandusky. It was obviously awesome. We showed them the Lake (how can you miss it?), the back way to Cedar Point, the plethora of retail, the yacht club, the place where we got our marriage license from (the courthouse) and, of course, TGIFridays, where we had lunch on the dock next to the bay. Chris had something called a "cheesy bacon cheeseburger." Anything with "cheese" in the title twice is trouble. It had a big piece of fried cheese on top. Gross. But he sure did eat it. I think Ben and Rene spent the rest of the night in the pool at the hotel. Chris went to Cleveland to practice music with his old band ("Freudian Slip" for those of you who were wondering) and I went home to, essentially, quietly freak out until I openly freaked out, most of which became directed at my sister on another drive home from Wal-mart (I needed one of those duffel bags that folds down flat).

I hardly slept that night at all. I started rethinking my vows. I had written my vows when I was half asleep and I started wondering whether or not they made sense. So, I made a bullet-point version of my vows. I just couldn't imagine myself standing up there reading this piece of paper like it's some kind of book. They're all things I'd say anyway, how could I just READ it? Anyway, I had to wake up relatively early on Monday because we planned on having a rehearsal with the people helping us out in the ceremony at noon. Chris was in a really bad mood when he picked me up but he soon felt better. We met half the group at the hotel and drove them to the yacht club where we waited for the other half... for ever. They made a wrong turn and drove like 25 miles in the wrong direction so they were over an hour late. Chris wanted to take every one out for lunch in thanks for helping but there was no way I'd have time to go, especially after we were running so behind. Our rehearsal just ended up being a basic talk-through of what was going to happen. I got home about 2pm and had told the photographer I'd be back around 4:45. Since I needed another two hours to put on my make up, this was really cutting it close!

I went home and put on make up (and helped my sister put on her SPANX), kissed my kitty's pretty head and we all went down to the yacht club where the first person I saw besides our photographer was Chris. He was all like "I'm not looking" for a minute, but then we realized it was pointless and we gave up on that. In fact, I never went away to "hide." I was out in the room the entire time pre-wedding (save when I was taking pictures with my family near the water) talking to people. The first person I was able to talk to was Ben Klainer! It was so nice. I hadn't seen him in so long and it was so great to be able to spend some real time with him, ESPECIALLY since he drove from Chicago that day and was driving back that night. Now that is wedding dedication. I remember people from the theatre walking in and seeing me through a doorway and looking SHOCKED that I was out there. It was pretty funny.

We had LOTS of wedding dedication at our ceremony! We had people who drove from Staunton the night before, people who drove from NYC the night before and people who flew from NYC (including Rene who drove to DC, took a train to NYC and then flew to NYC and back). It was awesome! And, Ali was able to drive up and as the sole witness to the beginning of our relationship in attendance, it was pretty great to have her there. Plus, you know, she's great.

I roped Josh into running the ipod for the pre-ceremony and kiss songs (not the band, the final part of the ceremony). We started the edited version of "The White Album" at about 6pm and mingled and stuff until "Rocky Raccoon" was playing. I made sure my lipstick was ok in the bathroom mirror and we all waited in the hall for Ben to start singing "I Will".....

part 1

I wrote a long blog post expecting to be able to copy and paste it into this blog but it didn't work... so you'll just have to click on THIS LINK to be able to read the first part of our wedding weekend adventure. :)

he means to marry me monday

Thank you so much to everyone who came last night! We had a great time!

One down, one to go!

Yes, this is as good as the pictures are going to get from us. We had almost nothing usable from our cameras. (if you have any pictures--someone must--you can email them to us at chrisalisa2009@gmail.com!! :) )

i woke up an hour early

When I was about 5 years old I was in kindergarten, as most 5 year olds are. I don't know what the kids in kindergarten watch today (Pingo? is that too young for kindergarten?) but when I was there, we watched the Letter People. Most people liked a letter that their first name began with or, at least, their last name. Now, let me tell you a fact. Miss A kind of blows. I mean that literally and figuratively (and when you watch the video, you'll see why). What is up with her huge mouth? Mr. L was just WEAK. Orange hair, soft falsetto... why would anyone like Mr. L? I know *I* didn't.

I liked Mr. S.

Mr. S is a superhero. Mr. S has an AWESOME song. He shows real emotions in that song. That bass part is seriously cool and the whole song is funky as hell.

I remember some kid in kindergarten (although I honestly couldn't tell you who) was like "Alisa is IN LOVE with Mr. S!" I was so embarrassed. I obviously wasn't in love with Mr. S. He's a puppet. Even at 5 years old, you're not going to fall in love with a puppet. I just really liked the song. That song, as I said, is seriously cool. It's obvious to me now that whoever that kid was, besides clearly being jealous of my assumed love of Mr. S, just wasn't cool.

I think the "S" thing stayed with me, though. Look over to the right. It says, "I love Shakespeare, Sondheim and rock and roll." That love clearly started with Mr. S. First of all, two out of three of those things start with the letter S. The other one is directly related to Mr. S because his song IS rock and roll. Mr. S also rhymes a lot (like SHAKESPEARE!!) and he writes original lyrics that shouldn't make sense but do (like SONDHEIM!!). Mr. S is the epitome of those three things.

Another thing I love is the real Mr. S, Chris Seiler. He does not have super-sonic socks. He will not fly around with some weird background and have his close up match the trumpet part. He will be nice to you all the time. He will love you unconditionally. Even though he is a comedian, he will play your "straight man" so that you can pull off your "Alisa character." He will look at you like you're the greatest thing on earth even when all you've been doing for the last hour is gossiping.

Maybe he won't do these things to YOU... but he will to me.

And after all that, I'm not changing my name. I'm the only Alisa Ledyard in the entire world. I can't give that up. There already is an Alisa Seiler. She can keep it. She's got two COOL names. I always figured that I would change it... but after I found out I'd be one of two, I just couldn't do it. You never really realize how much your name really means to you until you're thinking about changing it. (Incidentally, in 4th grade my parents gave me permission to change my name to plain old "Lisa." Every day since the first day of preschool, my name has been mispronounced by anyone trying to say it for the first time. I was sick of it. They gave me permission and said if I really wanted to, I could. I could finally be... plain old Lisa. No way, Jose. That is why I get so irritated when people mispronounce my name.)

So, I am staying Alisa Ledyard (change the cards! It hasn't changed in 26 years, don't get it wrong now!). I have to keep Miss A and Mr. L as my Letter People characters... but I can also secretly still love Mr. S and his ability to rock.