Warning: Some of these pictures are of some of the cutest little girls I’ve ever met. Proceed to read at your own risk!
So, my best friend got married on the 6th- and I had my first gig as a bridesmaid. And I must say, it was a blast. Rachel, the bride, had everything planned to perfection, the church was beautiful, and the reception hall people took care of everything. PLUS, the food was delicious and the DJ and dancing was awesome. Can’t ask for much more than that!
After our girls’ slumber party, we woke up at 6:30- too excited to sleep for much longer! Rachel’s new sister-in-law, made us breakfast (yum!) and then Alison, the hair dresser, came to us at 9.
No, this isn’t QUITE how she looked… Alison just wasn’t finished yet.
Much better!
Now for the veil…
Michelle was a great Maid of Honor- she was so excited for her big sister to be getting married!
These guys are Rachel’s adopted brothers. I met them when they were 11 and 23 months old- and it was love at first sight. It’s amazing how fast they’ve grown…
And these two goon birds are 2 of the reasons that I can’t wait to adopt our own kids.
And here is my second family.
And the beautiful bride!
And these little girls? They stole the hearts of every man in the room.
At the rehearsal the night before the big day, as I walked down the aisle after them, Z looked at me and mouthed, “I want some DAUGHTERS!” They even had my bachelor friend, Joe, ready to settle down and have some little girls.
They were totally darling as they practiced their stately march up the aisle and the day of the wedding, they did their job perfectly.
Dan’s face as he saw his beautiful bride for the first time.
The priest made the couple laugh all through the homily- even the part where he told them about the old Catholic “superstition”- that the number of people in your bridal party will equal the number of children you have! Apparently, these 2 can expect 13 little ones! Rachel was excited… Dan looked a little terrified…
Although, if they had 13 of these little dolls, I don’t think he’d mind too much. Little Claire had Dan wrapped around her finger- even getting him to order her and the other kids chocolate cake for dessert at the rehearsal dinner. He’s a sucker for a little girl in a sweet dress.
After the ceremony- and only a FEW tears, we took pictures and headed to the reception which was on the edge of a small lake. The hall was decorated beautifully…
And Rachel made her guest book very similar to mine. So, I loved it!
Here’s their rather unique cake! All of the layers were on individual stands, rather than stacked on top of one another.
And their table numbers and flowers. (One of my favorite parts of a being a bridesmaid. Seriously, I was so excited to take home such beautiful fresh flowers!)
The first dance…
Dan and Rachel danced to Tim McGraw’s “My Best Friend” and followed that with the traditional “Daddy-daughter” and “Mother-Son” dances. Then everyone joined in and the floor was rather crowded for the next several hours.
I don’t know if I’ve confessed this before but, Z and I love to dance. We’ve taken some swing lessons and basically try to adapt those moves to all situations… unless we’re line dancing. I’m terrible at “making it up” but now that we can at least pretend to know what we’re doing, Z doesn’t let me OFF the dance floor! Let’s just say that by the end of the night, I felt like this guy!
It was a wonderful, fun day and one of the best weddings that we’ve been to together. Now, we’re waiting for them to get back from their long honeymoon so that we can go camping with them later in July.
Speaking of other summer plans, we’re off to Z’s grandparents’ lake house this weekend to celebrate Z’s graduation from college. (It’s official now!) Good thing it’s going to be in the 80’s and 90’s all weekend!- I’ll post about it next week.
Have a great weekend- Choose joy,
E
