Diary of a Manhattan Actress's Wedding: A Star-Studded (Love) Affair: We Tackle The Beast

So this was it: we were all prepped and beautified, my ladies were already dressed and ready to go, and my lovely dress was just waiting to be donned.

You know all those lovely, ethereal pictures of wedding dresses just hanging gracefully, looking as though they're dangling from a cloud? Yeah, I didn't get those. Which doesn't particularly bother me and wasn't anyone's fault, it's just that our apartment was so stuffed to the brim with people and stuff that shots of my dress came out looking more like this:

Decidedly ungraceful, but perfect just the same, because these shots remind me so vividly of exactly what that day was like and how I felt.

My dress (I can't believe I never named her, come to think of it) was gently laid on the bed in preparation for her moment in the spotlight.

I was excited to put my dress on, but it all of a sudden became incredibly apparent just how many people were standing around in my bedroom staring at me and though I'm not a particularly modest person, I felt overwhelmed at the pressure of wiggling into my dress with so many eyes upon me.

Yes, all of my bridesmaids were in the room and my lovely friend Halley, who helped with my makeup was there, too:

Even our videographer was there. This bride needed some privacy.

My MOH looked at the dress and then at me like, "How the hell are you gonna pull this one off, Star?" I love this picture because it's so very us:

After kicking everyone out except for two bridesmaids and my mom, we did some fancy-pants and not very "bridal" maneuvering, and I was in my dress:

You can tell how happy I was because I kept making this ridiculously excited face that is nothing like how I usually look:

MOH Star gently zipped me up:

Haha, not really. I just wanted to pretend it was as graceful as that picture made it look. Actually, the dress was an intentional tight fit and it was awkward.

Then I was helped into those shoes I put so much time and effort into scouring down and it felt like being a princess must feel -- it felt completely indulgent and exactly the kind of pampering that a bride needs, while at the same time a little strange and uncomfortable asking another human being to bend down put your shoes on for you:

Then I got the chance to check myself out in the mirror and I tried to let it sink in. I am really the bride now. Right now, in this very moment.

All I remember being is completely overwhelmed with joy:

Momma Star was ready with the extra hairspray, which was so appropriate because she's always been there in my life ready with the extra hairspray, both literally and figuratively:

Isn't that the hottest MOB dress you've ever seen? Don't worry, better pictures of it are coming.

With that, it was time for pictures! And oh, did we get a lot of great pictures. We had my favorite city in the whole entire world as a backdrop and my favorite people in the whole entire world (well, the girly ones anyways) in them -- of course I love the pictures!

I'll leave you with a little humor before I share some of the best pictures of the day. This is how amused I was when our photographer said, "let's get you out on the balcony" and I looked down at my enormous dress and around at our tiny apartment filled with potential falling/dress ripping hazards:

And this (obviously) non-pro shot cracks me up every time I look at it -- it looks like a scene from a movie to me. My bridesmaids obviously share my panic: