I woke up a couple times during the night before the wedding - once when Bill finally went to bed at 4am after baking all night, and again at about 6:30am when he went to go pick up a few cheesecakes that my friend (who was working the event with Bill) had made for the wedding.
Then at 7, I got a text that woke me up for good. Apparently only 2 of the 4 cheesecakes came out. Bill headed back, exhausted. He had hoped to sleep a bit before the wedding, but instead we now had to come up with two cakes in the next few hours.
Bill went to the store on the way home and picked up ingredients for peach upside down cake. I started slicing peaches, while he made the cake batter. In less than an hour we had two cakes in the oven. We both collapsed and slept for about an hour before we had to get ready for the wedding. Thankfully the cakes came out beautifully.
I showered and got dressed and felt immediately better. We decided to drive since we would have to come back and pick up all the baked goods between the ceremony and reception anyway.
All the exhaustion and panic seemed to disappear when I stood with Jessi behind the church doors, waiting for her to walk down that aisle. She looked so beautiful, and nervous but happy. As she stood across from Kenji at the alter, neither of them could stop smiling.
By the reception, all the stress had disappeared. The groom and bride both seemed in their element - working the room filled with friends and family. I felt honored to be able to spend as much time with Jessi as I did. When Bill's desserts came out, everyone flooded to them. As the night came to a close, I felt happy, relieved, and above all completely content. Although I also felt a slight itching in my throat, which I continued to ignore, and tried to drown out with a shot or two of whiskey.
Tension, anxiety and then a happy outcome. This was a very sweet post (and not just about the pastries!). Thanks!
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