The Wedding Diaries: 1

M

y “baby” is getting married on October 2nd.
It was one of those COVID weddings, postponed for more than a year. And I am savoring every moment of being the MOB (mother-of-the-bride). But because I am working (of course) at the start and end of the trip, I decided to chronicle my “adventures.”

THE JOURNEY BEGINS

I’m going to brag a little here. I have clearly perfected my packing skills, as I was able to fit my TeriJon gown, Badgley Mischka shoes, evening bag, and massive array of hair accessories (decisions, decisions) into two carry-on bags.

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Packing Tip: Wear stretchy velvet and flats for special occasions. They are compact and you don’t have to worry about wrinkles or blisters.

The weekend started out happily, with a 5-star Uber driver (Perry) and the nicest and funniest Clear rep ever. But my giddy mojo was almost shaken by the nasty TSA guy who took his duties a little too seriously. I innocently asked whether I needed to put my roller bag, in a bin too and he snapped at me. “Everything goes in a bin!” he practically shouted.
Why was that necessary? I know these people are protecting our safety, but travel is stressful these days. But who needs a dude in a uniform treating every person like a terrorist or idiot. On the bright side, the American Airlines customer service person (Carol) who tried to figure out why my TSA clearance wasn’t on my boarding pass was a gem.

Airline Tip: ALWAYS check your boarding pass. If you have TSA status and it’s not on your record, you might be subjected to verbal abuse by people in uniforms.

I had a relatively smooth flight, including a pleasant chat with my masked seatmate and thank you to the flight attendants (who’ve been dealing with a lot of weirdness this year).

The Hertz pick-up experience was virtually flawless and I’m glad I got a big-ass car because I ended up stopping at the BTB (bride-to-be) house for an awesome casual dinner (from a local place called Pupatella, along with homemade zucchini made by the BTB (bride-to-be)) and stuffing my trunk with the guest goody bags to bring to the hotel.

More on the hotel in Installment 2….