Behind the Scenes of Kaitlin and John’s Big Fat TODAY Wedding

It’s Big Fat TODAY Wedding Day!

Less than a month ago, we found out my sister Kaitlin and her fiancé John were finalists to win a dream wedding on the TODAY Show, and after America said “I do” to the newly engaged couple, they had just two weeks to plan their entire wedding(!), which aired live March 24, 2016 on NBC.

What everyone saw on the show was obviously incredible, but gearing up for the wedding was just as much fun. I wanted to share a behind-the-scenes sneak peek of what the day was like leading up to Kaitlin and John’s Big Fat TODAY Wedding, so I’m breaking it down, minute by minute—from the seriously early wakeup call to the last bite of cake.

Big Fat TODAY Wedding Day

3:30 a.m.: Wakeup call. We wake up, pack up our things and get ready to meet downstairs in the lobby. Comfy clothes, dry hair and no makeup.

4 a.m.: Arrive at NBC studios.

4:30 a.m.: Kaitlin, the bridesmaids (me, Kaitlin’s best friend and John’s sister), our parents and Nana head upstairs to the 8th floor where the SNL magic happens—and where we’ll be getting ready for the ceremony! We take a mini tour of the SNL studios (may or may not have snapped a selfie with Justin Timberlake’s signed headshot) and exchange a few pre-wedding gifts.

5 a.m.: Rehearsal time! Everyone heads downstairs to the TODAY studio to do one last run-through before the live show. Andy Grammer arrives fully dressed and ready to go in his tux, followed by Nia Vardalos, Joey Fatone and Savannah Guthrie. TODAY fans are already outside lining the aisle on 49th Street, which is blocked off by NYPD. We run through the streets practicing the ceremony one last time (our first time meeting Joey and his first time reading through the vows).

5:30 a.m.: Guests start arriving. Early, but they’re greeted by a spread of breakfast food, fruit, coffee and tea.

6 a.m.: Back up to SNL and into hair and makeup—in the same room where the celebs get ready for the show!

7 a.m.: Hoda Kotb comes upstairs to meet the whole family and prep for a few teasers that will air leading up to the wedding. Camera crews assemble in our dressing room, and also in the green room where John and his family are, to capture the bride and groom each getting ready for the big moment.

7:36 a.m.: Hoda is live from the iconic Rainbow Room on the 65th floor of Rockefeller Plaza with all of the wedding guests, the winning signature cocktail, Honeymoon Sunset, in hand.

8:03 a.m.: Carson Daly plays poker with the groomsmen and gives John West a pre-wedding pep talk on the air.

8:32 a.m.: America’s winning picks are revealed! A final pre-wedding package airs recapping their journey on the show.

8:34 a.m.: Showtime! Carson Daly drives Kaitlin up to the TODAY studio in a vintage white Mercedes convertible and she hops out wearing a white silk robe, greeted by Willie Geist and Savannah while Andy Grammer strums the opening chords of “Good to Be Alive.”

Kaitlin ducks into a changing tent where two wardrobe stylists help her quickly slip into her dress. Once she’s out of the tent—20 seconds later—Nia hands her the bouquet and Kaitlin peeks in a floor-length mirror to see herself in her dress for the first time.

8:35 a.m.: We dance our way through the studio and outside into the plaza, where our mom, stepdad and Nana are waiting to walk Kaitlin down the aisle to meet John, who’s with his groomsmen and parents. John sees Kaitlin for the first time and kisses her on the cheek.

8:36 a.m.: The bride and groom, Andy Grammer and his backup singers, and the wedding party all run across 49th Street to meet up with Joey Fantone, who reads their vows as they make their way down the aisle (only the few lines that are legally required). Andy Grammer cuts vocals and goes to an instrumental version of “Good to Be Alive.”

8:37 a.m.: Kaitlin and John say “I do,” exchange rings, the witnesses (all of us plus all of the TODAY fans lining the streets) burst into cheers, and Joey pronounces them husband and wife as John dips Kaitlin for the picture-perfect Hollywood kiss. The whole ceremony only took 3 and a half minutes!

8:38 a.m.: Cut to commercial break. The wedding party has two minutes flat to hustle inside and fill the NBC elevators heading up to the reception. (Willie Geist and I meet for the first time on the way up—fun fact: we were both born in Evanston Hospital.)

8:42 a.m.: As soon as we’re up in the Rainbow Room, Kaitlin and John are out on the dance floor to finish out “Good to Be Alive” with Andy Grammer and now a group of backup dancers.

8:44 a.m.: The newlyweds are announced as Mr. and Mrs. West for the first time! And then it’s time for the big honeymoon reveal. Drumroll… they’re going to Greece! (Carson Daly definitely flips his sign too soon and slips the secret—and the letters are backwards—everyone quickly shuffles around to spell out G-R-E-E-C-E.)

8:48 a.m.: Kait and John share their first dance, a waltz that they learned in two days at a downtown dance studio, to Andy Grammer’s “I Choose You,” a song he wrote when he was getting married.

8:53 a.m.: Time to cut the cake! Savannah, Willie, Carson and Andy stand by as Kait and John cut the winning Sylvia Weinstock cake.

“This is really fun to be a part of,” Andy says. “I think it all comes down to these two, they’re so sincere and sweet about it, it’s so awesome. There’s a lot happening, but at the core of this it’s two really sweet people, so this has been really fun.”

9:02 a.m.: “We have identified the party table in the room and it’s right there,” Willie says motioning to my table filled with friends from college. “That’s a dangerous table right there.”

9:22 a.m.: The producers call “all the single ladies” out to the dance floor for the bouquet toss. Nia tosses her corsage as a test run (I caught it!), and then Kaitlin tosses back her bouquet—which hits the big, beautiful chandelier as John’s cousin and his brother’s girlfriend dive for it. “Good thing we have insurance in the Rainbow Room!” Literally dying. For good measure, Willie has her toss the bouquet one more time, and John’s cousin catches it again!

9:49 a.m.: Andy pumps up the crowd with a live performance of “Honey, I’m Good.” Spoiler: We danced to this same song a good 2-3 times before we hear someone shout, “live in 5!” and realize now we’re doing it for real live on the air. Low-key highlight of my life: grabbing Joey Fatone for a dance.

10:02 a.m.: Time for dinner? We take a dance break to casually eat filet mignon (gnocchi for us vegetarians) and drink Champagne at 10 in the morning. Kaitlin had a plate of each so she could try all the food at the wedding.

10:42 a.m.: Andy Grammer gives the new couple the ultimate wedding gift—an all-expenses paid trip to Napa Valley to see him perform at Live in the Vineyard, a food, music and wine festival. Can I come?!

10:48 a.m.: Andy closes out the reception with one last live performance, “Fine By Me.”

10:55 a.m.: Hoda whips out the selfie stick. “We are going to take an epic wedding selfie! Hey, Ellen, look at this one!” And then we danced it out one more time to “Good to Be Alive” with Kathie Lee, Hoda and Andy.

Thanks for following along, tuning in and voting for Kaitlin and John’s dream wedding—they had the BEST time! I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect day and was so happy to be able to share it with family and friends. Oh, and 13 million viewers.

Tamron Hall said it best: “What we just witnessed is TV history!”

Watch the whole wedding from start to finish here:

 

Photos by Heidi Gutman for TODAY