The Big Day – The Preparation

Laurie Cohn
Mirror contributing writer

   Considering I was never a young girl who dreamed about the perfect wedding and walking down the aisle looking like a princess, it’s amazing that that’s exactly what happened to me this past Earth Day. Though I often fantasized and spoke of getting married in some fictitious Chapel ‘O Love in Las Vegas by an Elvis impersonator, I realized early on in my engagement that everyone would be happy to attend a Rosenthal-Cohn merger. Certainly it would make my Jewish mother, Beverly, very, very happy.
   With the time I spent on the details and planning of the big wedding day, I could have perhaps learned how to play classical piano, yet that never has been a goal of mine. As I reflect now, barely a day after walking down the aisle, it all seems worth it because everything came together and everything worked. It was worth giving up some evening walks and hikes and yoga sessions. It was worth spending what amounted to days online buying things, gaining information, and monitoring our registries. It was worth spending countless hours trying to create the perfect seating chart, and, as of this writing, I’ve only heard about one unhappy guest. Everyone else was thrilled with the interesting tablemates they shared the festivities with. 
   The big day started early. Beverly was supposed to pick me up around 7 a.m, but she was over twenty minutes early, a very Beverly trait. By the time we got to the Bel Air Bay Club, my hairdresser Yvette had already been waiting about 15 minutes. We trucked our dresses and other essentials down to the Board Room, where we were to spend the next several hours. We had a great time getting ready. Yvette and I were in the bathroom as she began the process of turning me into a princess (though my young nieces, the cutest flower girls ever, later declared I was the queen and they were the princesses). Bobby pin after bobby pin was stuck into my head as extra curly locks were pulled out of my upswept mane for a little emphasis. We talked and laughed as my bloodshot eyes slowly cleared up.
   Next it was time to sit with my magic make-up lady, Lisa. She had worked on my mom first, and slowly started to transform my face into something no one may ever see again, at least in the near future. Thick coats of mascara and eyebrow pencil combined with some individual fake eyelashes made my blue eyes really stand out, or so said my friend Edward later that day. The lips became full, with liner and lipstick, and since they looked so good I wondered how I was going to kiss Michael under the chuppah and eat.
When Diana, my matron of honor, arrived she had bagels, fruit, juice, and my goddaughter in tow. The food was especially handy when the ring bearers and flower girls started arriving, and even I enjoyed part of a bagel. Diana and I did so much running around for this wedding it would be a column in itself. Her help was invaluable. She did her own make-up, coming to Lisa for some guidance, and Yvette helped Diana with her hair, after working on Beverly for a short while. 
It was fun in the room, and no one was tense or nervous, least of all me. We were laughing and joking and not really talking about the wedding ceremony which was to take place shortly. Pictures were at 10:00 am, an hour before the ceremony, and we still had lots of time and seemed to be doing fine. Diana’s husband John came early, having driven their big Suburban to help later, when there would be presents and other essentials to take home. He helped make the room feel a little less girly, and stayed until it was time for me to get dressed. 
Having been such an integral part of the planning process, there were very few things Michael didn’t know about. He was forbidden to visit the Board Room because I didn’t want him finding out any of my little secrets at the last minute. Michael wasn’t aware of the style of my dress, even though I did show him my shoes a couple of months ago. I showed him many dresses in bridal magazines, and whenever I asked him if he liked a dress he pretty much said yes, not wanting to take any chance of saying the wrong thing. He also didn’t know I was going to wear my hair up, crowned with a crystal tiara. The long satin gloves on my arms were another accessory I kept mum about. In just a matter of moments, all would be revealed to Michael.
Next week – the walk down the aisle and the party afterwards.