Wedding Blog: Bridal Room

Before the ceremony, I was blessed with the opportunity to share a very special time with my mom. She, along with my bridesmaids, helped me get into my dress and get my shoes on. Then, they stepped back while she helped me with my jewelry, veil, and final touches. I will never forget this special opportunity that I was able to share with her.

My sister and maid of honor also stood with us during this time. I am so blessed to have two outstanding women in my life. They push me to be the best I can be, and they have stood behind my relationship with Andrew since the beginning. I love them so much.

Having my mom place my veil was very touching. Again, it's a memory I will never forget. Sharing this time with her was incredible.

I love my veil. I love my dress. I love my bouquet. I honestly felt like a bride as soon as my mom secured the veil in place. My emotions at this point are beyond words. I felt so much excitement rushing through my soul! I pray that every girl feels the way I felt at this very moment.

I love this picture as well. Mom was touching up some of my curls, and my little sister, Zoe is soaking everything in. I kept telling her that someday she will find her Prince Charming and she can experience this herself.

This picture is precious. Here I stand with both of my sisters. I pray that they keep their hearts sheltered for the right man. I hope that they have as high of standards for love as I did. I hope they let God guide their paths so they can find a love as wonderful as mine and Andrew's. I just pray they search and search and never settle.

After all of the seriousness, my silly personality kicked in. Yes, I am standing over a fan. Mom wants to invent an airconditioned wedding dress. I think she is on to something. Those suckers are HOT!!! I was absolutely roasting!

I have always been able to make my sisters laugh. We simply love each other. This picture makes me smile because it's obvious that we have a great time together.

Here is a picture of the bouquets. Simply perfect. Who would have ever guessed I would have roses? But, I did! And, I wouldn't have it any other way!

I just had to have a picture taken of the special memory I was carrying on my wedding day. I had a picture of my great-grandma attached to my bouquet. I loved knowing that she was with me every step of the way. The tangible and visual reminder of this was so comforting.

Finally relaxing instead of bouncing around. I love this picture.

I can't wait to see Jim Fish's shot of this pose. It's soooo timeless!

Again, airing myself out. It was HOT!!! This picture cracks me up!

Dad finally made his way down to the bridal room. I love his expression. He could not take his eyes off of me, and he kept saying that he was just going to gaze and soak it all in. I truly felt like his little princess at this special moment.

Guests started showing up before we were expecting them. My stepdad is guiding the bridesmaids as they make their way down the steps while hiding me with a sheet. Let me tell you, the wind was CRAZY and the sheet was NOT behaving!!

Finally... this was the last picture taken before the ceremony. Tyler and I have been through so much together... good times... wonderful times... bad times... awful times... You name it, we've been through it. But, at the end of the day, I love my little brother with all of my heart. I spotted him from the window in my room and had to see him before walking down the aisle.

When asked by bridesmaids if there was anything I needed, I simply exclaimed "JUST GET ME MY GROOM!!!!" I was not a bit nervous... in fact, I had to be held back to keep from sprinting down the aisle towards my handsome groom. My excitement was pouring from me, and all of my guest exclaimed that I was radiating love and excitement... and not one ounce of nervousness.

Next up... The actual ceremony!!

Wedding Blog: Hair Appointments

Our morning began at 9:30. The wedding was at 6:00. We were in for a long day!

It didn't take my flower girl very long to become tired and anxious to be done with her hair appointment. She opted out of an up-do because she felt like it would "take too much time" and it was "very pretty" just as it was.

She was right. Add a tiara, and I had a very beautiful flower girl!

Miranda took a turn in the chair. She enjoy getting a side braid and lots of curls. This gorgeous hairdo could never be as pretty as she is. I truly believe that I have the most beautiful sister ever!

My niece, Rori, showed up halfway through for her hair appointment. What day is complete though without candy? I swear this girl is Houdini. She can disappear better than anyone I've ever met.

We caught a big smile from my lovely bridesmaid, Andrea. I loved her long, thick black hair! So pretty!

Midway through the appointments, I felt a migraine coming on...

So my stepmom, Anna, came to the rescue!! She is an exceptional massage therapist, and my headache was gone almost instantly.

I never realized how much hair my baby sister, Zoe, has! In fact, I confuse the back of her head with mine in some of the pictures! What a gorgeous head of hair!

Miranda is finally finishing up! Soooo pretty!

Here is a shot of Zoe's completed look. She is absolutely stunning!!

Now it's my turn...

Look at that hair!

Time to practice with the veil. This is when reality hit. It finally sunk it that I was getting married. All sorts of emotions were raging through me. Mostly, I couldn't wait to get to Washington to see my handsome groom!

My hairstylist for the day was amazing. I don't know how she curled my head of hair along with two others whose hair is just as thick as mine. She had to be exhausted!

It's all starting to come together nicely... Truly feeling like a bride now!!

Once again... I was so full of emotions at this point. My big day was finally here!!!

Something blue... My shoes and dress were both blue. This also provides a nice shot of my beautiful pedicure! Red with three rhinestone flowers on each big toe! Love it!

Finally! I am done!!

Next stop? Make-up and bridal room!! Will post more soon!

Wedding Blog: Spa Day

In lieu of a huge, wild, out of control bachelorette party that I was not looking forward to, my Maid of Honor and bridesmaids planned a spa day the day before the wedding. We got manicures and pedicures and enjoyed each others' company. Miranda and I also learned what Andrea already knew... We do not care for pedicures. At all.

Mom snapped this shot of Miranda and me as we were beginning to get our manicures. I got an acrylic set, and Miranda got her nails painted.

I enjoy being pampered. It's quite nice actually.

This pretty much sums up my behavior... cool as a cucumber. If I wasn't calm, cool, and collected, I was bouncing off of the walls and informing everyone that I was getting married.

This is the one part that I did enjoy of the pedicure... the warm wax. It felt soooo cool to have the hot wax on my feet!

They then wrapped my feet up like a crippled child. I loved this part as well. It was so warm and cozy. If a pedicure only include the hot wax and warm and cozy booties, I would love it. However, the scrubbing, rubbing, and other annoying activities are not for me.

At the end of spa day, we were beautiful! Despite this dislike of the pedicure, Miranda and I left with super cute toenails! I enjoyed having beautiful nails for my wedding, and I am so thankful that my bridesmaids planned such a nice, relaxing day for me!

After the spa, we went to Applebee's where I enjoy the Fiesta Lime Chicken and a Skinny Margarita. It was the perfect meal to celebrate my upcoming marriage with! I enjoyed chatting with my sister and friend, and I had a great time just being with the girls!

After we left, I got a massage from my stepmom. It was heaven on earth, and it provided me with the best way to relax before the big day! Even though I was Chatty Kathy the ENTIRE time, I left feeling like a new person!

The evening ended with my mom, stepmom, sisters, bridesmaid, and me watching Princess and the Frog. Perfect. Simply perfect!

I woke up on Saturday relaxed and ready to go!

Thank you girls for planning such a wonderful day and for making my last day as a "single" gal the absolute best that it could be! I love you!

Wedding Blog: Rehearsal

I have decided that the easiest way to blog about the much asked about event is to break it down event by event. Over the course of the next few days (and possibly weeks), I will blog about different events and aspects of the best day of my life.

First up... Rehearsal.

After working a 10 hour work day, getting off 30 minutes late, and driving three hours (through lots of road construction) to Washington, Andrew made it to the rehearsal about 35 minutes behind schedule. Our pastor was a bit uneasy at the hectic nature of our rehearsal and doomed our wedding to failure due to lack of organization...  at least that's how it seemed at first.

After a bit, things calmed down and we were able to get started. I had a lot of fun learning what we needed to do the day of the wedding as far as the ceremony goes. Little did I know that, at the end of the evening, I would forget everything we talked about. It was simply a whirlwind!

We were at the chapel for an hour past the expected ending time. Boy, oh boy was I hungry!!! So- after "learning" our roles, we headed to the rehearsal dinner hosted by Andrew's parents.

I enjoyed sitting next to my momma at the dinner. We had awesome tortellini, chicken, and ceasar salad. Yum!! The tortellini was by far my favorite!

The in-laws decorated with sunflowers, lights, and placecards. It was very beautiful and very relaxing! Perfect environment after a hectic rehearsal!

My parents created a video of pictures of Andrew and me growing up. This video was incredible! It perfectly depicted how God has orchestrated our paths so that we are perfectly suited for one another in marrige. This video shows that we were, beyond a shadow of doubt, created for one another.

Follow this link to watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xyiIQxvUBU

I really enjoyed hanging out with my flower girl and niece, Lexi. She looked precious in her dress, and she was very excited to be there! She really loved the cake... almost too much!!

I hugged on my little sister even more so than normal in the days before the wedding. This girl is amazing. She was the perfect Maid of Honor, and she is my best friend. I love her more than words can say, and I am so blessed that she was such a big part of my wedding.

It was sooooo nice to have all of my bridesmaids together! We are sprawled out here, there, and everywhere so it was very hard to get everyone together.

I also got in some cuddle time with my ring bearer. Now that he can walk, run, and throw balls, he's far too busy for Aunt Abby. So, I snatched this opportunity to cuddle him. What a perfect way to end the evening!

Overall, it was a fantastic rehearsal and dinner!!

Check back for more throughout the week...

IT'S HERE!!!!

The day has FINALLY come!!!

Today is Rehearsal Day.

Tomorrow is Spa Day.

And then...

... this awkward couple will join their lives in marriage!

I am so blessed to be marrying my best friend! I cannot wait until the wedding, and I cannot wait to begin my life with such a wonderful man! God has truly blessed us!

Gnome Fever

If someone would have told me five years ago that I would own a garden gnome, I probably would have laughed. I have always thought they are a little bit silly and for older people. A friend of mine has been working on a gnome garden and blogging about it. It is absolutely adorable! She has some of the cutest gnomes I've ever seen, and it has really made me want to buy a gnome.

Switching gears- Last year Andrew (and I) worked really hard to landscape the house. We planted all sorts of plants- elephant ears, hostas, calladiums, and more. Out of all of those plants, only the hostas came back. That left the front of our house bare... with river rock and mulching. It looked a bit odd. Today we made some purchases to spruce the front area up again.

We purchased these cute yellow zinnias as a filler flower along with...

... these vibrant red and orange celosia.

The main attraction are...

... three bold red, orange, and yellow zinnia plants.

This area is so pretty, and the color combination really pops. I love the bright reds, yellows, and oranges. They are the perfect summertime colors. I am a happy camper.

But...

This sleeping guy makes me so happy. I think this little gnome is the cutest thing ever. He is nestled in amongst the plants and he looks like he is enjoying a nice summer nap. I really like him!

I am afraid that I may have gnome fever now. I would like a cute little collection to go with my sleeping gnome. Oh boy...

Also- I didn't listen and was in the sun too long. I was wearing my swimming suit top, and Andrew kept telling me to go inside to avoid tan lines for the wedding. I didn't listen. I now have lines. I'm hoping they fade by Saturday! Oops!